Healing The Alpha Collection (17 page)

"I understand your frustration," Beorn said, trying to remain calm. It was tough for him to show compassion to another living creature, but Rain was too good of a thing for him to just give up because of his attitude. She was the only person who would ever get this kind of treatment from him. "I'm sorry that I reacted that way. It'll be okay. I'll go with you tonight and we'll hear what Aster has to say."

"Thank you," she said, burying her face in his chest. "I'm just so worried about what's going to happen."

"I understand," he said, now rubbing one giant paw up and down her back. "It's not fun. Things are going to change."

"I know," she said. "I'm scared of change."

"You can't be. Change is part of life. Speaking of change, where's my pack?"

Rain looked up at him with a sarcastic glint in her eyes. "So they're your pack now?"

"For now," he said, smiling. Never in a million years would Beorn have thought he'd end up as alpha of a werewolf pack, but these guys
really
stuck to the old ways.

"They're in the cafeteria," she answered, pointing to a large oak door beside the stairs. "Go down that hallway and turn right. You can't miss it."

"I need to go have a chat with them."

"I need to work," she said sadly.

"Hey," he said, putting his thumb under her chin and stealing a quick kiss. "I still owe you a shifted date, remember? We'll catch those trout together."

"That sounds wonderful, babe," she said, smiling for the first time since this ordeal had begun.

Beorn walked past Rowan, who gave him a strange look before glancing back at Rain. He studied her for a second before a content smile finally crossed his face. "I've never seen anyone calm her down that quickly before."

"What can I say," Beorn said, shrugging. "I have the magic touch."

"Where are you going?" Rowan asked. Even though Aster was in charge, Rowan was running the show. Aster gave the orders and Rowan made them happen.

"To see my pack," Beorn said. He tried to maintain a complete stone face as he looked at Rowan, but it was hard not to smile when he talked about them.

"Your pack?" Rowan asked. "So you're seriously going to take that responsibility on?"

"Hell no, Rowan. You know me better than that. I could give a pocketful about most wolves, especially them."

"A pocketful of what?"

"Fucks."

"You're truly a wordsmith, sir."

"It comes from my mother's side. Anyway, I need to go tell these nut-huggers to get lost and get a life."

"We're not going to let them leave this place, Beorn," Rowan said. "Not until Aster has decided what he wants to do with them. They did betray us."

"Okay, that's great," Beorn said. "Then you can come with me and tell them that after I tell them to quit sucking on my teat."

"What's gotten into you?" Rowan asked. "I've never heard you speak like this before."

"I guess your daughter has gotten into me," Beorn said. "She makes me feel ten years younger."

"Yeah," Rowan said, rolling his eyes as they both began to walk towards the cafeteria. "At least she makes you feel younger; she makes me feel twenty years older."

"That's the difference between a father and a lover."

Rowan stopped and turned, giving Beorn a look that would curdle blood in any normal man.

What is with these wolves and their looks today?
Beorn thought.
All bluster, no action. Just like a wolf.

The hallway leading to the cafeteria looked old, much older than any other part of the building. The floor was white tile, but it had yellowed with age, as had the walls. There were notices and city ordinances tacked on the walls and pipes ran overhead. Beorn suddenly felt claustrophobic and trapped in this place. He almost had to duck to miss some of the lower-hanging pipes as they walked. How could anyone live or work in a place like this? It was too sterile, too human. He felt like he was being swallowed up by the bureaucracy—a bureaucracy that had already swallowed up most of the wolves in Bucklin and turned them into an angry mob demanding justice for not defending themselves.

What were those idiots even protesting? Beorn wasn't really sure what the problem was. Were they mad that the fight had come to their doorstep? Were they angry at their own inability to fight? Or were they just mad at the world and trying to find an outlet to vent their frustration?

"Those wolves wouldn't be so angry if they just shifted and acted like a wolf sometimes," Beorn said as they reached the cafeteria door.

Rowan stopped and turned back to him, a thoughtful look on his face. "You think that's the key? Eva kind of said the same thing."

