True Alpha

Meeting the Enemy

Delilah's POV

As we entered the dining hall, I could feel everyone staring at me. Deacon growled and everyone’s heads dropped back down to their plates. He sat me down and went to get our food, giving my shoulder a small squeeze before walking away. Margret sat across the table from me and gave me a small smile. I smiled back at her, as Kyra came and sat next me, giving my shoulder a gentle bump. Letting me know she was there if I needed to talk to her. She nodded and went back to sit with Jackson. Mya was looking at her food, then her hands, her eyes finally meeting mine. She gave me a tearful smile before looking back down. Ky looked at me, his jaw tight. His hands were in fists, knuckles white. I gave him a small smile, and he returned with a nod.

The dining hall was quiet, for the first time since I had been there. It felt eerie, but after Deacon’s howl, I knew that the pack knew there was something wrong and no one knew what to say. Deacon came back with our plates, and I picked at it, as he dug in. I knew that his body was probably drained from having shifted for so long. The only sound in the room was the sound of forks and knives hitting the plate.

Soon after, Abram came in and kissed the top of my head, earning a growl from Deacon. I put my hand on his thigh and rubbed it. He flashed a smile and kept eating. Abram went to stand next to Margret and I could feel the tension in the room increase. He cleared his throat and began in his Alpha tone.

“As my son, I let you all know, through no fault of his own, our future Luna has been through an intolerable amount of pain.” His voice broke on the last word. He cleared his throat again. “Her captor has assembled an army of rogues to get her back. Until this matter has been handled, I ask you to go to your homes, pack the necessities and move into the temporary shelters. We have patrols out on rotation, so our territory is guarded. We also have warriors from both Harvest Moon and Moon joining us. I know you all love our future Luna, but at this time, please let her be.”

I stood up and looked at him. “Can I say something?”

He nodded and sat down.

“I’m not really sure how much you guys know, or if you know anything at all. I do know that our warriors are strong, and we are safe. I also know you all have questions, and maybe one day I will be able to answer them, but right now I can’t. I know that’s not Luna behavior, and I am so deeply sorry. You all deserve better. I wish I had better to give. I am so sorry that I have brought this war to you.” I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I turned and ran out of the room.

I ran to the bedroom and threw myself on the bed. I pulled my knees to my chest and began sobbing.

Deacon came into the room and picked me up, setting me on his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck, as he rubbed my back. He let me cry for an hour before I felt him stiffen. He relaxed a second later, as a small knock on the door brought me to my feet.

Kyra and Mya were there with pillows and blankets. They stood in their pajamas. I looked at them and laughed.

“What are you two doing?” I asked.

“Well, we figured you could use a girls’ night.” Kyra said. “We have the whole rec room set up for a movie night and a sleep over. There’s popcorn and ice cream. Deacon even made sure to get those licorice vines you like so much.”

I looked back at him as he smiled. “I have to go help with the patrols and I didn’t want you to be alone.” He got up and kissed my forehead, “Go have fun, my love. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I went to the closet and changed into one of Deacon’s shirts and my favorite pair of pajama pants. I grabbed a pillow and blanket and joined Kyra and Mya. We walked to the rec room and I gasped. There was a sundae bar, fresh popcorn, a small table filled with Red Vines. A small drink cooler had been wheeled in. There were mounds of pillows and blankets on the floor. I smiled and silently thanked Deacon. This was part of the reason I loved him. He went above and beyond to make me smile.

We sat down and watched movie after movie. It was about three a.m. by the time we finally fell asleep. We were out for about an hour before we heard the siren. Kyra jumped up and grabbed my and Mya’s hands, running us upstairs and shoving us into Deacon’s bedroom.

“Stay. We’ll come get you when we figure out what’s going on and if it’s safe.” She slammed the door.

Mya looked at me wide-eyed and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her to the couch in the library. “It’s okay. Your brothers and sister know exactly what they are doing. Plus, there are over 100 warriors at the perimeter and then the rest are scattered throughout the temporary housing. We are safe.”

She nodded and settled in next to me and quickly fell back to sleep. I threw a blanket at her and walked back to the bedroom. I sat on the bed and I felt my mind start to race. What if someone died? What if Deacon was hurt? Or Kyra? That was my fault. I brought this here. I needed to fix it.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the contact number. I took a deep breath and I could feel Athena scratching. I sighed and let her through.

No.

Athena, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to one of them. They are our family.

And what do you think will happen to them if you go back? What about me? Liah, I shielded you from the complete horrors of our time at the lab. There are things that I have changed in your mind. From the moment I was awakened, I have protected you. It has been hard, doing it all on my own, but now we’re not alone. We have someone to love us who wants to protect us. I can’t control what you do, but just think about Deacon for a second. If an Alpha loses his mate, he could die. She cut the connection.

I got up and walked to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My face has gotten fuller in the last few months. My hair was shiner and my eyes no longer had the bags from countless sleepless nights. I felt stronger. I knew that I was, since I was able to eat on a regular basis. I was able to let Athena run free whenever she wanted. I had gone through so much and I survived. I can survive this. I could survive him.

I felt Athena whine as I called the number, her voice answering.

“Tell Dylan to meet me at Dorothy’s in an hour. Just him.” I said quickly and hung up.

I took a shaky breath and walked to the closet. I quickly threw on some jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. I ran downstairs, trying to listen for anyone. I heard nothing as I ran quickly to the garage and found the keys to Deacon’s car. I had been taking driving lessons and had my learners permit. I turned it on and threw it into gear. I used his gate switch and sped through; I gripped the wheel so tight that I could feel my knuckles going white. I made it past the territory and pushed my foot all the way down on the gas.

I made it to the café and it was empty, and I found the furthest booth. An elderly lady came and took my order. I ordered a coffee. I looked out the window and I felt my resolve die down. I couldn’t trust that Dylan would do what I asked of him. I knew that. I just couldn’t allow my family to be hurt. I couldn’t bear it.