Chapter 8 - Janella
I glanced at Riley as he drove. I wasn’t sure why I agreed to go shopping with him.
I could have just told him what I wanted, but I wanted out of the house.
But a part of me felt like I should go. We had been arguing a lot, and I didn't want to constantly fight.
If there was a possibility of me being here longer than I thought, I should try and make the best of it.
“So, where are we going? To Tom’s Groceries? Then home?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
My eyebrows went up. Was he planning more than just getting groceries? “Maybe?”
“I need to pick up a new pair of pants while we’re out. There is a nice men’s clothing shop just down the block from the grocery store.”
“You need new pants?”
“I spilled paint on my other pair, and I can't get it out. So, instead of losing my mind over it, I'll buy some new pants.”
I snorted, unable to picture him painting anything. “Painting what exactly?”
“I was helping a neighbor paint her nursery a few days ago. I should have changed into sweatpants, but I was in a hurry and forgot.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You were helping a neighbor paint her nursery? Where was her husband?”
He shrugged. “She isn’t married.”
“Okay, then, where is her boyfriend? Or is this your way of informing me you’ve fathered a child out of wedlock?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not mine. She has a boyfriend, but I didn’t pry why I was called. I get called for odd things a lot. I want open communication in my pack, and if someone wants me to come over and help, I will.”
“Painting a nursery? You didn’t know where her boyfriend was? Come on, Riley.”
“I didn’t ask. She called me and asked if I could come help, and I went.”
I looked back outside the window.
“You made a face.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You did. You made a face like you didn’t understand.”
I sighed. “I guess I don’t understand why she called you above everyone else.”
He frowned as he pulled into the parking lot. “She doesn’t have anyone else.”
I looked at him, a little surprised now. “You just said she had a boyfriend. I believe that's someone.”
“Her parents died when she was younger. She was an orphan until she was eighteen. She lived in our community homeless shelter for a few months before she saved enough money to find her own apartment.”
I suddenly felt terrible. “I didn’t know that. I just…I guess the role of Alpha is more than paper pushing.” I didn’t remember our Alpha doing anything like that. He very much believed in being at the top. He wanted people to respect him and follow the rules he set.
He gave me a half smirk. “The Alpha role is a lot more than just paper pushing.”
We got out and headed inside. Riley walked next to me, his steps even with mine. I found myself wondering. I went back and forth with how I viewed him. I knew people loved him, but I never saw it, and that was part of the problem. I never saw anything.
“Okay, so what else have you done?”
“Pardon?” He gave me a confused look now.
I waved a hand as he grabbed a cart. “You said it’s more than paper pushing. What exactly goes into a day of the Alpha? Tell some other things that you've done.”
He smirked this time. “My days vary.”
I scuffed. “Okay, smartass. Give me a general grasp.”
The doors opened, and we stepped inside. The grocery store was busy, and I moved closer to Riley. Soft music played over the speakers, and the lights were bright. But the store was clean, and it smelled like sweet fruit.
Riley pushed the cart as we walked further in. “I start my day by heading into the office.”
“As everyone does.” We stopped at the apples, and he grabbed a bag, placing them into the cart. I grabbed a bunch of bananas and put them in the cart.
“I do paperwork in the morning. Any new request, invoices, emails, and faxes.”
“Request?”
He nodded. “New light post, or repaving a road. Any request before they go to other departments. People send their requests to me first.”
I clicked my tongue and turned towards the berries. I fumbled through a few containers before I placed some strawberries into the cart. “Continue.”
“Grab another.” He pointed towards the strawberries. “Those look good.”
I grabbed another package, and we continued walking towards the vegetables.
“I then have a meeting or two, depending on the day. Break for lunch.”
“Seems chill.”
He rolled his eyes, still holding a smirk. “My mornings are normally calm. I like to get the easy stuff out of the way.”
He grabbed a bag of potatoes and carrots. I reached for onions and garlic. We moved into the bakery. The smell of fresh bread made my stomach growl.
“The afternoons vary. Sometimes I’m in meetings, and others I’m around town.”
