Thirty-Four
My phone woke me early the next morning, and I reached out blindly to grab it, answering before I even checked who it was. It wasn’t as if many shifters had this number.
“Hello,” I mumbled, attempting to pry my eyes open. My room was so dark it felt like the middle of the night.
To my surprise, it was a voice I didn’t recognize barking crisply down the line, “Ah, yes. Good morning, Omega Emmeline Anders. It’s Beta Jones Shaw here. I’m sorry to disturb you.”
Lifting the phone from my ear I squinted at the number and saw it was coming from the Reeves guardhouse.What in the…?
“No, you didn’t disturb me. Is everything okay?”
“We had a delivery arrive this morning from one Omega Chelsea Thenguard.” Jones sounded far too fucking chipper for whateverass crack of dawntime it was.
Chipper and a stickler for the rules as he used every proper title at his disposal.Omega Chelsea.It took my sleep-addled brain a few seconds to recall Chelsea saying she’d leave books on omegas with the guardhouse. I cleared my throat. “Amazing, thanks for letting me know. I’ll head down to collect the delivery later this morning. If that’s okay.”
“As soon as possible would be great. There’s not a lot of space in our guardhouse. See you soon.” The line went dead, and I’d have laughed but I was already half asleep.
Kellan had kept me up watching scary movies half the night, and I desperately needed a few more hours sleep, but as I lay there I couldn’t help but ponder over what was in those books. After ten minutes of trying to catch more sleep, I gave up and dragged myself out of bed and into the shower.
When I finished brushing my teeth and washing my face, I dressed in jeans, a different hoodie from yesterday that somehow still smelled like Kellan, and checked the time.
It was just past five, the lingering darkness thanks to the continued rain. The worst of the storm had passed yesterday afternoon, but it wasn’t completely done with Golden Claw.
A glance out the window indicated it was between cloudbursts, and I decided now was as good a time as ever to make a break for the guardhouse. Rushing downstairs, there was no sign of the alphas, which wasn’t a surprise since this was the time they usually got in a gym session before work or hockey.
Out the front door, cool winds whipped around me as I hurried down the stairs. There was no sign of life in the street, and I found myself curiously staring at each house as I passed by. As much as I’d enjoyed games day yesterday, I was also looking forward to a family bonfire night where I could sit back and observe the dynamics of these four interconnected families.
Living in such proximity to family could either be a dream or a nightmare, depending on your family. I hoped none of them were like my mom. Cora had already mentioned that Hunter’s dad wasn’t particularly the nicest, but his name hadn’t come up during Kellan’s rundown of their compound.
Halfway along the street, I started to worry that I should have let the alphas know I was leaving. Kellan especially, as he liked to see me before he left for training. I patted my pockets for myphone, only to realize I’d forgotten it on the bed when I raced out the door.Shit!
Now I really had to get back before they noticed I was gone.
As my lungs started to burn, I realized the street was longer than I’d remembered, and that it might be time for me to incorporate a touch of cardio into my life. My wolf pushed for me to let her out, giving me the distinct impression that I was embarrassing her with my wheezing.
It’s too cold to get naked, but we’ll run soon. I promise.
The best part about being here in a pack city was not having to keep her suppressed, and I wanted to take advantage of that as much as possible. But now was not the time.
The clouds grew heavier as I raced along, and I wondered if I’d make it back before the sky opened up and poured its rage on me. The heavy breeze had a real feeling of winter about it today, even though we were only in fall.
When the booth finally came into sight, I softly wheezed in and out, trying to pretend that my lungs weren’t about to expel from my chest. My wolf whined in embarrassment again.It’s okay. They’ll never know.She huffed, well aware I was full of crap.
One of the guards on duty noticed my approach and opened the gates to let me through to the other side. “Omega Emmeline.”
The call came from a tall man with light blond hair, fine lines on his face, and a slim frame. He walked briskly toward me wearing the navy uniform, his with multiple patches on the shoulders, which looked like awards and commendations.
Jones was well decorated, and I wondered what he’d done before he guarded the family compound. Maybe he was, or had been, part of one of the enforcer squads.
“Beta Jones,” I replied, hiding my smirk at his formality. “I’m here to pick up the books.”
Relief cracked his hard features, his reaction stronger than I expected. “I debated contacting Alpha Hunter to confirm the delivery was acceptable, but it’s his workout time, and he prefers not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency.”
Before I could think about it, I patted his arm hoping to reassure the agitated shifter. To my surprise, he didn’t jump away. A beta as stringent with protocol as Jones would usually do anything to avoid touching another pack’s mate.
Especially his boss’, but whatever… it was my fuckup anyway.
“Follow me.”
