The Duty of an Alpha (Book 2)

Relax

Chapter 8

Arden POV*

It had been a few days since Roman and I sat holding each other in my office. After I was able to gather my feelings, I had untangled myself from his arms and dismissed myself, promising we would talk later.

I needed time away from him to convince myself the staying with our respective packs was what was best for everyone. By the time I went to find him, he had already left to go back to Silver Creek. I texted him, asking why he left before we could talk, and he said he needed to get back before Sita burned it to the ground.

I knew it was a poor excuse, especially since Sita was more than capable of running that pack, but I didn’t put him on it. Eventually, I would make a trip to his pack so we could make a final decision, but there was too much to be done at Ash River before any focus could be put towards my love life.

Eva had been working with Teo for the last few days, getting everything prepared to attempt to heal the staff members. I had given them both permission to take over the 3rd floor of the packhouse. Usually that is where I slept, but it was an easy choice to give up the comfort of my living quarters for the sake of possibly helping some of the most deserving members of my pack.

After Amanda had woken up from her sedated nap, I had my Beta and Gamma join me to talk to her in hopes that it might help her to see the others there as well. Instead, she started flinging her hatred in their direction too, blaming all of us for the death of her mate. She ended up having to get a lighter sedative to calm down. The doctor promised to keep an eye on her while she grieved, and he suggested that I stay away from her until she processed the loss.

Other than that, things had been mostly calm. Pack training had started under Matt and Katie’s leadership, and Katie had reported an all time high of she-wolves join her session. I had attended one just to observe, and I could feel the determination and self-pride coming from the she-wolves. They trained completely separately from the males, allowing anyone who had suffered abuse the feeling of safety.

I had just left the afternoon training session and was on the way to visit James in the infirmary. He had finally woken up the night before, but I didn’t want to impede on his family time, so I waited an extra day.

I knocked on the door that I knew led to his room, waiting for a response.

“Come in.” a tired sounding James answered.

When I entered the room, he tried to push himself into a sitting position to show respect in front of his Alpha. I quickly went to his side, and placed my hand on his shoulder to make him lay back down.

“Don’t even bother.” I chastised him while readjusting his pillow. “You need to rest your body, not worry about showing respect.”

“Alpha,” James rasped, “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Well, how could I not visit?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. “You were severely injured performing a duty to the pack. The only reason you made it here alive is because Teo worked some sort of miracle. I know your prior leadership may not have come to visit, but you should know better about me.”

I winked at him, making him chuckle slightly, which in turn made him hiss in pain.

“I know you’re different, Alpha.” James slightly bowed his head, still doing what he could to show that he respected me. “I just thought there would be too much to do for you to have time to pay me a visit.”

“There is nothing more to be done.” I assured him. “Patrols are doubled for now, family has been notified for the injured and lost, and nearly all of the normal pack work that I do is caught up for once. So, of course I have time. Has your family been by to see you?”

“Yes!” James’s eyes lit up. “They were all here last night after Dr. Teo cleared me for visitors. It was so good to see them. When I was getting my ass handed to me, I thought for sure I would never get to hold my kids again.” Tears pooled in his eyes, and I reached out and patted the top of his hand.

“I’m so happy you pulled through. I thought for sure you were gone when I found you.” I whispered. “Your patrol partner that night and Marcus have been the only people I have lost to an attack since taking over. I’m happy it wasn’t three people.”

“You found me?” James looked shocked. “I thought Dr. Teo had gotten to me first.”

“Nope, it was me.” I shook my head let out a small laugh. “Also, I’m sure Teo had been letting it slide, but he isn’t a doctor yet. He still has a couple more years in his studies.”

“Huh.” He looked away, but his confusion was very noticeable to me. Only it didn’t seem like confusion over Teo’s non-doctor status.

“What is it?” I prodded, hoping he would tell me.

“Oh.” James jolted when I interrupted his thoughts. “I must be confused. I mean, I almost died, so there is no telling what I was feeling.”

I nodded my head at him, deciding not to push his anymore, no matter how curious his statement made me.

“So! How about some card games?” I asked, changing the subject.

James seemed even more surprised at the suggestion, but happily agreed. I helped him sit his bed up and pulled out a couple games, letting him choose what he wanted.

The next couple hours were spent with us two playing random games and talking about random things in life. James was in his early 40’s, and when he finally opened up to me, he had a lot of stories to tell. He even told me how he first met Alpha Roman, surprising me by saying he was on patrol the night that Silver Creek Pack broke through the barrier.

At first, he seemed a little worried that telling me that he turned his back on Alpha Max was going to make me see him as not loyal, but I quickly assuaged his fears by pulling him into a massive hug. Roman would have done anything at the time to save me from my psycho ex, but knowing he gave James the chance to live warmed something inside of me.

The story also helped me realize why James was so accepting of me and my ways. Even though 40 isn’t that old, most of the pack his age and older were fairly stuck in their non-progressive ways. However, James’ mate was 10 years younger than him, and they had children later in life. Both of his pups were girls, and living under Robbie/Max’s rule, he realized that the most important people in his life were going to always be expected to be suppressed in one way or another.

We were interrupted by Teo and Ashton coming into the room. It seemed my Beta had barely left his mate’s side, even when they were both supposed to be working.

“So, ‘Dr. Teo’.” I said teasingly, making him blush.

“I didn’t think it right to correct someone who had been through such trauma.” Teo bowed his head and whispered, embarrassed. James and I started outright laughing while Ashton held back a chuckle.

“Eh, you acted like a great damn Doctor in saving my life.” James smiled brightly, changing Teo’s blush from one of embarrassment to one of happiness.

“Why don’t you two join us for some card games?” I suggested, changing the subject before I was tempted to tease Teo any more.

“Sounds good, boss.” Ashton said, gently nudging Teo to get him to agree.

We played for a while longer, and it was the most relaxing afternoon I had had since Roman left. We only decided to leave after James’s family showed up.

I waved goodbye to Teo and Ashton and made my way to my office. I closed the new door behind me and laid down on the couch that was now my bed. At least until Eva was finished using the 3rd floor.

I picked up my phone, checking it out of habit, but what I saw made my heart skip a beat.

Roman:

We were just attacked by a large group of rogues. I don’t even know how they knew where the pack was, but I think it is connected to what happened at your pack. Call me when you get this.