Page 40 of Impregnated By the Alpha

He strolled away, back toward Silversand, and Moira turned to join her pack, feeling pulled in two different directions.

“There you are,” Vera said, stomping over to Moira and dragging her to the gathering. She was wrapped in a knee-length parka, hood pulled up high around her face. “That looked like more than a business deal to me.”

“Drop it, Vera.” Moira plastered a smile onto her face as the others turned to greet her. “Hey, everyone.”

She set the cookie tin down in the center beside an urn of spiced cider, poured herself a cup, and then found a spot beside Vera to sit. Adria and Spencer stood at the center of the meeting. Moira was the last to arrive, and they began once she was seated.

“I know we’re all worried about the vandalism that’s been happening lately,” Adria said, looking around at the pack. “With the festival coming up, there’s been a lot of concern about the decorations getting destroyed or worse, the person escalating to something else.”

“Like violence,” Spencer cut in. “Whoever this is, they want to create fear among us. They want us to point fingers. Even Vera hasn’t been able to track them down, so we know they’re sneaky, but it's still just one of them against all of us. There’s no need to be afraid.”

“Do you think this has to do with the Silversand’s alpha dying?” Vera asked, grabbing a handful of cookies from the tin.

Spencer and Adria shared a look. “We’ve considered it,” Adria said, carefully. “But until we get some solid leads, we can’t go digging around in their business. The trail led to the lighthouse, that’s true, but anyone can go there.”

“So, we’re just going to sit and wait for them to strike again?” Moira shared Vera’s fear that this had something to do with the Silversands. Who else would benefit from the weakening of the Rosewoods?

“We’re going to keep guard at the festival. It would be the perfect time for them to strike again, when we’re all distracted.” Spencer punched his fist into his other hand. “I won’t let them ruin our tradition.”

“Speaking of,” Adria said, touching Spencer’s arm gently, “let’s finish setting up here. It’ll take our mind off of things.”

But the air lacked its usual levity as they set about decorating the green. Voices were hushed, and Moira caught a few suspicious glances thrown over shoulders, people flinching at every loud noise. The fall festival should be a time of joy and celebration, but the shadow of what had happened hung over everything.

She hadn’t told anyone but Vera what had happened that night she’d spent with Jonah because she didn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about the two of them, but she was starting to feel like she should. Adria and Spencer needed to have all of the information.

“I think I should tell them tonight,” Moira said under her breath to Vera as they assembled the bones of the horse.

It was a job given, naturally, to Vera since she had anatomical knowledge and viewed it as some sort of annual test. Moira’s job was to run the timer and hand her the bones as ordered.

“Don’t,” Vera ordered, snapping the hoof into place. “It will just worry them.”

“Are you sure?” Moira frowned and handed her the next bone—part of the leg, if she had to guess. “I think it might help if they knew it wasn’t just the Rosewoods being targeted here.”

“You were there,” Vera said, pointing the bone at Moira. “And you’re a Rosewood. We can’t assume anything.”

She found herself nodding, grateful she wouldn’t have to explain to them that she’d been spending the night with Jonah, and she tried to push down on the guilt that came from hiding something from her pack.

“Fine, but if it seems important at any point, I’m going to tell them.” Moira tugged at the ends of her hair.

She had a bad feeling about this and knew she was only keeping secrets to protect her pride. What would everyone think of her? The rumors about her and Jonah were one thing, but admitting them out loud was another.

Chapter 13 - Jonah

He was starting to get into the rhythm of things. His apartment was no longer bare walls and empty surfaces, sporting a few pieces of art he’d picked up from local artists and a scatter of books across anything flat. It was beginning to feel less like a motel and more like a home, like a place he was putting down roots.

He still felt a pull to the White Winter pack. Devon and Beth had reached out to check in on him but he couldn’t find the words to express everything he was feeling, the way he was twisting and fraying like rope stretched too far. So he hadn’t responded to their message.

It sat at the back of his mind, demanding a response, but the words wouldn’t come. Telling them he was leaving would be letting them down. Leaving would be letting the Silversands down. All he wanted was a choice that wouldn’t hurt anyone, but he was beginning to realize it didn’t exist. So he buried himself in the routine and tried to pretend the decisions would wait forever.

Each morning, he woke before the sun to be at the cafe for six o’clock, turning on the espresso machines and brewing the first pots of coffee for the early morning crowd. Those interactions were brief, with people getting their coffees to go and hard hats under their arms. For the most part, Silversand supported a blue-collar population and a handful of starving artists types, sharing beach shacks.

Before his father ran it to the ground, there was a thriving community there. It had been the sort of place people visited on vacation and never wanted to leave. If he became alpha, he would have to find a way to bring it back to that point.

Self-doubt ran like an undercurrent through his thoughts as he steamed milk and poured shots. Maybe Evans was the better choice for alpha. He had no history with the place, but that could be a good thing, a blank slate for the pack. Jonah couldn’t let his need to make up for his father’s mistakes override the decision to do what was, ultimately, best for the pack. If it turned out Evans was the best fit, he’d back down and support him.

“You’re just saying that because he likes books as much as you do.” Evelyn’s voice rang out through the coffee shop in the sudden quiet after Jonah finished steaming the milk.

She had her back to Jonah, and he realized she was talking to Rami. Rami was sitting at one of the tables, nursing a pot of tea. He caught Jonah’s eye and winced.

---