Page 6 of Alpha Reid

“Pretty sure I knew a Brendan Harper back in Wyoming,” Brock growls, taking a sip of his coffee. He swallows it down before continuing. “He was about my age. Moved up to Alpha of his pack right around the time I was leaving.”

Jax squints, tilting his head. “Wasn’t a pack attacked in Wyoming shortly before the shadow pack made it to Denver? I think I remember Quinn saying something about it…”

“I’ll get Brooke on it, see what IT can find on her and if they can make the connection,” Theo offers. “See if her story checks out.”

I heave a sigh- I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath. Holding out hope. Fuck, I hope Brock’s right about her last name. I hope her story checks out and her intentions are pure in coming here. I hope there’s a chance for us.

“Until then, what should we do with her?” Brock asks, arching a brow.

Gray sinks back down onto the couch and shoots me a side-eyed glance. “We’ve got holding cells…”

“No.” I shake my head adamantly, my agitation evident in my voice and eyes as my wolf pushes forward. “Absolutely not. She’s not a prisoner, she’s a victim. I’m not gonna throw her in a cell somewhere.”

The other guys quiet, but Gray speaks up again. “Then she’s your responsibility, man.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask defensively, throwing him a glare.

“Keep eyes on her until we can determine whether she’s a threat,” Brock supplies.

I turn to him, nodding. Calming my wolf and keeping my cool. “Fine, yeah. I can do that.”

A silence falls over the room as the guys exchange glances, the tension between the five of us palpable. I wasn’t intending to get so defensive over Serena, but I couldn’t help myself; it was a knee-jerk reaction.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Gray finally asks, narrowing his eyes.

I should’ve known that I wouldn’t be able to get anything past him. He’s more perceptive than the others, and he’s the most like me- so he knows I wouldn’t be reckless without good reason. And given the fact that Serena showed up out of nowhere on the eve of a war with the shadow pack, my blind defensiveness of her is definitely reckless.

I suck in a breath, my gaze sliding between my four friends. “She’s my mate.”

The room goes quiet again- so silent that you could hear a pin drop. I look from Gray, to Theo, to Jax, to Brock, waiting for someone to say something.Anything.

“Dude!” Jax exclaims, breaking the silence. His mouth spreads into a wide grin. “You found her!” He springs to his feet, approaching me and offering me a fist bump.

“Yeah,” I sigh with a sly smile, rising to stand and knocking his fist with mine.

The other guys get to their feet, crowding around me.

“Congrats, man,” Brock grumbles, slapping me on the back.

“About damn time,” Theo teases as he nudges me, his trademark smirk on his lips.

Gray claps me on the shoulder. “Congratulations, bro,” he says, offering a supportive smile. “We can’t wait to meet her.”

“I appreciate it,” I breathe, glancing around at my friends. “Trust me, guys, I know how fucked this situation is. I’m just trying to figure out how to navigate it.”

They nod somberly.

“Anyone else want some Crown in their coffee, now?” I joke, raising my brows in question.

It does help to lighten the mood- the others chuckle, scooping up their coffee mugs and following me into the kitchen for refills. We’re all topping off our cups when that scent hits my nose- vanilla, tangerine, honey. I immediately look to the stairs to see Serena descending them, barefoot and clad only in the black cotton t-shirt that I gave her last night, her long, slender legs on display. Her ginger hair is damp and swept over one shoulder, and as soon as her bright blue eyes collide with mine, all the air whooshes out of my body.

She’s stunning. I swear it’s like she walked off of a Victoria’s Secret runway and into my packhouse. How is it possible that she looks even better today than she did last night?

“Serena,” I utter in greeting, and all of the guys snap their heads in her direction simultaneously.

She smiles shyly, a pretty blush staining her cheeks in response to the attention. She tugs at the hem of her oversized t-shirt with one hand, lifting the other to give a little wave.

I cross the room to her, and my wolf pushes forward and practically purrs in response, pleased to be near our mate once again.

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