The Alpha's Runaway

Chapter Nine

Over the next two weeks, I fell into a routine. Jess, Henry, and I woke up at 5 in the morning to train by ourselves, pushing each other to our limits. Jess would then join the morning group for training with Lance, and after breakfast, we would each do our own thing. Jess seemed determined to capture every part of the territory in the new sketchbook Lance bought her. Henry would play sports or video games with some of the other trainers, albeit begrudgingly at first. I spent as much time as I could in the garden, working among the flowers and befriending the gardeners there. I often ran into other pack members in the garden, all of whom would stop to chat. In the afternoons, I joined Gwen in the library and stayed til it was time to get ready for the evening training session. We would often attempt to return to the library after dinner, but we were always stopped by Grant and Charlie, who dragged us away. Despite my eagerness to discover why Jess, Henry, and I were different, I came to enjoy spending the evening with my mate. He didn’t push for more than I could give him, although I could tell he was frustrated with how little I told him.

I was in the gardens one morning when I caught sight of two pups running up and down the paths, playing a game of tag. They were probably around four and six years old. I watched, smiling as I listened to their laughter. They were so innocent and carefree.

The young four-year-old boy tripped on the uneven stone and his lower lip trembled. I immediately moved to his side, helping him up.

“Hey, you’re okay.” I said soothingly, dusting him off and setting him on the nearby bench, “See, not even a scratch.”

The pup looked over his knees and elbows, which were free of scrapes. He looked at me with wide eyes.

“What’s your name?” I asked gently.

“Zeke.” He answered timidly after a moment.

“Hi Zeke. I’m Laura. Is that your sister that you’re playing with?”

He nodded.

“Why don’t we go find her? You can play on the grass so you don’t get hurt.”

He nodded again and I took his hand. We quickly found his sister hiding around a bend in the path. The six-year-old girl’s eyes widened when she saw me, then she broke into a wide smile.

“Luna!” She said, running up to us.

“Hi, sweetie. What’s your name?” I asked, returning her smile.

“McKenzie.”

“That’s a really pretty name. Where’s your mom?”

“She’s in the packhouse.”

“Okay. Your brother fell while he was chasing you. Why don’t we go to the grass field and you two can play there.”

“Can you play with us?” She begged, tugging on my free hand.

“Sure.” I answered, laughing softly. I let her pull me out of the garden and to the playground. As we got closer, both pups dropped my hands and ran ahead.

I played with them until it was time for lunch. When we got to the pack house, they immediately ran to a woman several years older than me, talking excitedly. The woman looked at me and smiled.

“Thank you for taking care of them, Luna.” She said as I walked up to greet her.

“No problem. They’re amazing pups. And please, call me Laura.”

“I’m Selena.” She introduced herself.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled. Grant caught my eye and smiled, and I excused myself, saying good-bye to Selena and her pups before going to my mate.

“Hi.” I greeted him as he pulled me into his arms and gave me a quick kiss.

“Hi.” He said, smiling.

“How was your morning?”

“It was good. Uneventful. What about you?”

“It was fun.” I smiled.

“Good. I’m glad.” He kissed me again before accepting a plate of food from Emma and sliding it in front of me.

-Grant-

Time slowed to a crawl as I reviewed the financial reports for my family company. I’d always hated this part of the job. While it wasn’t hard, it was tedious enough that I always put it off until the last minute. Finally, I pushed away from my desk, resolving to visit Gwen in the library.

She looked up when I entered and set Will down in a playpen she set up in the corner.

“Hey. Have you found anything yet?” I asked.

She shook her head, “There are no reports of missing Alpha-borns in the US. There are a couple from Europe, but none are triplets. I also haven’t found anything about packs being wiped out by rogues. There are the wars between packs, but again, no mention of missing Alpha-born triplets.”

“What about the symbol on their wolves?”

“That was a little easier. Especially since I don’t have to hide it from Laura.” She said, giving me a pointed look, which I ignored. She continued, “It’s called a triskelion. It’s associated with the druids and has roots in Ancient Greece as well. Laura and I haven’t found anything connecting it to wolves or her abilities yet, but we know where to look.”

