“Nyx,” a voice calls out from behind us.
Lena and I turn around at the same time, surprised to see Reese standing there with Sarah. My eyes instinctively drift down to their locked hands, taking a moment to enjoy the fact that one of us gets what we want.
Sarah offers a small, polite smile which I return as I walk over with Lena.
“Hey,” I greet, my voice sounding exhausted. “It feels like it’s been forever.”
Reese nods in agreement. “My birthday.”
I think back to all those times when Reese worried he wouldn’t find his mate. See—everything happens for a reason, all in good time.I just have to trust that the universe knows what it's doing.
“How about we grab some ice cream?” I offer to everyone, glancing over at Lena to gauge her interest.
“Absolutely,” she breathes out, obviously desperate for the distraction as well.
Reese looks at Sarah. “Coming?”
She smiles warmly at him, eyes lighting up, as if she’s just seeing him for the first time all over again. “I need to take my brother to Dr. Madison for a routine check-up, but next time definitely.” Pausing, she turns to us. “I really want the opportunity to get to know you both better. Maybe we can catch up for pancakes soon.”
“You told her about the pancakes,” I laugh, eyeing Reese suspiciously.
“It’s the easiest way to win you over,” he admits sheepishly. “That and coffee.”
“You’re not wrong,” I smile. “I’d love that, Sarah. I can't wait. But for now, I promise we’ll return him in one piece.”
Chapter Five
Nyx
I’m determined to keep myself busy, despite not getting any sleep. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m slowly becoming accustomed to sharing a bed, because I’m missing my mates, or if I’m on high alert knowing we’re probably a target again.
Reminding myself that we are deemed one of the strongest packs for a reason, we’re more than capable of defending ourselves even without Lex, Maverick, and Cade’s assistance.
Alpha Daxton is being his usual self. Now that everyone is fully aware of the situation, training has intensified. Surprisingly, he’s sticking to the roster, meaning people can have days off. Butunsurprisinglyno one appears to take up the offer.
This is what we’ve been trained for our entire lives. I miss the days where it seemed stupid to be so vigilant, when we could laugh about how intense our day to day lives were. The prospect and reality of war is scarily real, with Tyler’s death a harsh reminder of what’s at stake.
I don’t think the alphas are sleeping either. Cade arrived back to his territory first, but despite being at home, he spent the entire night mind linking. Of course, there’s no privacy,but Maverick and Lex seemed content on joining in with the conversation.
The weird part is it felt normal for once. There was no animosity or death threats, just the odd sarcastic remark or jab.
I finally started to relax when I got confirmation that Lex and Maverick reached their homes safely. In between our communications, I realised I needed to focus my attention to where it was needed.
Alpha Daxton flat out refused my request to be on boundary monitoring. To be fair, I understand his aggression when I asked, but I think I just wanted to feelnormal. And if I was out there on the boundary lines, then I wouldn’t have to bury another friend.
The asshat must have snitched on me as well because not long after we finished our conversation, I had the three alphas cursing me out via mind link before I begrudgingly conceded that it was a ridiculous idea.
So, instead, I turned my sights on the next best thing.
“Tommy has decided that he no longer likes bananas,” Luna Grace murmurs in amusement. “We had to use the overstock of fruit to make banana cakes.”
Snorting, I pick up discarded costumes from the ground. “What fascination is it this month?”
“Strawberries.”
I glance over at the miniature table, Tommy sensing me. He grins, mouth smeared in red.
Rather fitting for a wolf.
