Page 12 of Alpha Reid

I twist the top off of my own beer, frowning. “What’s it say?”

“Dunno, haven’t looked yet.” Theo tosses the envelope onto the counter, taking a sip of his beer. He swallows, wiping his mouth with a sleeve before continuing. “Brooke put it together today, I figured we could all go through it together.”

I heave a sigh, turning and gesturing for the guys to follow me to the large oak table across from the kitchen. I pull out the chair at the head of the table, the legs screeching against the hardwood floor. “Alright, hit me with it,” I sigh as I sink into the chair, sipping my beer as the other guys take places around the table.

Theo tosses the envelope my way and it makes a slapping sound as it lands on the table in front of me. I just stare at it for a moment, unsure if I even want to look inside. It feels a little voyeuristic to peek at information on Serena when I barely know the girl, like it’s an invasion of her privacy to uncover her secrets this way. But given the current state of things with the shadow pack, I don’t have a choice. I don’t have the luxury of time to learn her history firsthand.

With a heavy sigh, I reach for the envelope, tearing it open and spilling out the contents onto the table. My eyes scan the lines of text on the first page and my heart sinks.

Serena Harper. Age 20. Red hair, blue eyes. Daughter of Gerald and Cynthia Harper, former Alpha and Luna of Silvercrest pack- Deceased. Sister of Brendan Harper, former Alpha of Silvercrest pack- Deceased. Other siblings include Benjamin and Olivia Harper- Deceased.

I grit my teeth, shaking my head as I scan the rest of the page, appalled by its contents. As she told me when we met, Serena’s pack was attacked by the shadow pack. It happened about six weeks ago, so given the timeline, Serena was in their custody for over a month afterwards.

I pass the first paper to Jax beside me, scanning the next one as bile rises in my throat. “Why the fuck would they kill her whole family, but take her as a hostage?”

Brock clears his throat on the other side of me, staring down at the table. “According to Astrid, Xavier has a predilection for females with alpha blood. He, uh… collects them, I guess.”

I squint my eyes, shaking my head in confusion. “For what?”

Brock’s eyes flicker to mine, then back down to the table in front of him. “Breeding.”

“Oh, what the fuck,” I spit, shoving back in my chair as my wolf surges forward with a growl. “That’s fucking sick.”

“Tell me about it,” Brock grumbles.

Theo snatches the paper from Jax, staring down at it angrily. “We’re gonna get him. That bastard is gonna pay for what he’s done.”

“Foreverythinghe’s done,” Gray adds, and we all go silent for a few moments. Xavier and his shadow pack have taken more from Gray than any of us- his home, his family. He killed Gray’s parents right in front of him. Apparently, that’s what he does with the alpha families as some sort of power flex; he draws it out, makes them suffer. Makes their families watch until it’s their turn.

Fuck, is that what he did to Serena? My stomach tightens and my throat burns. Goddamn, I think I’m gonna be sick.

We’re all quiet as we pour through the remaining papers in Serena’s file. Brooke’s search was thorough- it includes everything from transcripts of Serena’s grades in school to photos from her social media accounts to an award she once won for a high school art show. Most of it is benign background information, but it still feels a little invasive to be passing it around between my friends and I like a casserole dish. I’d rather get to know my mate the old-fashioned way.

“Not trying to be insensitive here, but I think we’re overlooking how much of a resource Serena could be to us,” Jax comments, thumbing through the papers on the table.

“Fair point,” Theo agrees. “She was with them for weeks, there’s no telling what she saw or heard during that time. We should ask, maybe she’s got some info that could help us against them.”

I watch in disbelief as Brock and Gray express their agreement, looking to me for affirmation.

Both my wolf and I are agitated, and I can feel him push forward as I narrow my eyes, sweeping my gaze between my friends. “So let me get this straight… after learning all of this,” I say, grabbing some of the papers off the table and holding them up for effect. “After knowing what she probably went through, you want touseher to get information?” I look around at them and they’re all silent. “You guys are assholes,” I grumble, shaking my head.

“Aw c’mon, man,” Gray groans, his expression sympathetic. “What else are we supposed to do in this situation?”

My wolf surges forward and I shoot to my feet, slamming my palms on the tabletop in front of me. “Oh I don’t know, maybe not exploit someone who has already been exploited for months? How aboutthat?” I swing my gaze over to Brock. “What if it was Astrid, hmm? Would you have been willing to corner her for information after she was kidnapped?”

He sighs, leaning back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “She came forward with the information she had.”

“Yeah, on her own time.” I point a finger in his direction. “As I recall, you got pretty damn defensive when people tried to question her for it.”

Brock’s lips draw into a frown and he doesn’t respond, so I slide my gaze to the others. “What if it was Fallon?” I demand of Gray. “Or Brooke? Or Quinn? What if one of them was taken prisoner, would you be down with making them re-live their trauma by hounding them for information?”

Jax holds up a hand. “Okay, okay. We get it.Chill.”

I can’t chill, though. My blood is boiling and I want to fucking punch something. Or someone. Not only am I frustrated with the situation, but also with myself- it isn’t like me to lose my cool this way.

“Put your fucking wolf away, bro,” Theo mumbles, and it’s then I realize how close my wolf is to tearing through- he’s clawing at my chest, fighting to get out and deal with this frustration the only way he knows how.

I draw a deep breath, sinking back down in my chair and shaking my head. Focusing all my energy on remaining calm and staying in control.

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