Page 16 of Alpha's Claim

“I told you I need to process,” Cora said softly down the line.

“I know that, and I’m sorry to do this to you but I’m outside and I really need to talk to you.” There was silence on the other side for a moment.

“I can’t trust you right now, Weston. What if you did this to me? We don’t know each other well enough for me to just blindly trust you like this. You may have tried to kill me and now you want to get me alone?” she asked, and I nodded as if she could see me through the phone.

“I know. I know it’s a leap of faith to come see me right now, but Yari helped me to see that I have to show you I’m not a monster so you can trust me again. I need to talk to you face to face, Cora. I need to see my mate.” There was another long pause before she sighed softly.

“Okay. I’ll come out and meet you, but I’m bringing protection so don’t think I’m an easy target. I’m not.” Her voice sounded sad and it was killing me that I couldn’t hold her and kiss away the pain.

“Bring whatever you want. I’m completely unarmed. You don’t have to fear me. I’m at the edge of the woods.” I really didn’t mind if she came out in a tank if it made her feel safe enough to talk to me. She hung up without saying goodbye and I shoved my phone back in my pocket nervously. I paced a little to get some of the nervous jitters out of my system.

It took way too long for her to get to me and when she did I could see the damage done to her. It took everything in my body not to run up and catch her in a gentle hug, but charging at someone who thought you might have tried to kill you might just be a bad idea. I let her get as close to me as she wanted.

“What’s this big explanation that counters all the facts I’ve been presented with?” She asked when she was near enough that we wouldn’t have to shout. “Please change my mind because I’m in agony right now.” My heart shattered seeing her like this.

“I was out here last night. I woke up feeling like I was dying and I knew something must be wrong so I got some people together to come find you if you were hurt or worse,” I said as earnestly as I possibly could. “There were five of us total searching for you. I needed to see you and see that you were okay, which you clearly weren’t. When I saw your dad carrying you into the house it killed me not to run up and comfort you, but I knew it wasn’t the right time and it would only make the situation worse.”

“Then why was your scent all over the place I was attacked?” I could tell I was getting through to her. I was so close to earning her trust back.

“Because I sourced the site using the trail of your blood. I wanted to see where the trail led, but Cora, listen- it led right back to your house,” I replied. “I’m terrified that you’re living with someone who’s trying to kill you.” She looked stunned, like she was going to collapse, so I went to her to catch her before she fell and hurt herself further. “Someone from inside your house may have done this to you. I don’t want it to be true - maybe it was an intruder, but it wasn’t me or my people. I swear to you it wasn’t my pack.”

“Oh God,” she said softly, gripping my bicep. “You are telling me the truth, right?” She asked, looking up at me with a sharp, intelligent gaze and I nodded, knowing my face was a mask of grief and, hopefully, honesty. “Okay. We have to tell my father before he hunts you down and kills you.”

Chapter sixteen

Cora

ThesheerreliefIfelt when I accepted Weston’s story gave me the strength I would need to go forward with telling my father. I couldn’t handle losing Weston so soon after meeting him, after all. I could do this. He was behind me and my father would accept it, even if only because I made him. If he couldn’t accept it I didn’t know what I would do, honestly. I would have to choose Weston, I supposed. After all, we were destined to be together for the rest of our lives, and on top of that Weston unquestioningly saw me as powerful in my own right, unlike certain members of my own pack. That kind of respect was a breath of fresh air.

“You should go home,” I said softly. “I know you must be behind on pack duties and I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to tell my father about you with you around. He will probably need some time to adjust to the idea that I’m mated to someone he thinks tried to kill me. He may be kind of an asshole but he’s still my father and he still treats me like I’m his daughter.” I gave out a breathy laugh and ran my hands down his arms to take his hands. “He’s the epitome of the father who is cleaning his gun when his daughter’s boyfriend shows up.” Weston smiled slightly and nodded.

“You know him better than I do. I defer to you on this.” He squeezed my hands gently. “I’ll get out of here now, then. I really do have a lot to do with my pack. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get any real work done.” He laughed under his breath and I nodded, leaning in to kiss him goodbye.

“I’ll see you soon. I’ll keep you up to date on how everything goes on my end.” I said with a nod.

