The Replacement Aplha

An Old Friend

Memories came flooding back with the sight of Thomas’ name. Late nights spent studying at the library, me sitting on the bleachers watching Thomas’ basketball game, Thomas beside the counter at Molly’s entertaining me with one of his stories while I cleared off empty tables.

It hurt to think about him.

He was my best friend in high school. My only friend.

And I killed his brother.

A thought came to me then which was the last piece of the puzzle that formed such an obvious, important realization.

With Ben dead, Thomas was to be the new Alpha.

I had tried so hard to avoid thinking about Ben, Thomas, and everyone else that constructed my previous life that I hadn’t put two and two together.

Thomas was next in line to rule the pack. He would be the one to take over from his father, Alpha Damien.

Fuck.

More than anything, I wanted to escape from the hospital and drive back to my house so I could yank the covers over my head and cry. But I knew that both of the other Healers were busy with patients, and I had a duty to the pack to help those injured.  

Besides, I would have to face him sooner or later. It wasn’t that big of a town.

I stood in front of the closed door of the Healer’s room for a moment and tried to collect myself.

On the other side of the door, Thomas was waiting.

I was going to see him for the first time in two years. What would he do when he saw me? Scream at me for murdering his brother? Would he go so far as to attack me?

That thought made me apprehensive about going in. Thomas was thin, but he was taller than I was and could 

I gripped the brass handle and slowly opened the door.

He was sitting on the same bench Emily had been sitting on earlier that day.

“Hey, Scar,” he said.

I couldn’t speak. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.  

He looked at me with his dark, familiar eyes as if he was expecting me. There was no sign of shock or disbelief on his face. Instead, he was attempting to smile, but it came out as more of a painful grimace.

He was even more strikingly handsome than the last time I saw him.

Thomas was no longer a scraggily 16-year-old boy. He now had a sharp, chiselled jawline shadowed with dark stubble.

The last two years must have been filled with a strict training regime as he had gained at least 40 pounds in muscle. His shoulders were broad and powerful. Through his cotton shirt, his muscles budged.

Even with these drastic changes, there were many familiar features that had remained the same. His thick, plump lips. His pearly white teeth. His thoughtful eyes.

Thomas abruptly stood up, raced across the room, and wrapped his strong arms around me in a hug.

He immediately winced and pulled back, but not before I caught a whiff of his smell: warm, spicy cedar.

“Sorry,” he apologized, and pointed down at his bandaged torso, “Lead Warrior Justin really did a number on me.”

“Thom…” I finally managed to whisper. Tears pricked my eyes. “I… I heard about Ben and I’m… so sorry.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be.”

My throat was thick. “Yes, it’s all my fault…”

Thomas’ brow furrowed and his smiled disappeared. He gripped my shoulders tightly and said, “Scarlett. I want you to listen to what I am about to say and take it very seriously because I cannot express in words about how much I mean this: none of this is your fault.”

I looked up into his eyes and knew he meant it. I nodded.

“Goddess, Thom, you’re… you’re so tall now,” I stammered.

His face relaxed and he was back to being happy-go-lucky Thomas.

“I grew a lot after you left. I’m 6 3’ now!” he exclaimed.

“Wow, you’ve got to be taller than your dad now,” I said, and moved towards the sink to wash my hands.

“Yup, by an entire inch.”

“So, what exactly did Justin do to you?” I asked after I got him to take his seat back on the bench.

“He caught me off guard and smacked me pretty good with a dowel. You know me, I’ve never been the best fighter. That was Ben’s specialty.”

Hearing him talk about Ben in past tense made me sick.

 “Can I take a look?” I asked, looking down at his wound.

He slipped off his shirt, exposing his smooth, well-built chest. I couldn’t help but stare. He was built like a Greek God.

I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I began slowly unwrapping his bandage. A large, angry bruise appeared immediately beside his perfectly toned abs.

Remaining professional was becoming extremely difficult to do. It took everything in me to stop myself from running my hands across his washboard abs.

Instead, I took two fingers and began to palpate the ribs around the bruise.

He jumped back slightly.

“Your hands are freezing, Scar!” he cried out.

“Sorry,” I muttered and continued to massage the area.

“Looks like you might have bruised your ribs,” I finally said. “We’ll put a salve on that should numb some of the pain and then I’ll re-bandage you up.”

I noticed that Thomas had a hard time looking me in the eyes. Instead, he was studying his hands as if they were suddenly very interesting.

“It will take a week or two to fully heal, though, so until that time, I wouldn’t recommend any strenuous combat fighting. Tell Justin to take it easy on you for a while.”

He chuckled. “Oh, he’ll love to hear that,” Thomas said sarcastically. “And what about my shifting ceremony? My birthday is this weekend and Mom was planning on having my shifting ceremony two weeks after it.”

Right. It was almost August 28th. Thomas was going to be turning 18.  

“It should be fine by then,” I said. “Oh, and happy early birthday, Thom. I can’t believe your almost of-age.”  

“I know!” he said. “Remember, we used to talk for hours about what we were going to do once we turned 18. Our guesses on who our mates would be, our roles in the pack, everything.”

“Yeah,” I said, thinking of those warm recollections. 

I watched Thomas’ face light up with an idea.

“Hey, I’m throwing my birthday party at Eclipse Beach. You have to come!”

“Oh, I I’m not so sure Thom…” I started.

“Please? It’s such good timing that you’re back home right before my 18th birthday.”

“But Thom, you don’t want me there. After what I did, everyone hates my guts. I would just put a damper on the party.”

“I’m the Alpha-to-be and you’re my best friend. Everyone will treat you with respect or they’ll have to deal with me.”

This newfound confidence Thomas was emitting shocked me.

“Alright,” I finally gave in, “I’ll go.”

Thomas flashed one of his brilliant smiles. He took my hand and squeezed it tightly. The heat once again returned to my cheeks and I prayed they weren’t turning a bashful red color in front of him.

I excused myself and went to grab the salve from the supply closet. It was a chance for me to take a deep breath and calm down.

When I returned to the room, I started applying the herbal ointment to the area of injury.

 Being so close to Thomas made me dizzy. His woody smell, the touch of his warm, even skin, was so intense that I could hardly think straight.

“I’m so proud of you for becoming a Healer,” he told me as I started wrapping the bandage cloth around him. “I always knew you’d make an amazing one. You’re so smart, and so compassionate.”

His compliment made my heart skip a beat.

“Thanks,” was all I could say.

After I had finished dressing him, Thomas slipped his shirt back on and I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment as he covered his muscular body back up.

After he was checked out my Healer Michael, Thomas was instructed to return to his house at get some rest.

When it was just the two of us alone in the room again, Thomas pulled me into another hug, this one gentler and more cautious as not to inflict more pain on his tender body. We stood together for a moment, both not wanting to let go.

“I’ve missed you,” Thomas whispered into my ear. His voice was raw and sad, and the sound of it made my lip tremble. A salty tear rolled down my cheek.

“I’ve missed you too, Thom. So very much.”  

SR