Page 4 of Supernova

We strolled hand in hand into the supermarket, waving to a few people we knew along the way. When we got closer to the trolleys, I pulled away and raced to them as River chased me.

“I’m pushing!” I exclaimed excitedly.

“No way! Get in,” he commanded with a laugh.

I giggled and then hopped into the trolley, my legs crossed in front of me as Riv pushed me along, gaining momentum and then lifting his feet off the ground so we floated along. We were all laughs.

Recently, he’d been so busy with pack stuff that we hadn’t done this in a while, but we still had our routine down pat; Riv would push while I’d point to what we needed. He’d grab everything and hand them to me while I sat in the trolley arranging everything until I could no longer fit, at which point I’d jump out and sit on the front edge or pull it along.

Carrying the paper bags in our arms, we walked side by side back to the car and loaded it up. It didn’t escape me that River had checked his phone a few times while we shopped and since then his demeanour had changed slightly. I could tell he was trying to act normal but was clearly distracted. I appreciated that he didn’t want it to ruin our time together. But I was also worried about him.

He continued to attempt to ignore it all while we got back into the car and began driving back home. We were happily chatting about our friends and the latest rumours that were circulating Saint Claire when he got a call from Zander. River’s expression soured as he picked up.

Zander’s voice came through the bluetooth. He sounded flustered. “Alpha, I’m sorry to disturb you but you never replied and it’s pretty urgent. We need to get your input on—”

“I’m on my way back now. I’ll be there in ten,” River cut him off. I could feel the tense edge that overtook him.

“Yes Alpha,” Zander replied before the phone call was cut.

I turned to Riv. “Is there trouble in the pack?”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry.” His reply was a bit clipped, causing me to bristle. Although I knew his frustration wasn’t directed at me.

“I know, but maybe I can help? You seem more tense than usual this time.”

“Sweetheart, honestly it’ll be okay. We just need to take care of a few things.” He offered me a weak smile.

I looked at him a bit disheartened. “You know you can tell me, Riv. We tell each other everything.”

“There’s some things that you’re better off not knowing.” He stared blankly ahead as he drove. His grip on the steering wheel was no longer casual. His shoulders were tight and his brows bunched together in frustration.

“Okay,” I replied. It came out sounding small. I felt small.

After a few minutes River grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. He tried to continue our prior conversation about someone who we knew from school that was secretly hooking up with a friend of ours. Then he moved onto the topic of one of the human partners who always drank too much at the pack bonfire. But my replies were reticent and distracted. My mind was elsewhere. Watching the trees through the window, I decided I would head home once we got back to give him some space to deal with whatever it was that needed his attention.

When we returned to the pack house I gave River a hug, wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my head momentarily on his chest as I told him I’d see him tomorrow. His head rested on the top of mine and he held me tenderly. Quietly. After a few moments he pulled away, trying to look me in the eyes to gauge if I was okay. I wasn’t. But I tried to hide it and put on a brave face. He looked a bit concerned but it was best that I left him to deal with whatever was going on without him having to worry about me sitting around waiting for him. Besides, I could use some sister time anyway. Between her starting college and all the time I spent with River at the pack house, we hardly saw each other anymore.

When he realised I wasn’t going to say anything else and there was no point trying to convince me to stay, a not-so-pleased River pulled me in for a kiss. For him a hug just wouldn’t cut it, no matter how distracted or busy he may have been, he always made time for me. He’d never just rush off and he never wanted to leave me upset, even in the slightest. Which was why I needed to pretend I was okay. There was no way he’d leave if he knew how I was really feeling, and his pack needed him right now. That was more important.

He cupped my face as he kissed me in the foyer.

“I’m sorry, angel. It’ll all be back to normal soon. I promise.” I could see the pain in his eyes that leaving me in the state I was in was causing him. So I nodded with a smile and hugged him tightly before going in for one last peck on the lips. I didn’t want him to feel guilty for doing what he needed to for his pack. After all these years, I understood that being the alpha was hard work and that came with the territory. The dynamics between us meant that I would almost always be unhelpful, no matter how much I wished otherwise. I was human, what did I actually think I could do? It was almost funny, if you really thought about it.

“It’s okay.” I ran my fingers through the back of his hair, “I understand. You’re the alpha, this is your responsibility. They need you.”

He smiled down at me as he leaned his forehead on mine. “Thank you for understanding.” His eyes held so much love and gratitude for me and that was all I could ask for. It made the heaviness lingering around my heart lighten ever so slightly.

“I love you.” I whispered.

“I love you, Vee.” He breathed out, letting go of the worry he was clearly holding onto.

I pulled back and smiled at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow okay. Don’t stress too much, whatever it is, you can handle it.” I offered encouragingly. River was such a light person. It was so hard seeing him weighed down.

He grinned at me, showing a glimpse of his normal self. “Thank you, Vee.” He kissed my forehead gently. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, he headed to his office.

Skylar came down the hall not even a few seconds later, likely a result of River mindlinking her to help me with the groceries.

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