Locked With The Alpha

Chapter 4

The third day of their journey had settled over them like a heavy blanket, the kind that muffled sound and made the world feel smaller, more confined. The jeep’s engine had long since become a steady hum in the background, a constant reminder of the miles they had left behind and the unknown that stretched before them. Jade had driven the entire way, her hands gripping the wheel with a determination that bordered on stubbornness. She didn’t trust Eamon with the responsibility—not when the stakes were this high. Not when the Blossom Blood Pack awaited them at the end of this road.

They had decided to stop at a motel, a small, weathered building nestled on the outskirts of a town that smelled of pine and gasoline. It wasn’t much, but it was a respite—a brief moment to breathe before they plunged back into the tension that had defined their journey so far. The trip had been quiet, almost painfully so. There had been a time, long ago, when Jade and Eamon had been inseparable, their bond forged in the fires of childhood friendship. They had shared everything—secrets, dreams, the kind of laughter that only comes from two souls who understand each other without words. But that had all changed the day Eamon’s mother died. They were only twelve years old, both of them, and the loss had carved a chasm between them that neither had ever truly bridged. Eamon had withdrawn, his grief manifesting as recklessness, a defiance that pushed everyone away—especially Jade. And Jade? She had learned to keep her distance, to temper her words, to treat him more like a wayward younger brother than the friend he had once been.

Now, as she leaned against the window, the glass cool against her forehead, she allowed herself a moment to remember those days. The way they had raced through the forests of their pack’s territory, how they had whispered stories to each other under the cover of darkness, their youthful voices filled with wonder and possibility. But that was a lifetime ago. The silence between them now was a testament to how much had changed.

She shifted in her seat, her body aching from the long hours behind the wheel. They had taken turns sleeping in the car, stealing moments of rest in parking lots and roadside stops, neither of them willing to admit how exhausted they truly were. But tonight, they had a motel. A real bed. A chance to wash the grime of the road from their skin and clear their minds before the final leg of their journey.

“Alright,” Jade said, her voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. “We’re resting here today. Just for tonight, and then we’ll head off to the Blossom Blood Pack tomorrow. We should be there by the end of the day.” She didn’t look at Eamon as she spoke, her gaze fixed on the motel’s flickering neon sign. The scent of other wolves lingered in the air, faint but unmistakable. They weren’t alone here. This place was a crossroads, a neutral ground where wolves from different packs passed through, their scents mingling in a tangled web of alliances and rivalries. Jade’s instincts prickled, her senses heightened by the unfamiliar territory. She didn’t fear them, but she wasn’t foolish enough to let her guard down.

The motel had a diner attached to it, a small, dimly lit space that smelled of coffee and fried food. The scent was comforting, a reminder of simpler times, and Jade found herself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. After securing two rooms—side by side, but separate—she made her way to the counter, sliding onto a stool with the ease of someone who had spent a lifetime in places like this. Eamon followed, his movements sluggish, his expression closed off. He didn’t speak as he picked up a menu, his eyes scanning the laminated pages with a lack of enthusiasm that bordered on disdain. The menu still only had more breakfast options which was a good meal for dinner.

The waitress, an elderly woman with kind eyes and a smile that spoke of decades of hard work, approached them with a warmth that felt almost foreign after days of silence. “What can I get the couple?” she asked, her voice soft and welcoming.

Jade’s head snapped up, her instincts flaring. “Oh, we’re not a couple,” she said quickly, her voice firm. “He’s… my little brother.” The words tasted strange on her tongue, but they were the closest thing to the truth she could offer. They had grown up together, after all. Had fought like siblings, protected each other like siblings, carried each other’s burdens like siblings. But the way Eamon’s expression darkened at her words sent a pang through her chest. It was as if she had struck a nerve, one she hadn’t even known was exposed.

Eamon’s jaw clenched, his fingers tightening around the menu. He didn’t look at her, but the tension radiating off him was palpable. Jade ignored it. She couldn’t afford to dwell on his moods, not now. Not when they were so close to their destination.