“Okay. I’m at your beck and call, Cora. Whatever you need from me I’ll give it. I gotta go, though. Just call me tonight and tell me how everything goes.” I nodded and he stepped back again, shifting back into his beautiful, silvery wolf form and dashed off back to his own compound.

I stood for a few moments just kind of processing everything that was said. I believed my father believed that Weston attacked me, but I couldn’t help but put my full faith into Weston when he told me his side of the story. What he said genuinely made a lot of sense and I could feel his honesty in my chest. He was being completely earnest when he talked to me. I took a deep breath and turned to walk back to the estate.

Walking back to the compound felt a lot longer than my walk to Weston. The fact that someone could be in there plotting to kill or permanently maim me was unnerving, but it wasn’t okay for me to not speak to my father and run away. He was still my father after all, and we still loved each other even if we didn’t get along. I wiped the sweat on my hands off on my leggings as I approached the house again. As per usual I passed through the front door with no regard for who saw me. I needed to be upfront and honest about all of this because my father would be far angrier if I was sneaking around to meet Weston behind his back. I moved automatically back to my room to kind of freshen up. It probably wouldn’t be great to confront my father with Weston’s scent all over me.

The warm shower stung my cuts at first, but once I got used to it it felt absolutely amazing. It relaxed my muscles so I wasn’t too tight and allowed me to luxuriate long enough to get my head right for the conversation I was going to have once I was ready to go speak to him. It wouldn’t do for me to go in there and babble on about my mate and our growing affection for one another. That wouldn’t help build up the respect I was going to be demanding. There was nothing I hated more than being looked down on because I was a woman and there sure was a lot of that around this place.

I dressed casually. There was no need to be in my best clothes and they were too harsh on my cuts and bruises. Father would just have to understand. I did manage to dry most of my hair and tie it up in a bun in spite of the pain in my ribs while I did it. I didn’t need Anna often but I would certainly be grateful for her help tonight when it came to getting my hair back down.

Before I went to confront my father I sat still for a while just staring at my reflection. It kept swirling around in my head that someone who lived here, a member of my own pack, attacked me. I couldn’t imagine who it would be. My first thought was Preston but he seemed a little bit too much of a coward to actually confront me, at least not unless he were being passive aggressive. Then again it was just as likely it was him than not because I wasn’t attacked from the front, I was ambushed. A coward’s attack. He might just be capable of that type of attack. The thoughts just wouldn’t get out of my mind and I wondered how much time it would take for them to stop. Probably until we found out who had hurt me. Being realistic that was the only thing that would make me feel safe again- however, I refused to be intimidated into submission. I would still be strong, I would just be more careful.

After a while I figured it was time to speak to my father. It was close to dinner time and I would have the best chance too get him alone when dinner was served. He usually kicked everyone out of his dining room so he could eat in peace. I doubted he would refuse me entry if I asked it of him, though.

I sighed and stood, holding my ribs as I did to stop them from aching so much as I moved. Once I got moving it wouldn’t be so bad, but that initial movement to stand up was uncomfortable. This better not last long, I thought, because I hated how it made me weak. It always bothered me to be injured. There was that sense that someone could prey on my injury to undermine me. It was twisted that I’d been made to feel like this my entire life, but that was just the cards I was dealt.

I relaxed and made my way to the stairs toward his office. As I got closer, though I paused- Preston and my father were speaking in hushed tones. Thankfully the stairs in this place were pristine and didn’t creak, my bare feet not giving my presence away. Whatever they were talking about I wanted to know. I crept closer until I was right outside the door, sitting at the last steps so I could listen comfortably and have plausible deniability if someone were to catch me. I wasn’t listening in, I was simply resting after the stairs.

“Preston, I’m telling you, Cora was attacked far too closely to the enchanted area of the forest.” My father said. I could hear the stress in his voice, and it dawned on me. An enchanted area of the forest? Possibly with warm water and fireflies? And the weird way Preston had reacted to a bug in my hair. I had been there. If I hadn’t the concept would be laughable to me.

“It didn’t happen in the grove, though, so I-” Preston’s voice.

“I don’t care what you have to say about this right now. This ismyhouse,mypack, and Cora ismydaughter.” My father sounded so angry- I’d never heard him talk like this to Preston. “I could lose everything if blood is spilled there. Right now the forest is working for us, but if we disrespect it? I have no interest in some kind of curse falling upon us- do you?.” He sounded positively venomous.

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