21. Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty One
Nyx
I promptly excused myself from the meeting after the unexpected grenade dropped and detonated in our faces.
I know I'm supposed to be strong, and apparently some amazing future mediator—sarcasm intended—but the realization that Alpha Orson is an even bigger asshole than we imagined meant I needed to call for a time-out.
Thankfully, the alphas were fine with me stepping out, and I called Lena, asking if she wanted to have lunch. It's been so long since we were able to hang, and right now, I need some normalcy more than ever.
It's been one explosion after another. Just when I start to get a handle on one thing, something else blows up in my face. It's no wonder that alphas are cranky all the time—Cade being the exception. Dealing with this is exhausting. Not only physically, but mentally too.
Overwhelming doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm still completely in disbelief that one pack has managed to cause such chaos—all over a bit of land. I know packs are territorial and at times, selfish, but hundreds of innocent people have died.
Sure, it's easy to blame the pack leaders for sending out hunters. What they did was terrible, but I have no reason to believe that their pack members always knew. Most would be innocent—and probably never saw it coming. Families, young children, mate-less wolves—gone in the blink of an eye. All because of one bad decision by an alpha. Well, two alphas.
It's hard to fathom that Alpha Orson has set this wheel in motion, and he's completely protected. They murdered Tyler—but that's the poor reality. In every society, murder exists. It's not a new concept, nor is it accepted… but it happens. Yet, they remain unpunished for their actions. Tyler's family and our pack carry that burden. Nothing will ever fix it or bring him back, but the Seventh Circle Pack walks free while other packs disappear. The instigators, the ones responsible for the hunters and the people who hurt the innocent females, they deserve to suffer. But so many people became collateral damage.
And I hate the fact that Lex is right. We don't know if I was the target for the Seventh Circle's attack. It sounds like they are only concerned about territory and strength numbers. If that's the case, and they aren't hunting because they know the consequences, then it wasn't me they were after—it's our pack.
What happened that night? Was it a case of bad timing—Tyler in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was it a warning? If so, why haven't they owned up to it?
Maybe they are hoping we will assume it was a rogue hunter. Or perhaps we blame someone else and end up in a fight, weakening us so that they can attack.
Regardless, the fact that we visited them makes me sick. I can't shake the feeling that they may try to come back now, suspicious of our actions. And if not us, then Wyatt's pack.
Their territories are right next to each other. If they want land, that could be their next target. And knowing that Eve is pregnant? They know that they are vulnerable—but also a future alpha is on the way.
I'm scared for them—for my friends.
Lena slides into the seat across from me, and I force a smile. A shadow falls over her and I look up, grinning as I spot Beau.
"Well, aren't you two just the cutest couple?" I tease.
Lena sticks her tongue out, slapping the seat next to her, motioning for Beau to sit. He drags it closer to her before getting comfortable in the wooden chair.
"Where's my big brother? I thought he might join us," Beau says warmly, reaching for a menu.
"He's with the other alphas in a meeting," I reply, smile dropping.
Of course, Lena notices instantly, frowning. "It's bad, isn't it?"
I nod, not bothering to hide it from her. I have no doubt that Lex provides Beau with information, who passes it on to Lena. Besides, while it was once better to keep everyone in the dark, times have changed. Now, we need everyone to be prepared—which is why Alpha Daxton updated everyone last night when we returned. People need to be on alert—this is what we trained for, and if people aren't on guard, ready to defend themselves, then we're risking their lives.
"Really bad," I answer. "We believe that the pack who killed Tyler are the ones who started this whole mess."
Lena inhales sharply. "Shiit… ake mushrooms. What are they going to do?"
I shrug, showing my uncertainty. "I don't know. It's hard to say what their next move is going to be. But right now, all the packs are vulnerable—including Alpha Wyatt's."
Beau's face hardens. "We'll figure it out. There's no way we're letting them get to any of us."
Nodding in agreement, I watch as Lena slumps her shoulders, reaching for his hand. "I don't like the idea of you going away again."
"If Lex has to return to Summer Valley, the pack will go with him," I tell her, tilting my head in her direction. "Including you."
Lena frowns. "And you?"
I shake my head. "I need to stay here. It's where the most trouble occurs. And it's not fair on the alphas if I go with one and not the others. It would be too much of a distraction."
"And it's not safe to travel back and forth," Beau points out.
"Exactly," I agree. "We think Alpha Orson's pack were the ones who attacked us on the trails last time. It's better we stay where we are strongest."
Lena squeezes Beau's hand, pausing as Sarah comes over to take our order. The change is instant in her demeanor, giving Sarah a sly grin. "Hey, girl. You're at work today."
Sarah's cheeks flush, but she doesn't seem embarrassed. "Reese had to work too."
"I'm really glad you guys found each other," I say genuinely. "Honestly, the perfect mates."
"Speaking of perfect mates," comes a familiar playful voice.