“What did you want?” she asked, her tone practical, devoid of the warmth she might have used in another life. Eamon needed to eat. He had barely touched food since they left, his appetite seemingly lost to his sulking. Jade didn’t care about his reasons—whether it was grief, frustration, or some misplaced sense of pride. All she cared about was making sure he was strong enough to face what lay ahead. The Blossom Blood Pack wasn’t a place for weakness, and she wouldn’t let him embarrass their pack—or worse, put them in danger—because he was too stubborn to take care of himself.

Eamon’s eyes flicked over the menu once more before he snapped it shut. “Just give me a coffee and French toast,” he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Jade nodded, already knowing what she wanted but waiting for him to speak first. “I’ll take the waffles with banana, along with a coffee as well,” she told the waitress, her voice steady.

The elderly woman smiled, her gaze flicking between them with a knowing warmth. “Alright,I’ll have your order ready soon,” she said, before turning away to place their request.

Jade turned her attention back to Eamon, her eyes sharp as she studied his profile. “Hey,” she said, her voice low, serious. “You’ve been quiet this whole trip. Is there something actually bothering you, or is it just that you haven’t been able to get whacked off like when we were back at home?” She didn’t mince words. There was no point. Eamon needed to hear the truth, even if it stung. If that was the truth that he had been hung up on.

He finally spoke, his voice was low, edged with a bitterness that had become as familiar to Jade as her own shadow. “There is nothing that I need to tell or talk to you about,” he said, his words clipped, his tone dismissive. “I am just going to hide away while we are both at that place.” He paused, his jaw tightening, as if the admission itself left a sour taste in his mouth. “It is rather annoying to go, but if we don’t, then the alpha of that pack can easily wipe us out.”

Jade turned to face him fully. There was no softness in her gaze, no trace of the patience she had once reserved for him. Instead, there was something harder, something forged in the fires of frustration and responsibility. For the first time in a long time, Eamon wasn’t speaking out of selfishness or defiance. He was thinking—truly thinking—about the consequences, about the pack, about the fragile balance of power that kept them all safe. Or perhaps, she thought with a flicker of cynicism, he was simply repeating the warnings Grey had drilled into him, the fear of their alpha’s disapproval finally outweighing his usual recklessness.

She didn’t let the surprise show on her face. “That’s new,” she said, her voice measured, her tone carrying the weight of someone who had long since grown tired of his antics. “You finally said something smart for once.” But her praise was short-lived, her next words cutting through the fragile truce like a blade. “But that part about hiding?” She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous timbre. “If you go into hiding the whole time we’re there, you’re not just endangering yourself—you’re endangering all of us.”

Eamon’s head snapped up, his dark eyes flashing with something that might have been defiance—or perhaps the first flicker of understanding. Jade didn’t give him the chance to interrupt. She pressed on, her words deliberate, each one a lesson he should have learned years ago.

“The point of being an alpha—or of being any leader—isn’t to cower in the shadows,” she said, her voice steady, her gaze never wavering. “It’s to stand tall, to create bonds, to forge connections that ensure the safety of your pack. If you hide, if you refuse to engage, then you’re not just showing them how weak you are—you’re showing our pack how weak we are.”She let the words sink in, her expression unyielding. “The Blossom Blood Pack doesn’t respect weakness, Eamon. They prey on it. And if you give them even the slightest reason to think we’re vulnerable, they won’t hesitate to exploit it.”

Her fingers curled around the edge of the counter, her nails pricking at her skin, a physical manifestation of the frustration boiling beneath her surface. “You want to keep our pack safe?” she asked, her voice sharp, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Then you don’t hide. You prove to them that we’re strong. That we’re worthy of their respect. That we’re not just some pack they can walk all over.” Perhaps one of the reason that everyone thinks she would be the next alpha, but she always thought of her pack over herself.

She could see the conflict in his eyes, the way his pride warred with the grim reality of what she was saying. Eamon had spent his life avoiding responsibility, chasing pleasure, and shrugging off the weight of his future role. But this—this—was different. The Blossom Blood Pack wasn’t a forgiving neighbor or a rival to be trifled with. They were a force of nature, a storm that could sweep through their lives and leave nothing but ruin in its wake.

“You’re not just representing yourself out there,” Jade continued, her voice softer now, but no less intense. “You’re representing all of us. Your father. Your pack. The legacy that was built for you.” She paused, her gaze searching his face for any sign that her words were getting through. “So no, Eamon. You don’t get to hide. Not this time.”