The Alpha Summit

Chapter Eighteen

Mel felt her fingers tremble around the paper. She felt the urge to crush it and pretend like it never happened, but that wouldn't solve anything. It seemed the rat was closer to them than it seemed. If they knew about the walk they went on earlier then they had to be somebody they knew. There just wasn't a way it could be somebody that wasn't close to them.

Mel wanted to sprint all the way to Achilles' office, but that would give the rat what they wanted. The rat and supposedly Alpha Wren were thriving off of the chaos they were creating. Mel would have to calmly walk back despite the unrest her body felt. She could feel her wolf on edge making sure that Mel was okay. Mel pushed her wolf back and stood up.

"It's okay, " she assures herself.

Mel shoved the note in her pocket and started to walk back. She couldn't help but consistently look over her shoulders. She couldn't sense anybody or smell anybody close by, but they had hidden their scents before. She felt paranoid as she speed-walked to the edge of the forest. She felt a bit relieved as she made her way back to the vicinity that was being searched.

Wolves nodded to her as she passed. She slightly acknowledged them with a small smile. Right now, she was nearly holding herself together so she couldn't offer much more than a smile. Her mind was spinning as she walked into the packhouse. Who could be watching them?

She noticed heads turn at her slightly fast pace, but it didn't seem to alarm anybody. Mel was just happy that she looked normal enough. The stairs were taken two at a time as her heartbeat started to slow.

She threw the door of the office open and Achilles' eyes snapped up.

"Mel? Are you okay?"

She slammed the door shut and shook her head furiously.

A growl passed Achilles' lips, "What happened?"

Mel dug into her pocket, "I went back to where we went for that walk and I found this by the river. The rat is a lot closer than we thought."

Achilles growled lowly as he picked the paper from her hands. It wasn't safe for Mel to be alone anymore. He wasn't even sure if it was safe for anybody other than themselves to know this new information. Achilles hated keeping secrets, but if it kept Mel safe he didn't care.

"This has to stay between us, " he stated. "And I don't want you going anywhere by yourself anymore."

Mel got closer to him, "I don't think I want to go anywhere by myself. Somebody is watching us and they want me. I just don't want anybody else to get hurt because of me."

Achilles shook his head as he grabbed Mel's hand, "You can't think like that. Our pack is ready for any attack they throw at us. And this isn't your fault."

Mel's wolf pushed forward in her mess of emotions and pushed herself into Achilles. She purred at the connection and Mel could feel herself relax a bit.

Achilles felt the tension leave his body at Mel's touch. He so badly wanted to protect her from everything. Right now, it felt like he couldn't trust anybody, not even his own pack. He was so paranoid, he didn't even feel safe telling his Beta.

He pulled back from Mel, "Who knew we were going on a walk?"

"Bentley and Jax clearly, but really anybody could have seen us. We didn't keep it a secret."

Achilles growled softly, "Bentley might hate me after this, but I need to make sure he's on our side."

Mel watched Achilles' eyes unfocus. He was mindlinking somebody, most likely Bentley.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"I'm going to have to use my Alpha tone on him and Jax."

He pushed her behind him as the door opened. Achilles wasn't sure how Jax and Bentley would react. He knew they would either understand his motive or freak out on him. He was preparing for the worst.

"What's up Achilles?" Bentley asked.

"Mel found a note at the river we walked to yesterday. It was, once again, threatening."

Achilles focused his attention on Jax and let his Alpha aura seep out. Jax's head immediately bent to the floor, causing Bentley to growl.

"What the hell are you doing, Achilles?"

Achilles ignored him, "Did you put that note there, Jax?"

Jax felt the Alpha tone force his mouth open. He growled at Achilles for doing this to him. His body wouldn't let the growl go through though, only the answer to the question.

"No," he said. "I didn't put the note there."

Achilles wanted to apologize but kept his face solemn. He still wasn't done yet.

Bentley stepped at Achilles again, "What is this Achilles? You're interrogating my mate now?"

"Get back now, Beta."

He used his body to cover Mel. His wolf saw Bentley as a threat at the moment.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Achilles! Why are you acting like this?"

Achilles clenched his jaw, "Bentley, did you put the note by the river."

Bentley struggled against the command, "f**k you."

He growled lowly as he clenched his jaw shut. He couldn't believe Achilles had just done that to him.

Achilles sighed, "Just answer the question Bentley and this can end."

"No," Bentley growled out.

Jax rubbed his arm, "Just answer, Bentley. We all know you didn't do it. He just wants to protect Mel."

Bentley growled, "Then he would understand that he shouldn't have done this without telling me. How would he feel if I integrated Mel without his consent?

Achilles growled furiously as Cain pushed forward, "I'd advise you to shut your mouth."

Bentley chuckled darkly, "Which one do you want? Me to shut my mouth or answer your question."

Achilles had Bentley pinned up against the wall by his shoulders. He growled dangerously at him before letting his entire Alpha aurora out.

Bentley felt suffocated as Achilles held him against the wall. Both of them knew this wasn't about the question anymore; this was about respect. Achilles' hand respected him so he wasn't going to respect him. Although, he was;t sure how much longer he could hold out.

"This is my last time asking. Did you put the note there?"

