Page 73 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“You’re not alone in this,” Noah promised me, tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m far from being a relationship expert myself. But what I can promise is that I’ll always do my best for you and Ro.”
“Always?” I echoed, searching his face for the certainty I craved.
“Always,” he confirmed, his half-smile carrying an unwavering resolve. “You both deserve that.”
The sun was just climbinginto the sky, casting a golden hue over the quaint buildings of Boldercrest as we headed back into town. The morning air felt different—charged somehow—as if the electricity from a stormy night hadn’t quite dissipated. Noah walked beside me to the door, his presence as solid as the promise he’d made.
“Seems like we’re starting the day earlier than most,” I commented, but my thoughts were elsewhere, sifting through the shift I could feel between us. There was no denying Noah’s intentions—his every action spoke louder than words ever could. But fear, that insidious whisper, kept clawing its way into my heart, urging me to put up walls, to protect myself from falling too hard.
He glanced at me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Early bird catches the worm, right?” He took my hand, intertwiningour fingers. “I can hear the gears churning from here. Don’t pressure yourself. It’ll all work out.”
“Right,” I said, my mind wandering as I grappled with the idea of a potential “us,” uncertain if I could let someone in and share my vulnerabilities.
When we reached my doorstep, he checked his watch. “I need to go to work. I’ll see you later, Zoey.”
“Promise?” I asked, needing that assurance like a lifeline.
“Promise.”
Suddenly, his body tensed, muscles coiling as if ready to strike. A wicked snarl escaped his lips, so fierce and sudden that I stumbled backward a step.
“We need to get you inside,” he all but growled.
“What’s going on?” Fear gripped my throat as I asked, making it difficult to speak.
Noah’s nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched tight. He didn’t look at me when he answered. The darkness in his tone was striking, completely different from the gentle man I had come to know.
“I smell blood,” he said.
19
NOAH
Itook the key from Zoey’s shaking hand and opened the door. I stepped inside and cast a glance around, sniffing the air. The odor of blood wasn’t coming from inside, and no intruders were lying in wait. It didn’t smell malicious, either. Malice had a specific scent.
“Zoey, go inside. Lock the door,” I said firmly.
“Ro? Heather? Oh, shit, what if it’s them?” She was shaking, trembling like the last fall leaf on the tree.
“It’s not. I swear, Zoey, I’d be able to tell if it was one of them.”
Zoey’s tense shoulders sagged slightly, and she hurried into the safety of the house without a word. I waited until I heard the key turn in the lock, then strode toward the garden at the back.
I walked around the perimeter of the house. There was nothing obviously out of place. But the air was still—too still—and tinged with the metallic scent of blood.
I followed the trail to its origin. Mike, the beta my father had tasked with keeping watch over Zoey’s place, lay crumpled on the ground. His breathing was shallow, his face contorted with pain. On the ground next to him lay a bloodied rock, strands ofhair clinging to it. Somebody had hit him on the head. There was also a deep slash across his stomach. Blood pooled beneath him, but his chest rose and fell unevenly.
A ragged sigh escaped me as I knelt beside him, pressing my hand against his pulse. He was alive, but just barely.
I pulled my phone out and called my father. “Dad, we’ve got trouble,” I said when he answered.
“What’s happened?” my father demanded.
“Someone ambushed Mike,” I said, my eyes following the crimson trail that disappeared into the darkness of the trees. “It looks like Mike got a few good hits in. Whoever it was, they paid a price for their attack.”
“I’ll have an ambulance sent right away,” my father said. “You know what that means, though? The cops aren’t going to be far behind. They have to investigate calls like this.”
“Shit,” I cursed. “Zoey won’t be prepared for the cops.”