"The human is smart," Beorn said. "You deny your nature for too long and you end up losing your mind, doing things that don't make sense to anyone."

"Like going feral?" Rowan looked disgusted at the mere thought.

"Maybe, or maybe not. Maybe your wolf forces a shift. Or maybe, like in Rain's case, it affects your emotions to the point you can't control them. Or maybe, in your case, it affects you to the point you can't control your anger and you have to kill without thinking rationally about it."

"Rain told you about the sheriff and the deputy?"

"Yes. It was an unfortunate situation. I'm not sure they didn't get what they deserved. If we were living by the old ways, their lives would have meant nothing. But it's a different day and we can't just kill every human who pisses us off. Live and learn, though, right?"

Rowan studied Beorn, his eyes travelling over the bear's bearded face like he was looking for some kind of hidden treasure. Finally he regarded Beorn with a smile while shaking his head. "I don't know how you have it so figured out, Beorn. You've always seemed to have a grasp on what you are and what you want to do. How?"

"Simple," Beorn said, pushing past him to open the cafeteria door. "I never moved to the city and tried to be a human."

Rowan stood behind him, dumbfounded by his comments, before finally following him into the cafeteria. There were at least twenty-five wolves sitting around in the cafeteria. Half of them were shifted while the other half were barely dressed. When they saw their new alpha walk in with the sheriff they all immediately came to attention and moved into a huddled group.

"This is all there is?" Beorn asked. "A couple dozen of you?"

"Others are hiding in the forest," a young boy with a shaky fear in his voice said as he stepped forward. "Plus you killed a lot of us, alpha." When he finished his sentence he quickly dropped his eyes, afraid to look at his alpha directly.

"Hiding?" Beorn asked. "What for?"

"Retribution from the majority," the boy said.

"What's your name, son?" Beorn asked.

"Timber, sir," he said, finally looking up. "My father was the number one beta for Forrest."

"Are there any betas left?" Beorn asked.

"None," Timber said.

"So what are you even planning to do?"

"Whatever you tell us to do, alpha."

The other wolves all nodded in agreement, even the shifted ones.

"I don't know what's going to happen to you," Rowan said, stepping forward. "Aster still hasn't made a decision."

"We don't recognize his authority," Timber said.

"Too bad," Rowan said. "Your alpha agreed to be a member of the five packs agreement. He agreed to live in Bucklin under the rule of the head alpha and be a part of the alpha council. If he changed his mind about, that he should have solved it like a civilized person. What he shouldn't have done was join up with two demons and their gang and bring ruin to our city. You declared war on us; we did not declare war on you."

"But you did," Timber said. "We all recognized the old ways and your father snuffed them out and then Aster continued that crusade. You declared war on our way of life."

"Who told you that, son?" Rowan asked, getting really close to Timber. Beorn could hear some of the wolves growl and snarl, but he didn't fear they would be stupid enough to strike.

"My father."

"Your father was a goddamn fool," Rowan said. "Forrest could have democratically challenged for the head alpha spot at any time. It might not be the old ways, but we had rules in place. He agreed to live by them."

"He had no choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Rowan said, turning to walk towards the door. "You all made yours and now you have to live by it."

"Alpha?" Timber asked as the door swung shut behind Rowan. "Is what he says true?"

"Forrest was a goddamn fool," Beorn said. "I didn't know your father. Your pack poked a sleeping bear, son. You might not like what you get when it wakes up."

Beorn knew that as mad as Rowan was at this pack, that was nothing in the face of Aster's rage. This pack was more than likely about to become extinct, and Beorn wasn't sure how much he cared.

Chapter 22

Hawk sat in the back of the room as Aster finished his proclamation and declared himself king shit of Bucklin. He had told everyone to put out the word about his meeting at the high school gymnasium tonight, but Hawk wouldn't be there. Everyone was required to attend, but Hawk still wouldn't be there.

He already had a meeting set up in about twenty minutes with the higher ranking members of his pack. As a matter of fact they should all be waiting at his house right this moment and Ciara should be leaving Eva's house and making her way over as well.