I stare wide-eyed as Cade sneaks up behind me, slipping into the empty seat to my right. He grabs a menu, acting completely coy as we all gape at him.
"Alpha Cade," Sarah greets. "Welcome."
"Thanks," he grins, giving her a handshake. "What's good here?"
"What are you doing here?" I whisper, trying to keep my voice low even though the others can clearly hear us.
Cade flashes his dimples, lowering his menu. "I figured you might need some company after everything. Plus, I'm absolutely ravenous. As soon as you mentioned food, I knew that was the perfect idea."
My eyes dart sideways to Lena, watching as she hides behind her hand, covering a laugh. When I look at Beau, I'm surprised to find he's just as amused—not hostile at all toward his brother's… rival? Comrade?
"It's no issue at all, Red," Beau says, turning to Sarah. "I'll have the waffles, please."
Lena and I share a look as she finally lowers her hand, composing herself. "Same for me, thanks."
Cade glances over at me. "What about you, Rocky?"
"Call me that one more time," I warn, leaning toward him. "And I'll give that nickname a new meaning."
"Ahh," he laughs. "But you'd have to find a rock first."
I smirk. "Plenty of mugs in here."
"I'll have the waffles too—thank goodness for all day breakfast," Cade orders, placing the menu down. "And if you could ensure there are no mugs in a five-mile radius to our table, that would also be great."
Sarah looks baffled, but nods, unsure what to say. "Nyx?"
"Pancakes," I grumble. "Thank you."
When she's out of earshot, Lena leans on her elbows, watching Cade with interest. "So, you're Nyx's new mate."
I glare at her, but she ignores me, smiling sweetly at Cade. She'd get along perfectly with Annabelle.
"I am," he answers happily, putting his arm on the back of my chair. "I'm a lucky man. As is your brother," he adds, winking at Beau.
Beau chuckles. "Yep. But Red certainly keeps him on his toes."
"I've heard Lex call her that as well. I'm curious—where did that nickname come from?"
I stiffen, eyes widening at Beau as I silently plead with him not to tell the story. But when he grins, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together, I know I've lost that battle.
"Well! It all started the day we arrived…"
After lunch, I wave goodbye to Lena and Beau as we start making our way back to the office.
The original plan was to drop Cade off and go back to Lex's guest house for a few hours of rest, but when Cade bypasses the office, resting toward the guest houses, I have no option but to tag along.
"Aren't you going back to the meeting?" I ask, bewildered.
"I told them I'd be back later," he answers, smiling with his hands in his pockets.
I nod, falling silent as we walk on the pathway. Cade greets every single person we walk past, and to my surprise, they all seem to really like him—waving back with bright smiles. A few people still give me looks of confusion, but I'm sure it's more to do with the fact that Alpha Daxton told them I'm a super freak of nature. Well, not those words exactly, but he may as well have said that.
When we reach the guest houses, I pause in front of Lex's, waiting for Cade to continue on. He stops with me, glancing up at the house.
"Daxton has done well," he comments. "They are really nice and well organized. Some alphas don't make any arrangements for their guests."
I laugh softly. "You should see Alpha Wyatt's set-up. He puts all of us to shame."
"I'll have to visit them one day," he says, eyes dancing as he looks down at me.
Shifting awkwardly, I try to ignore the pull in my stomach. It was so much easier when I hated him. But now, having everything out in the open, and seeing how much people like him, it's hard to ignore my true feelings. There's such a positivity to him; a carefree attitude that makes everything seem better. And I now know that everything he said when we met was true. But something is still holding me back—and I can't pinpoint what it is.
At first, I thought it was Lex and Maverick. But now, I'm not so sure. I think I'm just scared of the unknown—but that's my entire life right now. Everything is crashing and burning around me, and it feels like I'm juggling a stack of plates. If I put one more on the pile, everything is going to smash and break.
All of my mates have vastly different personalities, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how I somehow fit in with all of them. They all clash—what if they start clashing with me too? It feels like I hold the power to potentially start wars between packs, not fix them. What if I'm not enough for them? What if me having multiple mates becomes too hard for them to manage? They could reject me, unable to cope with it. One by one, they'd fall, because apparently, I'm the key to this hot mess.
I shouldn't have this much burden on my shoulders. But I guess I have no choice but to embrace it.
"Where's that pretty head at?" Cade asks, stepping forward and running his fingers softly over my cheek.
Lifting a shoulder, I give a little shrug. "I'm not sure to be honest. It's been a lot to take in."
He nods, and I notice that his dimples still appear when he frowns. It's remarkable, really.
"Come inside and I'll make you a coffee," he offers. "Grace made sure the caffeine is fully stocked."
"Are there mugs?" I tease, smiling.
Cade laughs, placing his hand on my lower back to guide me over to his house and up the stairs. "If I say yes, will that convince you to come inside?"