Page 43 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“Okay,” Danielle murmurs. “We’ll see you at first light, Lacey.”
“Be safe,” I tell her.
The phone clicks off, and the call ends. I look over at Sawyer, who’s fiddling with his own phone right now. Histhumbs tap on the screen of his phone so fast that it almost makes me dizzy. Once he finishes, he presses send and looks up at me.
“I’m texting your brother and the other alphas,” he reports. “I’ve told them to come spend the night over here so we can meet with Danielle and Monroe in the morning. I hope that’s alright with you.”
“Of course it is, yeah,” I breathe out in response.
“Okay, goo—”
But before Sawyer can even finish the word, his phone starts buzzing rapidly. He looks down at the screen, and while I’m not reading the messages, I can see that his group chat is popping off.
Sawyer takes a deep breath, glancing over at me. “I should have known they’d react like this…”
“What is it?” I ask.
“Greg said he’ll be over in a minute,” Sawyer tells me. “Ellis and Jasper, though? They are… Well, they’re not happy about this, but they’re coming, too.”
I start washing whatever dirty dishes are still in the kitchen sink while Sawyer goes to find the extra blankets and pillows he has stashed somewhere in the house.
Greg is the first of tonight’s houseguests to arrive. He climbs the porch and enters the house, looking even more tired than he has been. I greet him warmly and start brewing some tea for him.
Ellis is the next to walk through the doorway with an overnight bag. “Lacey,” he greets somewhat coldly, then sits next to Greg at the kitchen table.
Once I’ve handed the two of them a cup of tea, Jasper files into the kitchen. He merely nods his head and takes the mug I’ve offered him, then joins the others in one of the chairs.
Sawyer finally returns to the kitchen and looks at his closest friends. “Thanks for coming, guys.”
“Of course,” Greg mumbles into his cup.
“Dude, what the fuck are we doing, though?” Jasper asks confrontationally.
“Saving the valley,” Sawyer replies pointedly. “As well as the town you so happen to be in charge of,dude.”
“But what are wedoing?” Ellis adds. “I mean, what are we actually doing, meeting with those witches again? This could be a trap. They could be trying to steal our essence or something. I really think we should reconsider this plan.”
“I agree,” Jasper says. “We should call our dads and see what they think.”
“No,” Sawyer bites back. “Weare the ones in charge here. Not our dads. Not anymore.Wehave to figure this out.”
“Well, my father told me that nothing good can come out of making arrangements with witches,” Jasper says, as if he’s completely ignoring the point Sawyer just made. “Who knows what goes on in those covens?”
“I do,” I interrupt.
The two other alphas turn to look at me as though they’ve completely forgotten that I was right there. I watch as both of them take in the two simple, but effective, words I’ve just spoken.
Meanwhile, Greg and Sawyer watch me curiously and cautiously. My husband is about to open his mouth, and I fear he’s going to try to shut me up, but I can’t allow it.
“I’ve heard enough out of you two,” I say to Jasper and Ellis. “After I left our pack, I stumbled across the coven in the woods, just a stone’s throw away from your precious shifter valley. They’ve been here just as long as we have. And they’re my family. The family I chose, anyway.”
Ellis turns to Greg with a look of incredulity on his face. “Did you know about this?”
“I asked him to keep it a secret,” I admit, hoping they won’t give Greg too hard a time over this. “I lived with Danielle and Monroe for the last five years. They loved me. They nurtured me. And they helped me raise my little girl.” I turn to look Sawyer dead in the eyes. “Ourlittle girl.”
Jasper and Ellis look to Sawyer, clearly both just realizing that he must be Shea’s father. If the safety of the valley wasn’t so important right now, I’d consider rolling my eyes at their sheer stupidity.
“If Danielle and Monroe were going to fuck me over, or sacrifice me, or whatever idiotic things you think they might do, they would have done it already,” I continue. “I would, and I do, trust both of them with my life. I know my word doesn’t mean shit to you two, but I’m sure Greg and Sawyer can vouch for me.”