“Painting nurseries?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. I leave my afternoons for helping whoever in the pack needs it. Last summer, we built a house, and the summer before, I helped replant trees after we had a nasty fire. Really, anything anyone needs help with I offer a hand.”
I was a little surprised by this news. I didn’t picture him as this type of Alpha.
I grabbed a load of bread and paused when I noticed fresh donuts. They were in a display case where you pick what you want. They had different types, and my stomach grumbled.
“Do you want donuts?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head, trying to ignore the fact that my mouth was watering. “I’m not even hungry.”
He gave me a look before he opened the display case and started to put some donuts into a box. I chewed on my cheek, feeling butterflies forming in my stomach.
He placed them into the cart and leaned onto it.
He gave me a charming smile, and I felt my face grow hot.
I quickly pointed towards the dry goods.
Riley pushed the cart, and we headed down the aisles.
We threw pasta and sauces into the cart.
I grabbed sparkling water, and he grabbed granola and oatmeal.
It was odd how easy it was for us. I thought it would be awkward, but it was just shopping. We both grabbed what we needed, pausing when the other needed to look. It was almost like we’d done it before.
We were standing in the deli, waiting for the salami to be cut.
“Why?”
“What not...?” He was now leaning on the car, wearing a relaxed expression.
“Why the need to help so much? I understand you’re Alpha, but don’t you feel some of that stuff is beneath you?”
He shook his head. “You never know what someone is going through, Janella. I don’t judge. Being the Alpha means you have to be a leader. I want people to view me as someone that they can depend on, not someone that just gives orders.”
I snorted now. “I believe the high school you would disagree with that statement.”
He looked sad. “I told you, I grew up after high school. The real world is a lot different.”
I felt a ping of regret and turned. I chewed on my cheek, wondering if I had been a little rough on him. I didn’t know anything about Riley. I hadn't wanted to learn either. He was my high school bully, and that was all I wanted him to keep being.
We headed to the checkout and brought the cart out to the car. Riley loaded the car up and pointed down the road. “The store is just down the block.”
I grabbed the car handle. “Okay?”
“Want to join me?”
I frowned. “At the store where you're going to buy clothes?”
“They have other stuff.” He shut the trunk. “I’ll buy.”
I grunted as I let go of the car door. “Fine. But only because I don't want to sit in the car alone.”
We shopped around the boutique that he wanted.
I looked at the women's area while Riley went through the men's clothes.
He ended up buying three new shirts and two pairs of pants.
We were on the way back to the car when I paused at the flower store.
I glanced inside, taking in all the plants and the decoration.
“You want anything?” he asked as he looked in the window.
“I don't see you as a plant person.”
“It's for you.” He pushed the door open, and I stumbled after him. The flower store smelled amazing, and there were plants all over. It was filled with various varieties, and there were vases of flowers everywhere. There was a small water fountain where you could see some fish swimming.
“Anything you want?”
I frowned. “What made you think I wanted something in here?”
“You don't want anything? We can leave.”
“I didn't say that.”
He smirked. “So you do want something?”
I looked across the space at the orchids. I had always wanted one but was afraid of killing it. Riley seemed to notice. “You want an orchid?'
“No.”
“You're a terrible liar.”
He bought me an orchid, and I held it close to me as we headed back to the car with all the rest of our purchases.
“Thank you for the plant.”
He gave me a smile. “It will look nice in your room.”
I gave it a sniff and couldn’t help but smile.
We walked down the sidewalk, and I spotted someone coming towards us. It was a man, a little shorter than Riley, walking towards us. But he didn’t look well. He looked pale and paused a few yards ahead of us.
“Is he okay?” I asked, glancing at Riley. Riley was staring at him, though, a worried expression filled his face. “Riley?”
I glanced back at the guy and watched as his eyes went straight to me. I stiffened and realized there was something in them. It was like a wild, rabid animal was staring at me, and all the hair on my body stood up.
“Back up,” Riley said, his arm reaching out, pulling me back.
But the man charged at us. He moved faster than I could see. One moment, I was standing holding my plant, and suddenly I was yanked back. The orchid fell from my hand, and I could hear the pot shatter on the ground.
