Brandon rubbed at his head. “This is getting frustrating, not knowing what the full picture is. Wasn’t this supposed to take us a max of three months?”
We all nodded in agreement. We were under the impression that the hybrids were coming to our town to make a base, but it wasn’t that simple. They were going to the surrounding areas, taking out the small places, and we were their final destination. But we had no idea who was next. We didn’t know when they were going to strike or how to prepare ourselves.
Everyone was able to protect themselves, but I wasn’t sure if they could handle hybrids if several of them came at us all at once. It was clear from when Brandon and Jade came back with the other pack that the hybrid had numbers, and they were slaughtering us. That little town didn’t stand a chance against them.
“Did you get any responses back from the surrounding areas?”
Brandon shook his head. “No, I’ve sent several emails hoping to have a discussion, but only a few have responded. The only one that took my threat seriously was Luke, and only because he encountered one in the forest.”
“No one is taking you seriously?”
Brandon shook his head. “They think we are making it up, which I understand. It’s hard to believe something is out there that could be more powerful than us.”
I rubbed my hand over my jaw, working it. I wished people believed us more. We should be trying to figure this out together, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
“How is Jade’s training with her magic going?”
“She’s getting better. We think she can sense out about five miles. She has moments still when she can feel one is getting near. It’s useful, but I know it’s also bothering her that she can’t be more helpful.”
“It’s new still,” I added. “Her body is still adjusting.” I was still adjusting to the information that my sister was a witch. It wasn’t just in her blood, but she was a full one. She was powerful with magic we didn’t even know was in her.
“She’s been working on using her fire ability more, but she gets tired. She then gets frustrated because she can feel it, but she has a hard time controlling it. It’s a work in process.”
“Is there any other witches she can work with?”
“She’s looking into talking with a few, but she hasn’t done any training with them. She’s mentioned it.”
“Might be helpful,” Asher said. “They would be able to guide her more than any of us would.”
I could see that Brandon looked hurt, and I knew it was because he wanted to help Jade. He wanted to be able to guide her and train her like he had with building up her muscles and basic training, but this was different. We couldn’t help her with magic.
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I just know we don’t have a lot of time. None of us does.”
The meeting ended quickly, and Asher and Westley left eager to get back to bed. I leaned back in my chair, watching Brandon, seeing the weight that was bearing down on him. Being the Alpha was a responsibility I knew he could handle, but he was taking over from someone who seemed to care very little, and I knew the workload he was taking on.
“Do you need any help with anything?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
“You sure? I can help you if you need it.”
Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to go with Jade to the farmers’ market?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but if you need me here.”
He shook his head. “No, you go and have fun at the farmers’ market.”
I snorted. “Have you been there? Fun isn’t the word I would use to describe it.”
He laughed. “You’re saying a day with your sister and niece isn’t fun?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m saying that the market isn’t my cup of tea.”
Brandon leaned back. “You have fun with that.”
I groaned as I pulled myself up and headed out. I headed over to the market that they had set up at a park that was across from city hall. I found Jade and Ilsa looking at the flowers at a stand with a big market bag.
“Uncle Kaleb!” Ilsa yelled as she moved past Jade, running toward me. I smiled as she threw herself into my arms, and I hugged her tightly.
