Rising Alpha

21

"This is the time of year where it's hot during the day and cold during the night. The temperatures here are crazy."

Maybe now that the adrenaline is wearing off from the day, I'm calming down. "Yeah, I am."

"Do you mind opening the cans while I ask Paul and them to bring in some wood while they’re still outside?" He sets down the cans on the counter along with the cleaning supplies.

"What do you mean while they are still outside?" They don't live near here so the only way they'd be coming in somewhere is in this cabin.

"Oh, I called John and Paul’s story checks out." He captures one of my hands in his and tugs me close to him. "He trusts those wolves out there and I trust him. I thought I'd invite them in and let them have two rooms for themselves." His fingertips brush my cheek and he stares deep into my eyes. "Is that okay with you?"

Is he asking me for permission? This is his house, not mine. "If you're sure, then I'm good." For some reason, I don't think he'd let these men hurt us.

"I thought you might put up more of a fight." He gently taps my nose and smiles. "You are full of surprises. I'll be right back."

Unable to help myself, I stare at his ass as he walks out of the cabin. Damn, I've got it bad, but I can't lose my head. That's when things can get dangerous.

The door slams shut as he walks outside.

All right, back to work. I've got to find a can opener. I open the drawer by the refrigerator and find the silverware and can opener there. I grab it along with a spoon and head back to the cans. It takes a minute or two, but soon it's warming.

To be honest, I'm not thrilled with these men coming in, but Dom has gone to a lot of trouble to hide us so if he's comfortable with it, I'll suck it up... for now.

Soon Paul barges in with his hands full of wood. He glances around the room and heads to the fireplace. "This should do the job for now, but we may need to bring more tomorrow." His voice is loud as he hollers over his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Alison rushes into the room and stops short when her gaze lands on him. "Who the hell are you?" Her hands clutch her belly.

Great, maybe we should have told the ladies first. "This is Paul. He and a few other wolves have come to help protect us from Kevin."

At that moment, Dom walks in with four other men. The other four appear to be younger, but they’re all tall and strong.

"Alison, are you okay?" Abigail appears out of the hallway with Charlotte right on her heels.

"There are men." Alison's face turns pale and her voice wavers ever so slightly.

"Don't worry." Dom slaps the closest young one on the back causing him to stumble in the house some. "They are here to help us, not cause trouble."

I sure hope that's the case. I hate for us to have run this far just to get back in the same situation we were in or worse.

Abigail bites her bottom lip and Charlotte stares at the ground.

So, this is awkward. "All right, well the soup is ready and I'm sure the sandwiches will be fine."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Dom scans the men and nods. "You guys hungry?"

"Hell yeah. We've been out in the woods for a while waiting on y’all." The boy closest to Dom speaks up. He grins, revealing two dimples and his green eyes light up.

"Well, then. Let's go." I'm ready for this whole encounter to be over. If we're eating that will give us something to do other than gawk at one another.

Alison, Abigail, and Charlotte wait for the men to go first while the men wait for the women.

In Kevin's pack, the men got to eat first, which means we were left with all the scraps like a dog. If a lady tried, she'd get beaten and wasn’t allowed to eat. But these men seem to want us to go first. I don't like turning my back on strangers, but I'm hoping Dom will follow behind last. "Come on, ladies. I need to check on the soup anyways, I don't want it to burn."

They hesitate for a moment, but soon, Abigail hurries to my side and takes a deep breath. "I hope you're right about staying."

Me too. "It's late and we're all exhausted. Let's get some food in our stomachs and hunker down for the night."

As soon as we're in the kitchen, I grab some bowls and lay them to the side. Not even bothering to hesitate, I fill the bowl to the top and grab one of the sandwiches.

The girls follow my lead and take a seat at the table. s**t, there isn't enough room for all of us, and I could use some fresh air. We've been cooped up all day. I head toward the living room and walk out the front door.

Fresh air fills my lungs, and for a minute, it seems like a perfect night. One that would be good for a run, but I'm too tired for all that. I sit at the edge of the porch and lean against the paint chipped post.

A creak from the door alerts me that I'm not alone anymore. His woodsy scent hits me and my wolf perks.

"Do you mind some company?" His rough voice sends thrills through me.

I pat the spot beside me.

He sits close so that our legs and arms brush against one another. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, I didn't mate to that jackass so I'd say I'm doing pretty good." This is an unknown reality I'm in, but for now, it's better than the previous one.

A deep growl vibrates from deep inside him, it's his wolf bleeding through. "I'm damn glad I found you in time."

What does that mean? Is he influenced by me as much as I am by him? "Me too.”

He takes a bite of his soup and takes a deep breath. “You’re the first person I’ve brought here.” “You mean we’re the first ones.” There are three other people besides me that he brought here.

“No, it was because of you that they’re here.” His eyes meet mine and there’s pain there. “This was my grandfather’s and I avoid here as much as possible. Sometimes the good memories hurt almost as much as the bad.”

So that’s why this place is falling apart. “Well, it’s beautiful and thank you. I can’t wait to begin working on the place tomorrow. Maybe we can restore it together.” For some reason, I’ve got a feeling he understands my pain. Something horrible must have happened to him, and I wish I could mend it.