Page 61 of Her Arranged Alpha
I wanted to drag her back to bed, but she had tossed and turned so much that I knew she just needed to get out of bed.
"Do you want some breakfast?"
She shook her head. "I thought you were leaving to do some border patrol?"
"I was, but if you're not okay, I'm not going to go."
"No, the pack needs you to go."
I leaned forward onto the island and offered her a tight smile. "Jillian, I can stay home if you need me. I don't have to go on parole."
She shook her head. "No, you go. I have Nina, who's coming, and we're going to spend time together. I'll be okay."
I reached for her hand, wanting to let her know that she didn't have to constantly stay strong for me. She could be weak and vulnerable if she needed to be.
"Are you sure?" I asked, "Because I don't have to go."
She nodded and gave me a soft smile. "I'm okay. I'm just a little shaken, that's all. But I'll be okay. Just give me a little time."
I nodded, deciding to give her what she wanted. If she changed her mind, she could call me and I would come home.
I ate some cereal and headed out, finding Frank waiting at the edge of the border. He was looking into the woods, but his head turned as soon as he heard me walking up the road. He waved a hand, and I sighed. "Whose idea was it to get up at the crack ass of dawn?"
He laughed. "That would be everyone."
"You all forget what sleep is like now that you have kids."
Frank raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, you certainly don't look like you've been getting any. Have you been staying up late, having fun?" Frank wiggled his eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes.
"No, Jillian just had a hard time sleeping last night. She had a nightmare, and with her visions…things have been different."
Frank nodded. "Nina was telling me about that. Sounded like that was a shit fest with the Council."
"Jesus, they wanted her locked up."
Frank nodded. "Yep, that sounds right."
"You know I understand wanting to protect everyone, but isn't it a little…much? I don't remember the Council being so…. rough like this."
Frank nodded. "I'm not going to argue with you." Frank rolled his shoulders and moved his neck. "And this is why we go out on patrol. Let's work some of that frustration off."
I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't been able to shift in a while, and I looked forward to it. I missed running freely through the woods. It brought me back to being young, and my only problem was growing up rather than worrying about everyone in my pack.
I tossed my shirt onto the ground and stripped off my pants. I moved quickly, shifting into my wolf form and shaking out my fur. I moved each of my legs, allowing myself to enjoy the sensation of regaining my form.
Frank and I both took off through the woods. Frank stayed a little ahead of me. His footsteps lit. I followed just a few steps, making sure to pause and look deeper into the woods. The woods were quiet today, and the wind was light, ruffling the trees as we moved. Frank and I moved fast, clearing ground quickly.
We paused when we reached an area that bordered right next to Aaron's land. We both paused to catch our breath when Frank's nozzle hit me and pointed his nose towards Aaron's land. I spotted that Aaron was also out on a run in his wolf form. He spotted us and howled, prancing right over to us.
I shifted back into my human form and smirked. "Look who decided to take his job seriously."
Aaron shifted, flicking me off. "Oh, shut up. I could say the same to you. You look like absolute shit, by the way."
Frank's laughter filled the space, and I glanced at him. He shrugged. "You do."
"I already told you I didn't sleep well last night."
"How is Jillian handling house arrest?"
