Page 38 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Still stress-baking, I see,” I said wryly.I took a bite, and the delicious flavor of chocolate chips, marshmallows, and vanilla exploded on my tongue. “Mmm, just as I remember. Thanks, Mom,” I said as she handed me a container full of cookies.
“Is your dad okay?” she asked. “I didn’t hear yelling.”
“It seems we are actually capable of talking without arguing. I’ve left him buried under pack paperwork. I’ve gotta go, Mom. I’ll see you Wednesday.
Carrying the container under my arm, I left the alpha house and stepped into the cool night air. My thoughts went back to Zoey. She was safe at Heather’s house, and I’d confirmed she was under the protection of the pack. I should have been at ease, but my wolf wouldn’t settle. Restless energy coursed through my veins. The need to run, to roam, pulsed like a second heartbeat.
“Got to let my wolf free. Clear my head,” I mused, running my fingers through my hair.
When I got home,I tossed my keys and phone into the bowl on the table beside the front door and placed Mom’s cookies in the kitchen. I went out the back door. The sky stretched vast and unobstructed above the land rolling out in an endless green wave. This wild, untamed territory belonged to our kind—the perfect playground for a wolf on edge.
“Time to let loose,” I said, feeling the anticipation build as I gazed at the open expanse behind my house.
The change rippled through me, a welcome agony that stripped away the human and unleashed the beast. Muscle and sinew shifted, bones reformed, and fur cascaded over my skinas I embraced my true form. The transformation was swift, and then I was free, four paws hitting the earth with powerful strides.
The pounding of my heart matched the rhythm of my paws against the ground, the scent of pine and soil strong in my nostrils. But then I caught something else. A taint in the air. It was wrong, discordant. I slowed and sniffed, head low to the ground. It was a scent laced with malice, an odor that caused my hackles to rise.
I followed the foreign odor. As my anger started to build, I reminded myself to stay level-headed before jumping to conclusions. When I reached a familiar part of the woods, I growled.
Heather’s place.
The scent trail was faint but unmistakable. I darted forward, following the unmistakable trace of evil intent. With each step, concern gnawed at my gut. Why here? Why near Heather and Sam’s homes?
Zoey. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Sam and Heather were good-hearted shifters facing a threat because they were trying to protect their family. It was lucky I’d decided to go for a run tonight. This scent was too subtle for their senses, but as an alpha, nothing escaped my notice.
I pushed through the underbrush.Got to find out more.
The scent grew fainter, leading me towards the fringes of our territory. It stretched beyond, into the unknown, past where our land gave way to town. My unease intensified, becoming stronger and more pronounced. This wasn’t just a stray wanderer. Whoever it was had purpose and intention. No way they had accidentally found themselves behind Heather’s house.
I quickened my pace.Don’t like this. Not one bit.
My instincts screamed danger, and although my mind buzzed with questions, I’d hold back from alarming Zoey.She’d gone through enough. But this development meant taking precautions, even if she remained blissfully unaware.
With a snarl, I decided to put extra security on Heather’s house. Perhaps a security detail for Zoey and Roland. I had to protect them at all costs.
I burst through the tree line, the urgency propelling me forward, my feet barely touching the ground. The feel of the underbrush beneath my paws shifted to the concrete of the street outside my home as I raced inside, my wolf’s form melting away to reveal my human body. A shiver racked my frame, not from cold but from the unsettling dread that had settled in my stomach.
I snatched up my phone. My fingers, still tingling from the shift, punched in my father’s number with practiced ease.
“Noah?”
“We’ve got a problem.” I didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Someone’s been lurking around Heather’s place. I caught a scent. It’s not any of our wolves. And it’s bad news. You can smell the malice.”
“Understood,” he said without missing a beat. “I’ll send some guys to keep watch. Rotations around the clock. No one messes with our pack.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Relief washed over me in an icy wave. “I owe you one.”
“Family doesn’t keep score,” he said firmly. “Stay alert and keep me posted.”
“Will do,” I said before ending the call. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly now that I knew reinforcements were on their way. But the apprehension remained. The danger wasn’t over yet.
I paced the length of my room, the last vestiges of adrenaline from the night’s events still clinging to my veins. I should have been relieved, knowing that my father’s men would soon bewatching over Zoey, ensuring her safety with their vigilance, but it wasn’t enough. My wolf snarled within me as he echoed my own movements. He wanted out, wanted to stand guard, to be the shield against any threat that dared to creep too close.
We were one and the same, our desires fused together in the heat of our protective fervor. Zoey deserved freedom, not fear. She definitely didn’t need her ex or his lackeys lurking in silence. And yet, here I was, forced to rely on others to do what every fiber of my being screamed was my responsibility to do alone.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, kicking at the bedpost. The feeling of helplessness was a bitter pill to swallow, one I wasn’t used to. It left a foul taste lingering on my tongue.
