Touched My Alpha King

Chapter 6

Snatching it and a pack of peanut butter crackers off the four-seat table, I rushed back to Josie. Raffe and Octavia walked in as I handed the items off to Lucy, who worked on getting Josie conscious again.

I removed my phone from my back pocket. I had a missed text from Slade from two hours ago.

Slade: Hey, you coming to the bonfire? Hecate, Zella, and a few more coven members are here, wanting to hang out.

Such a simple question but one that held so much significance. The wolf shifters, coven members, and vampires didn’t get along. Even though most species kept to themselves, the coven members and vampires were more likely to hang out together because both groups had a common enemy—wolf shifters. And I was caught between species. I was a wolf shifter, but before, I’d been accepted as part of the coven because my blood worked similarly to that of the witches.

I’d planned on asking Slade to help us, but if he learned about Octavia, he’d probably want to alter her mind. I couldn’t risk it, but I still had to reply to him.

I sighed and typed a reply.

Me: Sorry, just now seeing this. I’m tied up.

My phone dinged within seconds.

Slade: Thank goddess you replied. I was worried. Okay, see you soon.

I put my phone back into my pocket and looked up to find Raffe scowling at me with his arms crossed. His unhappiness radiated so intensely that I didn’t have to feel it in my chest to sense it.

“Let me guess… you texted Slade, and he’s rushing here to help.” Raffe grimaced.

Octavia lifted a brow and glanced between the two of us.

“Stop. You’re my mate. He knows it. We’re just friends.” Even though Raffe was being silly, I couldn’t blame him. Slade had tried to kiss me and had wanted to date me. “He never stood a chance even before that, and he helped me escape the underground bunker and trained me with my power. And no, I didn’t ask him to come over, though I thought about it.” I walked over to my mate and placed soothing hands on his chest.

Some of his tension eased as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. His chest rumbled with a growl. “Yet, if you did, he’d run here without a second thought. Anytime you ask, he’s like a dog at your heels. Son of the supreme priestess or not, I’ll kill him if I suspect he’s up to something.”

“Wait. You’re close to a coven member?” Octavia tensed. “Why?”

“He helped me when no one else would. He saved my life.” I hated how even the stranger didn’t like the fact that I was close to supernaturals. “What did you expect? For me to remain alone and misunderstood all my life?”

She averted her gaze to the laminate wood-like flooring, avoiding mine.

Not wanting to analyze her reaction, I watched Josie sip the Dr Pepper. Her movements were still sluggish, and Lucy had to help her, but she was getting sugar and caffeine in her. That should help.

Octavia shook her head, her voice cracking. “We were so wrong to leave you.”

My breath caught, and despite everything inside me screaming not to, I found myself looking at her. “What do you mean?” Though I already knew, I just needed to hear her say it.

“At that hospital”—she hung her head—“we gave you up, hoping if you were away from us, your power wouldn’t grow. We wanted to keep you and your brother safe, but instead, I threw you into the arms of our enemies.”

Knowing she was a relative was one thing, but hearing her confirm that not only was she my mother, but I had a brother ripped my heart in a way I’d never imagined possible. I wasn’t sure what to lock on to, but Raffe didn’t have the same problem.

“I will never be Skylar’s enemy, but you … that’s a whole different story.” Raffe released me and got in her face. “You left my mate alone, knowing her power was activated. What did you f*****g think would happen?”

“In…” She licked her bottom lip. “I thought it was best … for all of us. Her power would have put us on the radar and risked all of our lives.”

She tried to make it sound like she’d wanted to help all of us, but that wasn’t fair. She’d known my power was activated, and if she was aware of the history of arcane-born, then she also knew that Foster had imploded because of it. I murmured, “No, you thought it would be best for you. My power was already activated.” I paused. “Do you know the hell I lived with growing up?” My voice was trembling. “Never fitting in, people calling me a freak? Do you know how many times people suggested I should kill myself, that the world would be a better place without me in it?”

White-hot anger rolled from Raffe into me as he linked, You never told me that.

It doesn’t matter. It was my past … my baggage. He couldn’t do anything to change it. Things changed when I got here … well, after you stopped being an ass. He had rejected me in front of everyone to get people not to hang around me.