Page 51 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“The fire—it was burning down houses all over the place! And that woman… I had a dream about a woman who was covered in flames. She was walking through the valley, a-and she was stepping over all of thesebodiesin the street! They were covered in blood—all of them. And, Sawyer… You and I were two of those bodies!”
My blood runs cold at this. I have no intention of dying by whoever this woman is, nor do I intend to lose Lacey to her either.
I turn to Greg beside me, who has a deep look of concern on his face. Behind me, Ellis and Jasper are staring like this is a horror movie they’re watching instead of our real life.
“She wasn’t kidding; she really does have visions,” Ellis mutters.
Annoyed, I scoff at him. “Of course she does. Why would she make that up?”
Ellis shrugs, then takes another bite of his pancakes.
“Okay, I just had a strange idea,” Jasper pipes up as Greg and I lift Lacey from the floor. “Do you think these visions might have something to do with her not being able to shift?”
We set Lacey down in what was previously my chair. She stares at Jasper thoughtfully, cocking her head to the side. “I can’t say it’s never occurred to me before…”
Before we can theorize any longer about her clairvoyance, Lacey’s phone rings from the counter. Greg hurries to pick it up and reports that Monroe is calling.
“Hand me the phone?” she asks, outstretching arm.
Greg gives her the phone, and she answers the call, putting it right to her ear. I can’t hear what’s being said, but with every second that passes, her face gets paler and paler. I’m very glad she’s already sitting because she would really hurt herself if she fell over while she was standing again.
Without even saying a word, Lacey sets her phone down ahead of her plate and looks at no one in particular.
“Monroe…” she starts slowly. “She said that Violet has already begun to start an uprising. She’s been trying to take over the coven while Penelope is recovering. And she’s strong. She’s so strong she almost ripped a whole tree out of the ground with her mind.”
My mouth goes dry at the thought of all of this. But even then, Lacey is still not finished telling us what happened.
“There’s a small resistance, including Penelope, hiding out in the woods right now,” Lacey continues. “They’re doing their best, but they don’t think they’re strong enough to take her on alone. Even with Penelope on their side. She used way too much power that night at the thicket. It’s taking a long time to come back.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Greg asks.
Lacey merely shrugs her shoulders.
A heavy silence falls over the kitchen. I look at Lacey, and I can see that my wife needs the pick-me-up of a lifetime. I look at Greg, who’s worriedly eyeing his sister, then Jasper and Ellis, who are still trying to make sense of what’s going on.
I clear my throat, putting my hand on Lacey’s shoulders. “Finish your breakfast at your own speed, but once you’re done, I think we should go our separate ways and do some brainstorming with fresh minds. We’ll meet later and discuss our thoughts, okay?”
With mouths full of food, the two other alphas nod vigorously. Greg gestures toward Lacey, as if asking if I’m good to still care for her. I nod my head and lean down to kiss the top of her hair.
Once Jasper, Ellis, and Greg finish their breakfasts, they clear their plates and set them in our sink, then all venture into the living room to pack up their overnight bags. Greg is the last to leave, insisting on folding all of the blankets used and putting them away. He also makes a great big production of washing the dishes, claiming their parents raised him to be a good houseguest, but I’m sure this is just so he can keep an eye on his sister for a little while longer.
Lacey and I stand in the doorway to see Greg out, then we shut the door behind him as he makes his way home.
“How long is your dad comfortable keeping Shea?” Lacey asks, sinking onto the living room couch.
“I called him yesterday and he said he would take her for as long as we need,” I tell her.
“Good,” she says, leaning forward to reach for the large tome Monroe gave her. “I’ll need lots of time to pore over this book and figure out what we’re up against.”
But just as she pulls the heavy cover open, I step over and close the book on her, careful not to touch her fingers. She looks up at me with wide eyes, furrowing her brow.
“Lacey, you still don’t have a bit of color in your face,” I tell her. “What’s left of your coven will be fine. Let’s do something fun, just the two of us.”
“But—” she protests.
“No,” I interrupt, pulling the book away from her. “I know you want to help your friends out, and I understand. But you are not going to be any help to them if you keep running yourself ragged. You need a moment of distraction. Let’s give that brain of yours a little break. It’s been through enough today, already.”
Lacey opens her mouth, but whatever her counterargument was going to be, it stays within her mind. I reach a hand down to her and lift her to her feet. I find a small remote I keep in a drawer nearby that controls my entertainment system. I turn on some music and gently sway Lacey around in a circle.