The plan was pretty simple: pass off leadership of the pack to his top beta, Raptor, and then pack the bare minimum before taking off with Ciara. They would return to where her car was, gather up everything she had brought for her camping trip and return to her home. Hawk already had a duffel bag full of cash he'd drawn from his account that he'd use to pay her fines and get her off the hook for her past misdeeds. By this time next week her sordid past and his pack life would be a distant memory and they'd be able to start a new life—together.

"Hawk," Rowan said, turning back to him. "Can you help spread the word?"

"Of course," Hawk lied. "I'll get it to my pack and they'll spread the word."

"Good," Rowan said. "Your pack should be able to blend in with the mob and let them know without any problems."

"Of course," Hawk said, smiling. "I'll get on that now."

Hawk stood up and had started to head for the exit when he felt a powerful hand grab him by the forearm and spin him back around. It was Rowan, who had moved very quickly to catch up to him after asking for his help. There was a fire in Rowan's eyes and his nostrils flared as he looked Hawk up and down. His jaw was set and clenched tight as he fought with himself to get the words out.

"Can I help you?" Hawk finally asked. He was as strong as any other alpha, but Rowan's iron grip was starting to hurt his forearm.

"You've been a good friend and a good alpha," Rowan said. "Take care of yourself out there."

"How did you…" Hawk started to say, but Rowan held up a hand.

"Don't worry. Just take care of yourself, buddy."

"I will," Hawk said, nodding.

As he walked out into the mob, which immediately began to turn their frustration on him, he felt a sting in his heart. He had known Rowan for so long, and now here he was sneaking off in the middle of the night and leaving him to deal with this mess.

No,
he thought as he began to slip into the mob, using his skinwalker powers to blend in. As quickly as the alpha had exited City Hall he vanished, a distant memory to the angry mob who had turned their attention to him.
I wanted to leave before the weekend when I rescued Leena. I promised Ciara I would stay and help until things were set right. Abaddon is dead and Leena's demon has been banished. I'm free to do whatever I want. It's time for me to move on.

He felt another sting in his heart, this one different from the last. Was it sadness? He had to admit that it was. The guilt was washing away, but he was overcome with sadness at Rowan's goodbye. Saying goodbye was never easy and in this case it was goodbye forever. After today Hawk would never lay eyes on another resident of Bucklin.

"It's for the best," he said to himself as he began to walk down the sidewalk. Everyone who looked at him saw a desperate-looking wolf walking quickly away from the trouble that was transpiring behind him, but as soon as they looked away they would forget they had ever seen him. In time the other members of the town and his pack would forget what he looked like, and eventually the name Hawk would just be a distant memory whispered on the prairie winds as the wolves looked up from their hunt. He would be a ghost after today.

It didn't take long for him to make it back to his street and his home. As he walked up to the old, two-story place he'd called home for so many years, he slowed down and took in the scene around him. Violence and death had occurred here the night before. There were several dead bodies in his front yard and there was broken glass everywhere. His front door had been knocked down and his front window was broken out. As he drew closer he saw many of his betas waiting just inside the house, all of them wearing a concerned look.

Raptor looked up, a smile sweeping across her mousey face as she saw his approach.

"Hawk!" she cried, running out to meet him on the sidewalk. "We saw what happened and feared the absolute worst."

"I'm fine, young one," he said, pulling her in for a hug. His conversation was always more stiff, more formal with his pack. It was too difficult to show emotion around them. That was not the way of the Skyvale pack.

"We can see that now," she said, composing herself and regaining her steely demeanor after taking Hawk's cue. "It just pleases us that you're alive. What happened to your home?"

"A fight," he said.

"We can see that," she said. The other wolves, his other three betas, had spilled out of the house to join Raptor on the lawn. "Were you involved?"

"No," he said, meeting each of them with his fiercest gaze. "I was captured by Satan's Angels. It was Aster who did the fighting…
alone."

He made sure to lean forward, emphasizing
alone
as he looked into each of their eyes.