Reese had told Chance and me that my grandfather apologized for how he treated us after our parents’ death. And the messages he told her for us, individually.
He said you would have to make a choice. And when you do, make it with your heart and don’t regret it.What did that mean? I didn’t have time to decipher it because AnneMarie insisted that we remain at the house while she prepared a feast of a meal for all of us. Ronan and Noah helped her, though neither wanted us to stick around for too long.
Yet, AnneMarie invited the rest of my packmates inside and encouraged us to eat. She even had Chance and I return to my grandfather’s bedside. I knew she wanted us to remain until he took his last breath. So, we did. I was by his side when he took his last breath.
Deciding how I felt about it all would have to wait for a more convenient time. It was early morning, and we were headed back to New Mexico. Reese was abnormally quiet. I knew the events of the past twenty-four hours had probably taken their toll on her. I would have to explain my family’s history to her once we reached the commune. I would make her understand everything.
“Are you expecting a call?” I asked, glancing over at the phone in her hands. She had been staring at it for almost two hours since we departed my grandfather’s home. She wasn’t one of those humans who spent massive amounts of time staring at their phones. She’d barely paid it any attention, from what I saw, since the morning I returned it to her after bringing her back to my commune.
“No.” She stuffed the phone into the shoulder bag she carried and stared out onto the road, not looking at me once. Her entire body was stiff, as if any sudden movements would cause her to shatter into a million pieces.
I should’ve protected her better.
Reese was worn out from everything, including being a witness to my grandfather’s death.
“Maybe you should try to get some sleep,” I said. “We have a few more hours before making it back home.”
At that point, she did give me a sideways glance. She didn’t say anything, but she nodded. A yawn broke free, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
I watched as she leaned her head toward the window and folded her arms as she slumped in her seat. She closed her eyes and adjusted to get as comfortable as she could.
“There’s more room in the back seat for you to lie down,” I offered.
“I’m fine,” she answered, not opening her eyes. There was a bite to her tone, but I pushed thoughts of my mate being irritated at me aside.
Perhaps she had reason to be cranky. Once Reese explained the visions she saw, more and more shifters from their pack began dropping by. Most of them came to pay their respects to my grandfather, their one-time alpha. But slowly, they started to hear about Reese being a seer and began gathering around her. A few pregnant women asked Reese to name the gender of their pup.
One shifter asked when she would meet her mate.
Even when I attempted to intervene and tell them she wasn’t there for them, Reese firmly told me she didn’t mind. Thus, she spent most of last evening, well into the early morning hours, talking with the shifters in that commune. Even Ronan and Noah appeared to soften toward her.
I glanced over at Reese to see her breathing evenly. She had fallen asleep. Yes, it was my fault. I should’ve put my foot down and insisted she got some more rest the night before. I needed to do a better job of protecting my mate.
There were still many questions that needed answers. Reese’s premonition about what my grandfather spoke to her only added to the list. What kind of choice would I need to make?
As I thought about it, my phone buzzed with an incoming text message. I lifted it from the center console to see that it was my beta, Raffa. I became furious as I read his message. Before I could finish reading it, my phone rang.
“Raffa?” I barked into the phone, then clamped my mouth shut, remembering Reese beside me. “What is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, sounding distressed. “I came up to check on the properties we’re constructing, and everything is destroyed. And Richard, our foreman, is missing. There’s blood everywhere.”
“Fuck!” My wolf rose inside of me, furious that someone would intentionally seek to harm my pack and our business.
“What’s going on?” Reese asked, startled out of her sleep.
I briefly closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing. I glanced over at her. “There’s an issue with one of our construction sites,” I explained, not wanting to go into the full details.
“We need both you and Chance here,” Raffa said.
“I know.” I turned to Reese. “We’re about thirty minutes from home. I have to drop you off and then head to Arizona,” I explained.
Her eyebrows knitted either in concern or curiosity.
“Okay.” She sat up fully but didn’t ask any more questions. She dug in her shoulder bag and pulled out her phone.
I could feel a distance growing between us, and I didn’t know what the cause was.
“Alpha, did you hear me?” Raffa asked, recapturing my attention.
