"Leave me alone!" But he persisted, his strong arms finally enveloping me and pulling me onto his lap. Shame and desperation clawed at me, but I couldn't help clinging to him. Liam's warm voice reassured me,
"I'm here, Erica. I've got you." A gentle touch on my arm made me look up, and I saw Alpha Declan gazing at me with something akin to sympathy in his dark eyes. In a low, calming tone, he said,
"I'm so sorry, child. But I had to find out for real, I needed you to see it. This was the only way I could think of." Confusion swirled within me, mixing with my lingering anger.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice ragged. Alpha Declan sighed.
"We need to talk about your wolf, Erica."
"Wait," I interrupted, my heart pounding. "This isn't about Heidi?" The Alpha shook his head.
"No, this is all about you." Liam's irritation flared up as well.
"So why did we just piss her off on purpose?" My gaze snapped back to the Alpha, annoyance rising within me.
"Am I some sort of toy or something?" He smiled, glancing at Beta Gregg.
"You might want to be ready, just in case." Gregg laughed out loud.
"Nah man, this was your dumbass idea. I told you, I don't protect you from stupid." He winked at me, and despite the tension, I felt a flicker of gratitude towards him. The Alpha shot Gregg a frustrated look, but I could see the hint of a smile in his eyes.
"Erica," he began anew, "we've been watching you since you arrived, and one thing that stood out was your quick temper. Then last night, I was told about the incident with Grant."
"Okay," I said, my impatience growing. "But what does this have to do with my wolf?" The Alpha suddenly pulled out his phone and handed it to me. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the picture he had taken. It was horrifying – my face twisted in an almost unrecognisable rage, teeth bared and lips curled back in a snarl. But what drew my focus were my eyes, no longer their usual green but rather the shining eyes of a wolf that I didn't even know for sure that I had.
"Look at your eyes, Erica," the Alpha instructed softly. I couldn't tear my gaze away from the photo, my heart pounding in my chest. The colour of my eyes wasn't the copper hue of a Gamma rank that they should have been; instead, they were a bright white gold colour. The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. The only rank that had a colour that bright was...
"Erica dear," the Alpha said with solemn conviction, "you are without a shadow of a doubt a pure Alpha."
Chapter 37
Liam
“I'msorry,whatnow?"I watched as Erica's green eyes widened, struggling to process the revelation my father had just dropped on her. I already knew that she was an Alpha rank, but I hadn't realised she had no idea herself.
"Are you saying... I have a wolf?" Erica asked, turning to me with a mixture of disbelief and elation. Her light red hair framed her face, making her eyes stand out even more.
"Of course you do," I smiled warmly at her, feeling the weight of my own protective instincts for her. I pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in her citrus scent. "You're stronger than you know."
My father and Gregg chuckled softly at Erica's happiness. It was a rare sight to see her this vulnerable, but it warmed my heart knowing that she trusted us enough to let her guard down.
"Erica," my father said, his voice steady and authoritative, "not only do you have a wolf, but you've been communicating with it on some level. It's trying to break free."
"Then why can't I shift?" Erica inquired, her brow furrowing as she tried to understand the situation. I could sense her frustration building, and I reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Your wolf is undoubtedly powerful, but it seems to be restrained somehow," my father explained, his gaze filled with concern. "We believe that's why you're getting angry so easily, your wolf is fighting to break free from whatever is holding it back." I squeezed Erica's shoulder reassuringly, my thoughts racing alongside hers. How could we help her release the power within her? The responsibility weighed heavily on my chest, but I knew I would do anything to aid her.
"Baby," I said softly, my eyes locked onto hers, "we'll figure this out together. You have the strength of an Alpha, and we'll help you harness that power. We just need to find a way to free your wolf."
"Thank you, Liam," she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude and determination.
"Erica, it's possible that the greater the danger, the more your wolf can push," my father suggested, his voice deep and commanding.
"Could that be why I might have shifted when I was attacked a couple of years ago?" she asked hesitantly, her green eyes searching for answers in my father's face. I could almost see the gears turning in her head as she tried to piece together the puzzle of her past. My father exchanged a glance with Gregg before returning his gaze to Erica.
"If you had truly shifted back then, your wolf would know how to break free from whatever is holding it back now." He sighed, running a hand through his dark greying hair. "Unfortunately, that doesn't help us understand what happened during the attack, or how the Alpha who assaulted you was ripped apart." I could practically feel the frustration radiating off of Erica as she absorbed this new information.
Unable to stand her distress any longer, I reached out and gently touched her arm. The simple contact sent a jolt of electricity through my body, stirring my own protective instincts.
