The alpha I hated

Chapter 20: The Pack 4

LUCIEN'S POV

"It's complicated," Noah said. "But she's free now. The fire goddess is gone."

Two pack guards came running over to help. They carefully took Daisy from Noah's arms and started carrying her toward the main house.

"Get her to the guest room," Noah instructed. "And call Dr. Martinez. She needs medical attention."

That's when the man who had saved us walked over to Noah.

"Hello, Noah," he said with a smile.

Noah's eyes went wide. "Alex? Alex Rodriguez? Is that really you?"

"It's me," Alex said.

Noah dropped his serious Alpha expression and grinned like a little kid.

"I can't believe it!" he said, pulling Alex into a huge hug. "How long has it been? Ten years?"

"Twelve," Alex said, laughing. "You've gotten bigger."

"And you've gotten better at magic," Noah said. "What was that silver smoke?"

"Something I picked up during my travels," Alex said. "Shadow demons hate silver energy. It burns them."

That's when I noticed there was someone else with Alex. A young woman with long red hair and green eyes. She was standing a little bit behind him, looking around at the destruction with concern.

"And who's this?" Noah asked, noticing her too.

"This is Maya," Alex said. "Maya, meet Noah. Noah, this is Maya Chen."

Maya stepped forward and smiled at Noah.

"I've heard so much about you," she said. "Alex has told me all about your childhood adventures."

Noah's grin got even bigger.

"Maya! Maya Chen from elementary school? The girl who used to beat us all at hide and seek?"

"That's me," Maya said, laughing. "Though I'm much better at hiding now."

Noah looked back and forth between Alex and Maya, and I could see memories flooding back to him.

"This is incredible," he said. "My two best friends from childhood, showing up right when I need you most."

"We heard there was trouble," Alex said. "We came as fast as we could."

"How did you know?" I asked.

Maya and Alex looked at each other.

"We have our ways," Maya said mysteriously.

Noah didn't seem to notice the vague answer. He was too happy to see his old friends.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go inside. I want to hear everything. Where you've been, what you've been doing, how you learned to fight shadow demons."

As we walked toward the main house, I looked back at Alex and Maya. Something about their sudden appearance bothered me. It was too convenient. Too perfect.

Shadow demons attack our territory, and suddenly Noah's childhood friends show up with exactly the right magic to drive them away?

I didn't believe in coincidences that big.

But I kept my suspicions to myself. Noah was happy for the first time in days, and his friends had saved our pack. Whatever their real reason for being here, they had helped us when we needed it most.

Still, I made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

As we reached the pack house, I saw Dr. Martinez's car pulling up the driveway. The pack guards had called him to check on Daisy.

"How is she?" Noah asked as we went inside.

"Still unconscious," one of the guards said. "But her breathing is steady."

Noah nodded and headed toward the guest room where they had taken Daisy.

Alex and Maya followed him, and I followed them.

When we reached the guest room, Dr. Martinez was already examining Daisy. She was lying on the bed, looking small and fragile. Her skin was still pale, but some of the color was starting to return to her cheeks.

"She's been through something traumatic," Dr. Martinez said. "But physically, she seems to be recovering. What happened to her?"

Noah looked at Alex and Maya, then back at the doctor.

"It's complicated," he said. "But she's going to be okay?"

"I think so," Dr. Martinez said. "She just needs rest. A lot of rest."

Noah sat down in the chair next to Daisy's bed and took her hand.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to her. "I should have protected you better."

Alex put his hand on Noah's shoulder.

"You did everything you could," he said. "And she's safe now. That's what matters."

Maya walked over to the window and looked out at the pack grounds.

"The shadow demons are gone," she said. "But they'll be back."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They were sent here," Maya said. "Someone summoned them specifically to attack this territory."

"Who would do that?" Noah asked.

Alex and Maya looked at each other again, having one of those silent conversations that made me even more suspicious.

"We're not sure yet," Alex said. "But we have some ideas."

"What kind of ideas?" I pressed.

"The kind that are better discussed when there aren't so many ears around," Maya said, glancing toward Dr. Martinez and the pack guards.

Noah caught the hint.

"Doctor, thank you for checking on Daisy," he said. "Can you come back tomorrow to check on her again?"

"Of course," Dr. Martinez said, packing up his medical bag. "Call me if her condition changes."

After the doctor left and the guards went back to their posts, Noah closed the guest room door.

"Okay," he said. "Now tell me what's really going on."

Alex sat down on the edge of the bed.

"The shadow demons were sent by someone who knows about Daisy," he said. "Someone who knows what she is and what happened to her."

"You mean the fire goddess thing?" Noah asked.

"Among other things," Maya said. "Daisy isn't just a hybrid, Noah. She's something much more special. Much more powerful."

"How do you know about any of this?" I asked.

Maya smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile.

"Because," she said, "we've been watching her for a very long time."

The room went silent. Noah stared at his childhood friends with a look of growing alarm.

"What do you mean, watching her?" he asked slowly.

"We mean," Alex said, "that we knew about Daisy long before you ever met her. We knew about her power, her parentage, her destiny."

"Her destiny?" Noah repeated.

"To bring about the end of the world," Maya said calmly. "Or to save it. Depending on who gets to her first."

I felt my blood turn cold. These people weren't Noah's friends. They were something else entirely.

"Who are you really?" I demanded.

Alex stood up from the bed and smiled at me.

"We're the people who have been trying to keep Daisy alive," he said. "And the people who are going to help Noah protect her from what's coming next."

"What's coming next?" Noah asked.

Maya walked over to the window again and looked out at the darkening sky.

"The ancient ones aren't done with her," she said. "What happened with the fire goddess was just the beginning. They have other plans. Bigger plans."

"What kind of plans?" I asked.