Page 22 of The Alpha King's Fate

“Beta Dylan asked to guard her, Luna,” the man answered. “She tried to run away.”

What?

The thought of her sister going out into the world without a clue of who and what she was pushed everything else out of her mind. The warrior unlocked the door, and when she pushed it open, Brit was sitting by a window, hugging her knees with a knife gripped in her hand.

“Brit.”

Her sister didn’t turn away from the window. She remembered how often she’d sat there herself, trying to find escape routes.

“You said you’d be back days ago, but you disappeared with your boyfriend and left me locked up in this room surrounded by strangers.”

“I know. I’m sorry. We couldn’t come back until we knew it was safe.”

“You say things like that as if that doesn’t make the situation worse,” Brit said through her teeth. Her sister whipped her head around to face her, forcing her to step back.

There was anger on the young girl’s face, understandably, but there was so much fear. Brit’s eyes were puffy and red, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her hair was usually in a neat ponytail, but now it was loose and tangled.

Nothing but the truth was going to fix this mess now.

“I’m sorry, honey. I’m here now. Let me tell you everything,” she said, walking further into the room. “I know how you're feeling. I know you’re scared. I should have stayed home with you and Hope, but I had to go and talk to Dad.”

“Without me?” Brit shouted, standing and facing her fully. She still had the knife gripped at her side, and her eyes twinkled with all the anger radiating from her.

“He was drunk and in no state—”

“He’s a piece of crap, but he’s still my father,” Brit snapped.

She wondered how much of the anger had to do with the wolf trying to push its way out. Her mother told her about the mood swings and insomnia on Brit's eighteenth birthday, but that was over a year before, and Brit’s issues settled down after that.

“I know. But you have to stay here for a while, Brit. You’re going through some changes that could put the people around you at risk.”

“Because you think I’m going crazy? I’m only holding this knife because there’s a strange man outside the door. I’m not going through any changes; I already hit puberty a while ago, in case you’ve been too busy with your boyfriend to notice.”

She sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her. Brit dropped the knife on a side table and then folded her arms defiantly.

“Okay, you can stand if that makes you more comfortable. But those voices in your head? The dreams you have when you finally fall asleep? The urges you can’t explain? I know what’s happening.”

Brit’s head cocked to the side as the anger slowly disappeared to be replaced by confusion.

“I only told you about the voices,” Brit said.

“I know everything else because I went through it, too. I tried to tell you the other night, Brit. We’re different. And this place is the only safe place for us until we know how to control ourselves.”

Brit sat back in her chair, her gaze not leaving her for a second. She could hear her sister’s heart pounding and feel the fear that started to increase again.

“We’re like my bodyguards, aren’t we?” Brit whispered. “The glowing eyes?”

She nodded.

“You made me feel like I was seeing things. I thought I was going crazy,” Brit said.

“I’m sorry. But I couldn’t say anything until I knew you would go through all this. I’ll help you now, Brit. I’ll teach you everything you need to know so you won’t be in danger when you go back out there.”

“Help me to do what? Say it, Layla, because everything I’ve thought of so far sounds insane.”

“We’re werewolves.”

Brit rushed to her feet, and her hazel eyes turned cold.

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