“Dustin!” Riley yelled, yanking me into his chest. The smell of mint slammed into me. His arm wrapped around me, and I felt my heart race.
I was turned, and I took in his clean, pressed shirt. I felt my brain glitch out for a moment. I couldn’t process what was going on.
I could hear growling, and a second later, I was free.
I turned, taking in Riley, grabbing the guy, and pressing him down to the ground. The man jerked under Riley’s hand. “Let go!” He yelled, his voice echoing around the space. “You can't stop me. Bonding won't keep her yours.”
I stared, my hands shaking now. I didn’t understand what was going on.
A couple of others hurried over, and they pulled him off the ground and started to turn him towards the other side of the street.
“Take him to the infirmary.”
I turned to him, watching Riley look worried still.
They pulled him down the road, and Riley turned to me. His face fell. “Shit, are you okay?”
I blinked and looked back towards the guy. He was still trying to free himself. The guys held him firm.
I swallowed and looked back at Riley. He moved closer. “Are you okay? Shit, the orchid.”
I glanced down, looking at the plant and the damage. I looked back at him, feeling my head starting to kick back on. I suddenly had a hundred questions running through my mind. “What happened to him? What’s going on? Why was he coming at us?”
He frowned. “He wasn't coming after us. He was going after you. It's part of the corruption. It’s been making people lose their control.”
“Why was he coming at me, though? That doesn't make any sense.”
His frown deepened. “Because you're a female and he doesn’t have one. This issue we’ve been having is affecting everyone and kicking into their animalistic side. It’s not been pretty. He wanted what was not his.”
I suddenly wondered what would have happened if Riley hadn’t been here. His answer only left me with ten more questions.
“I should go make sure everything is okay with him. Why don’t you head back to the house, and I’ll see you there later.”
I shook my head. “No. I want to come with.”
His eyebrows went up. “Are you sure? I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
I nodded. He was telling me that there was an issue, and I wasn’t listening. I didn’t truly believe him, but now I wanted to see what was going on. I needed to.
“You really don’t have to go.”
“I want to help. You brought me here because you said you needed me.”
“For me, not everyone else.”
“I want to help. Take me with you.”
He seemed to contemplate it for a moment before he nodded. “Alright.”
We headed to the infirmary, which was a couple of blocks away. I thought it would look like a clinic, but it looked like a home. There was a wrap-around porch and a big glass front door.
Riley opened the door and waved a hand. I stepped in before him and paused. The inside was a wide-open space. He headed down a hallway. I followed him where there were lines of beds set up. My eyes widened as I took it all in.
My heart stopped beating as I took in the disaster that the space was in. Someone was coughing on the bed, and another was curled in a fetal position. I spotted the man from earlier. He was strapped to the bed and pushing against the restraints.
I swallowed. I expected there to be people in pain, but I wasn’t expecting this.
“Are they all being affected?”
“All the ones in this room. We keep them apart from others because they can react differently. We don't want to scare people.”
I looked around the room once more. I knew that he’d been talking about everything, but I never thought it was like this. But then again, I never gave it much thought.
I looked at Riley. One of the nurses stopped next to him and spoke. Riley nodded his head, looking concerned.
It was like a light switch went off. I realized just how serious everything was. That Riley hadn’t yanked me from my home because he wanted to, but because he needed me too. All of this was for the pack and not because he was trying to ruin my life.
I felt physically sick as this hit me. I watched him move across the space, going over towards the man. I could see how concerned he was and the way he was trying to help out.
“Do you need anything?” Someone stopped next to me. I glanced at the woman, realizing she must be a nurse.
I shook my head. “No. I’m here with Riley.”
She gave me a soft smile. “Oh, did you need a place to sit or something?”
I shook my head. “No. I umm…Actually, I would like to help. Do you need me somewhere?”
Her eyebrows went up. “Oh, actually, if you wouldn’t mind, go into our supply closet and refill the little tables up, that would be extremely helpful.”
I nodded and glanced at Riley. I could see the creases of his forehead as he nodded his head as he listened to someone. I swallowed, hoping I could be helpful.