Chapter 2 #2
Rose and Brian had just climbed out of the truck, their faces pale the instant they spotted me striding toward them. Rose froze mid-step, eyes wide.
Brian whimpered softly, his shoulders hunching as if to make himself small.
And that’s when I realized that my aura had leaked out. My emotions, my wolf, my authority had bled into the air so thick it terrified the kids.
I dragged it back immediately, shutting it down, forcing calm.
“Alpha…” Rose’s voice cracked.
I lifted my gaze to Devon. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t look away. His expression was unreadable, his posture loose, not submissive in the slightest. And something inside me thrilled at that.
At the quiet strength it took to stand steady under my gaze when most wolves quaked.
In Thornebane, strength was everything. Adrian had made sure of it. So did his father and grandfather. They’d taught wolves to fear their alpha, to measure their worth in scars and blood.
I’d been clawing against that legacy ever since, showing my pack I wasn’t Adrian, that they didn’t have to fear me. But still, some of them trembled when I walked past.
Still, whispers of the old ways haunted every interaction. Devon didn’t tremble. He just glanced at me. And I found myself liking that more than I should have.
I cleared my throat, snapping myself back into control. “Rose. Brian. Explain.”
Rose’s mouth worked soundlessly for a second before words tumbled out. “We—we saw him at the gas station. His finger was cut, and he was healing it, and we…we thought of Mom’s knee. She’s been limping so bad, alpha. No one’s been able to help her. We thought—”
Brian piped up, voice high with nerves, “So we told him to come with us. We said we needed him. That’s all.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. My headache flared back with a vengeance. “You kidnapped him?”
Rose flushed bright red. “No! Not really. We just asked. And he came with us.”
“That’s not how it looked,” I said. My gaze cut back to Devon. “Is that true?”
Devon spoke for the first time, his voice low and even, carrying the same calm as his presence. “Yes. I came voluntarily. No two kids could drag me anywhere if I didn’t want to go.”
The statement was simple, matter-of-fact. No arrogance, no defensiveness. Just truth.
Still, skepticism tightened in my chest. “You expect me to believe you just walked away from your car to follow two kids you’d never met before?”
He shrugged lightly, and damn me, even that looked good on him. “A healer doesn’t turn down someone in need. They said their mother was in pain. I believed them.”
Of course. Healers were notorious for that gentle compulsion. They rarely said no. They gave, and gave, sometimes to their own detriment. It was what made them precious and vulnerable.
But it didn’t solve my problem.
I exhaled sharply. “You know I have to tell Cooper about this.”
For the first time, something flickered in Devon’s gaze. Not fear, not even anger. Just…resistance.
“Wait,” Devon said. “Since I’m here already, let me help. Not just Rose and Brian’s mother. Your other wolves too. Whoever needs it.”
I stared at him. “Why?”
His eyes met mine steadily. “Because you need it.”
The words landed heavier than they should have, stirring something I didn’t want to name. My wolf pushed closer, drawn to him, insisting this man wasn’t a threat but something else entirely.
But I couldn’t afford to think like that. Not when the wrong step here could bring Cooper’s wrath down on us.
“That was a reckless decision,” I said tightly. “Coming here without telling anyone. Without telling your own lead alpha. Do you realize what this could mean?”
“I do.” His tone stayed calm, but he didn’t elaborate.
“Then why?” I pressed.
Devon’s jaw tightened. He looked away, just briefly, then back. “My reasons are my own.”
Dodging. Hiding something. I didn’t like it. But I couldn’t deny the truth. We needed him. Badly. Wolves were limping, nursing wounds, hiding injuries because they didn’t trust the clinic in town.
And healers didn’t exactly line up to join Thornebane.
I ran a hand over my face, dragging in a breath. Every instinct screamed this was dangerous, that I should march him back to the border and return him to Pecan Pines immediately.
But another instinct, the one sitting low in my chest, tied to the sudden restless awareness of my wolf, urged me to keep him here. To let him help. To let him stay.
I hated that the decision wasn’t simple. I hated the way my pulse jumped whenever his gaze lingered on me, how my wolf leaned forward like it had already made a choice I hadn’t.
Finally, I forced the words out. “Fine. You can help. But this doesn’t stay hidden. Cooper will know eventually. I won’t risk a war over this.”
Something unreadable passed across Devon’s face, but he inclined his head. “Then let’s not waste time. Where’s their mother?” Devon asked.
I gestured toward the housing row. Rose and Brian scurried ahead, glancing nervously back at me like they expected me to explode at any second. I didn’t.
My wolf was still too caught up in the presence walking at my side, calm and steady, his energy brushing against mine like a balm I hadn’t known I needed.