Chapter 2 #2
“What if the barrier has been dormant for the last few decades?” I asked. “I mean, we didn’t really have active threats, so maybe the barrier has been asleep? And now that there are people regularly intruding and threatening our safety, it’s woken up?”
It was an idea. Granted, not a great one, but an idea nonetheless.
“Interesting thought,” Rhett said.
“But…” I definitely sensed a but coming.
“But I don’t think that’s the answer. The barrier never felt asleep. It always felt somewhat… cognizant? It was just a lot weaker.”
“So, the question remains: where is this new energy coming from?” Which was where we always ended up.
My wolf growled in frustration, and I couldn’t blame him. Weeks. We’d been going over this shit for weeks, and instead of making progress, it felt like we were taking steps back.
Rhett raked a hand through his hair, a faint hint of frustration and anger wafting from him. “This is bullshit. I hoped we’d have this issue resolved by now.”
I snorted. “Me too. But what can we do?”
Nothing.
Not a damn thing until we finally got our hands on one of those intruders.
Rhett remained silent, staring straight ahead, his face twisted in a complicated mix of emotions. Listening more closely, I heard his heart hammering in his chest.
Huh.
Something was up. I cocked my head and studied him more closely. He was wringing his hands in his lap, his knuckles white. His shoulders were tight with tension. I waited a couple of seconds for him to share his thoughts, but he remained silent—and I was not a patient guy.
“What’s up?”
Rhett’s head snapped up, his eyes filled with guilt and worry.
My stomach plummeted. What the fuck was that change in demeanour about?
“Come on, out with it.”
Rhett sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “There’s a reason I was hoping we’d get this issue dealt with quickly.”
“You mean besides the fact that it’s fucking annoying and a potential threat to our pack?”
He huffed. “Yeah.”
“Okay.”
Silence.
My heart rate picked up, my wolf growing more agitated by the second.
“What’s the reason?”
Rhett bit his lip, averting his eyes.
Fuck.
This wasn’t good, was it?
He was my best friend. My brother. My confidant. We talked about everything, no matter what. He’d come to me for advice when he’d first met Levi. No holding back, no nothing.
And now, he almost seemed afraid of me, the way a few of the newer pack members were.
I fucking hated it. Being feared. Being seen as some kind of ticking time bomb about to explode any second.
“Rhett? Dude, you’re freaking me out.”
He took a deep breath while I was holding mine.
“I need to leave.”
My heart plummeted. My wolf yowled. Blood was rushing in my ears, my vision swimming with the feeling of loss and anger my wolf was unleashing on me.
“Leave?” I croaked. “You’re leaving the pack?”
Why?
Why now?
Why was he leaving after Levi had settled here?
Rubbing my chest, I tried breathing through the emotions my wolf was sending my way. Betrayal. Hurt. Anger.
“I know the timing could’ve been better, but Levi needs to go to Vancouver to pack his things, and the trial against his manager is coming up too.
He needs to be present for that, and I can’t let him go alone, you know?
I feel awful, like I’m abandoning the pack and letting you down, but he needs me there. But you need me too.”
I blinked, a bit of my anger dissipating as his words reached me through the fog of red-hot fury.
“You want to go to Vancouver with Levi for him to… get his things and move them here?” I asked, trying to get to the bottom of this situation.
“Yes. Also, I kinda need to meet his parents because… let’s just say, they’re not that happy about him running off to the middle of nowhere to live with a man he’s only known for a couple of weeks.
I mean, they’re glad I saved him, so I’ve got that going for me, but they’re not entirely convinced his move is a good idea. ”
I let out my breath in a slow exhale, trying to calm my hammering heart and my agitated wolf.
“Let me clear this up. You’re not leaving the pack—as in stepping down as my Second? You just want to go to Vancouver for a couple of weeks to support your mate?”
“Why would you…” Rhett blinked at me for a moment before turning white as a sheet. “Oh, fuck no. I’m not leaving the pack. Ever. That’s not what I meant. But I have to go with Levi to Vancouver. I just… I can’t let him go alone, Gray. I can’t.”
What the fuck?
“I’d never ask you to,” I said, furrowing my brow. “He’s your mate.”
Mates trumped everything. Levi was literally Rhett’s soulmate. His other half. I’d never in my life expect him to stay here and let his mate face his attacker alone.
“Yes, but I’m your Second. The pack needs me.”
I snorted.
“The pack will be fine.”
“But…”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I know I’m not the most level-headed Alpha there is, but do you really think I can’t handle my own pack for a couple of weeks?”
Rhett flinched. “Of course you can!” I raised my eyebrows and gave him a meaningful look. “But you appointed me as your Second, and I’m the one responsible for our patrol schedule. I’m the one responsible for our defence.”
Shaking my head, I placed a hand on Rhett’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, trying to put as much warmth and compassion as possible into that one gesture.
“I’ll be fine. The pack will be fine, I promise.
And in case you forgot, phones exist. The internet exists—just ask your mate.
As an influencer, he’s kind of an expert in that department.
If I need help or advice or whatever, I’ll do what I’ve been doing ever since I got my first phone when I turned ten years old: I’ll call or text you. ”
Rhett snorted. “Remember that one time we talked on our mobile phones for three hours?”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, don’t remind me, my ears are still ringing from the lecture I got when my dad received the phone bill.”
We both chuckled, and just like that, I knew everything would be okay.