Before anybody could say anything else Mel yanked on the back of Achilles' shirt. He growled at her and she scoffed.

"Get off of him. This is what they want. They want us to fight."

Achilles was able to push back Cain just enough to let go of Bentley. He roughly grabbed Mel's hand and stared at Bentley.

"Now, Bentley, "Mel said calmly. "I'm sorry that Achilles didn't handle this right but can you please answer the question. I'm scared that people are going to get hurt because of me. Please just answer so we can move on."

Bentley sighed deeply, "No, I didn't put the note there."

Both Achilles and Mel could tell this was since. There was no way he was lying with the aura Achilles was still putting out.

Bentley grabbed Jax's hand, "We need to get out of here. Some people need to learn how to treat others with respect."

The door slammed loudly as the pair made their dramatic exit from the office.

Achilles elongated his claws and shoved them into his palms. He's ruined his relationship with his Beta. All he wanted to do was protect the people he cared about, but it seemed like all he could do was hurt them.

Mel noticed the blood and gasped, "Achilles! Stop!"

He wouldn't let her come close to him.

Mel felt her wolf push forward and she let her. This would be the only way to get him to stop hurting himself. Hopefully, Cain would take control at the sight of his mate. Mel's wolf quickly grabbed Achilles and growled at him.

"Stop hurt." She said huskily.

Achilles looked down at her with sad eyes. She traced down his arm and pulled his claws out of his palms. She pulled him into a hug and growled. She hated seeing her ate hurt, especially when it was because he thought she deserved it. She needed to protect him from himself.

"No hurt." She whispered.

"But what if I deserve it?"

She growled again, "No! Mate only gets hugs and kisses."

Achilles laughed out loud. Mel's wolf looked at him with a frown gracing her beautiful face. He hadn't realized that she was serious.

"Okay, I will try," He looked at her with confusion. "You don't have a name yet, do you?"

She shook her head.

He gave her a small smile, "Can I give you a name?"

She gave him a wide smile, "Mate name!"

He beamed and thought for a moment. Achilles thought it would be nice if he gave her a name starting with c as well.

"How about Cara?"

She purred, "Yes, Cara. Cara see Cain?"

Achilles instantly felt Cain push forward. He nodded before letting Cain take over.

Cain pulled Cara into a tight hug and shoved his face into her neck. He growled lowly and she purred. He was making sure that she knew she was his. Of course, Cara replies with her own possessive growl. He picked her up bridal style and began to walk. He walked to Achilles' room and set Cara down on the bed. He pulled the covers down and laid down next to her. He then pulled her into his chest and purred. She purred too and pulled the covers up. The duo snuggled together in the comfort of their company.

Mel felt Cara retreat after a few minutes, but she didn't move. She let herself be held and enjoyed it. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was past nine at night. She guessed it wasn't a bad thing that they had ended up there. Nothing could be done at the moment anyway. It wasn't like they could hunt for the rat or prepare any more than they had. She wasn't even sure if Jax or Bentley would want to carry on with the plan. She guessed she would have to convince them herself tomorrow.

She could hear Achilles' breathing even out and she smiled. She felt proud of the fact that simply her presence could calm him down from his anxiety and anger enough to sleep.

She felt his arms loosen and she moved her arm so that she could reach his hair. Mel ran her fingers through his dark hair and scratched his scalp. She twirled the trestles of his hair and she could hear and faint purr.

A wide smile spread across her face. She admired his innocent facial features in awe when he let go of her completely. His long eyelashes created a shadow on his cheeks. His lips were in a lip instead of the slight frown they usually were. The hair she had just played with was sprawled around his face.

She imagined him smiling at her while he laughed. He hugged her when she was worried or just needed his touch. He always tried to do what was best for her. He wasn't always right, but he always tried. It meant so much to her that he cared.

She brushed her fingers across his cheeks and moved the hair from his face. Her wolf purred deeply in her chest. That was when she realized something that scared her thoroughly.

She loved him.

Hee wolf purred furiously in agreement. She and her wolf agreed with each other completely. The man in front of her had rushed into her life and stolen her heart. This scared her because that meant he had the power to break her heart now. But as she looked at him she couldn't make herself care.

"I don't know how you did it," she whispered. "But somehow you made me love you."

She didn't know if he felt the same, but she would wait forever for him too. They had started off rocky, but it was clear they were meant for each other. They both wanted it to work and so it did. They had made mistakes and they would continue to, but as long as they kept trying it wouldn't matter.

None of this was going to be easy. They would have to fight to be together every single day. Mel was willing to do it. She was willing to wake up and choose Achilles every day of her life. She finally had somebody that she was willing to fight for.

Achilles rolled over and felt around for Mel. She could see his face scrunching up in confusion as he searched for her.

She quickly laid down and snuggled herself into his arms. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

She smiled, even when he was asleep he still wanted to hug her. Mel felt her eyes become heavy and Achilles' warmth surrounded her. She slowly fell asleep as she felt safe and loved. Tomorrow could bring terror but right now she would enjoy the small bit of happiness the man holding her gave her.

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Reading Questions:

-Do you think Bentley and Jax will want to continue with the plan?

-Who do think the rat is?

-What do you think of Brianna?