“Have either of you looked online for more information? If the books aren’t helping, maybe it’s time to look at other resources.”

Gwen made a face, “Online articles aren’t reliable. It’s tainted by the human’s point of view. They don’t always get everything right when it comes to the supernatural world. Books written by other supernatural creatures are the only reliable sources of information.”

I nodded, “Okay. Thank you. Let me know when you find something.”

“Will do.” She said.

I turned to leave and stopped when she called out.

“Grant, wait!”

“What is it?” I asked, turning back around to face her.

“I don’t think you should be searching for information. You need to talk to Laura.”

“Laura isn’t talking to me.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

“Look, whatever she went through was traumatic. She lost her pack. The only family she has left is Viv and Cam. You need to be patient and give her time.”

“I know. I’m just worried about her. I want to be able to protect her but I can’t do that if I don’t know what I’m up against.”

“Grant, you’ve seen the Daniels’ fight. They’re not even showing us the extent of their abilities yet they’re among the strongest in the pack. They’ve been dealing with whatever this is for a long time. You have to trust that Laura knows what is best to keep herself safe.”

I nodded, “I just wish she would stop holding back. She doesn’t have to be alone anymore.”

“So be there for her. She’ll realize that eventually. It has to be her choice.”

I nodded once more, sighing reluctantly, “You’re right. Thanks, Gwen.”

“No problem.” She gave me a sympathetic smile.

I was walking back to my office when I looked out the window and paused. Laura was at the playground with two pups, smiling as they ran around her. Her usual tense, guarded demeanor was gone. She seemed genuinely happy.

The moments Laura let her guard down were rare and often brief, but her smile during these times was easily the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Suddenly, I could see her several years from now, playing with our own pups. My wolf growled in appreciation of the thought. In my mind, Laura would smile easier, and she wouldn’t hold herself back the way she does now. I watched until she and the two pups started walking back to the pack house, then headed to the dining room to meet them.

-Addie-

That night, after dinner, we all gathered in the third floor loft to watch a movie. It was some spy film and I couldn’t decide whether the main character was the protagonist or antagonist throughout most of the movie. With each twist, Lance, Charlie, and Henry debated this point, causing Gwen, the only one who saw the movie before, to shake her head and smile. When the film finally ended, Lance grinned victoriously.

“Ha! Told you!” He laughed, looking at Henry triumphantly.

“Okay. I admit. You guys were right.” Henry replied, shaking his head and laughing.

“You’re so distrusting.” Charlie smiled.

Henry shrugged and stood. As we all started cleaning up, I asked Jess, “Are you going to watch the challenge tomorrow night?”

“I wasn’t planning on it. Why?” She responded.

“You should. I’m going to accept the challenge.”

The others looked at me in surprise.

“Are you sure?” Lance asked, “From what Viv told me, you didn’t have any formal training before coming here.”

“No,” Grant grinned, meeting my gaze with a proud look in his eyes, “You haven’t seen her in training. She’s more than capable. Let her prove herself a worthy member of the pack.”

“It’s nice to know my mate has such confidence in my abilities.” I smiled.

“At this point, I have no doubt you can do anything.”

“This should be interesting.” Charlie smirked, “I can’t wait to see her take down both of you at once.”

“You realize you’ll be on the field with them, right?” Gwen reminded him, amused.

“Oh, I know. I don’t care. It’s worth it just to see Laura knock Lance down a few pegs.”

“All I ask is that you avoid the face.” Lance joked.

“Yeah, I can’t promise that. I can promise not to do any permanent damage.” I smirked.

“Good enough for me.”

“Cam, you should try too.” Grant added, “You’re more than capable.”

“Are you sure you want me to try tomorrow?” Henry raised an eyebrow, “I’d hate for the pack to see their higher-ranks beaten twice in one night.”

“Oh, it’s on.” Lance said, rising to the challenge.

Shaking my head at their competitive banter, I bid the others good night and went to my room.