Rising Alpha

24

"That's true, but hell, do you think I have enough time to train them?" For some reason, I don't think it'll take Kevin long before he gets an idea of where we are.

"Probably not, but once again, they've been on their own for a while so I bet they're even stronger than they realize which will be good. It may catch both them and Kevin off guard." He chuckles, but then his tone turns concerned. "I was going to call you in the morning, but since you couldn't go to bed without hearing my voice one last time, it's probably best to tell you now."

"What's going on?" It's better to know, even if it's bad news, than to be ill-advised or unprepared.

"It's gotten worse." His tone is almost a whisper. "More women have gone missing while he was out searching for his mate and the others.”

"She's not his f*****g mate." The words hurt as I growl.

"Holy s**t, man." He takes a shaky breath. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know her name."

"Savannah. So from here on call her that." I may lose my s**t if he references her as that prick's mate again.

"Got it."

"So do you have any idea where they're heading?" Maybe they are all having a mass exodus while they can.

"No, and neither does Kevin." He laughs. "But it was kind of fun to watch him lose his s**t before he went psycho. He's blaming Savannah."

Great, so he's going to be even more motivated to find her. Thank God I brought them here. "Well, we should be off the grid." My legs get heavy and I lean against the wall. "Look, I've got to go to bed.

I'll call you again later."

"Thank God. Your neediness was getting on my nerves."

"If you think that's bad, wait till I see your pretty face again." Even though he's a pain in the ass, I'm not sure what I'd do without him.

"Promises, promises." The phone then clicks in my ear.

Where in the hell would those women go to? They can't possibly all have a place to go and Kevin has to be on their scent. s**t, that's not my problem. Right now, I need to focus on keeping Savannah and her friends alive.

Heading back to the bedroom, I find Savannah in one of the rooms talking with Alison.

"Do you have everything you need?" She scans the room, biting her bottom lip. "I want to make sure you're comfortable, especially with you carrying around that little one."

Alison smiles at her and reaches for her arm. "I'm fine, I promise. You don't have to worry so much about me."

"Well, all right." She pulls her in for a hug and then backs away. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

As she turns, Alison catches her arm and stares into her eyes. "Thank you for saving us."

"I didn't save you." Savannah pats her hand and gives a small smile. "We saved each other."

If I hadn't been falling for her already, this would have sealed the deal. My fated mate is kind, caring, and a true alpha and these women look up to her. There’s a part of me that still wants to command the pack, but I can't risk something terrible happening to them.

The best thing for me would be to turn away and either get some sleep or begin preparing for the battle that will come sooner rather than later. But my wolf and body, won't let me leave. I'm grounded here, watching her.

As she steps into the hallway, her eyes find mine immediately. "Everyone is getting settled for sleep."

"Well, then." I take her hand and tug her toward my room. "We should probably do the same thing.

Morning will be here before we know it."

She bites her bottom lip, and I almost come unglued. Damn, she's sexy as hell.

"I can sleep on the couch." She glances into the den, but her body gets closer to mine.

"Listen, I'd rather you be close to me." I can't help but reach out and tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. "How about I sleep on the floor?" The last thing I want to do is make her feel uncomfortable.

"This is your house." Her eyes widen and she leans into my hand. "How about you lay on top of the covers?"

"Anything you want." The scary thing is I mean it. I lead her into my bedroom and shut the door. My wolf whimpers in excitement, and my body responds. Down boy. I'm not going to push her into something even if I'm dying to claim her.

"Is there a certain side you sleep on?" She heads to the bed and pauses. "I don't want to take your spot."

Damn, she's strong and considerate. "Nah, I can sleep on either side. I'm not partial."

"Good, because I am." She pulls down the covers and crawls in on the right side. "I don't have the energy to get ready for bed."

Neither do I. "Good, so I won't be the only one stinking."

Her mouth drops open and eyes narrow. "I wouldn't go that far."

Holy s**t. Did she just insult me back? "You're cute when you're mad." Did that just pop out?

"Just when I'm mad?" She smirks and tilts her head at me.

Does she already know the effect she has on me? "I didn't say that. You inferred it."

"I'm just reading between the lines." She winks at me and turns her body in my direction, propping up on her arm.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea. I want to ravish her over and over again. Seeing her in my bed looking at me like that captures my wolf's attention. Not able to stop myself, I slide into bed next to her. "If you aren't comfortable, I can sleep on the couch."

"No, it's okay." She pushes a stray piece of dark brown hair behind her ear. "That couch is small and all the other rooms are occupied."

"That's true, but it's important to me that you feel safe." If only she knew how much I mean that.

"I feel safe with you." She licks her lips and glances at the sheets. "Maybe that makes me crazy, but I don't think so."

This conversation needs to change directions or I may not be able to hold myself back. "So...

What's your favorite thing to do?"

"Huh, no one has asked me that in a long time." She glances at the ceiling and taps her lips with her pointer finger. "Let's see. This may sound crazy, but I love listening to a spring or river. The sound is soothing and, most of the time, the water is peaceful. I want to find peace like that."

Find peace, I get that. "It doesn't sound crazy. When I lost my pack, I went to war trying to get away from the memories. But somehow, it just added to my misery instead of taking it away."