Page 65 of Cruel Alpha Beast
Before his eyes can close again, something bright shines in the dimly lit living room. It takes me a second, but then I realize that it’s Shea’s eyes burning bright white.
“Mommy, what’s happening?” she asks, turning to look at me.
“You’re okay,” I tell her, recognizing the warm glow as the same from the forest. “You’re okay, sweetie. Just let it happen.”
And just then, the magic flies out of Shea’s eyes to the shock and awe of everyone in the living room. I watch as the magic, recognizing that Shea was created and maintained by the love Sawyer and I have for each other, repairs his wounds for good this time, leaving only a few scars, and soon, Sawyer is sitting up straight, breathing heavily.
He stares down at a confused Shea and smiles widely at her. “You just saved my life.”
***
The next day, I stand at the outskirts of town, exactly where I ran off to five years prior, the light summer breeze blowing through the white maxi skirt covering my bottom half. Flanking me are Ellis and Jasper, who insisted on joining me as backup.
Across from me stands Penelope in her finest silks, looking much healthier than she had the last time I had seen her. Danielle and Monroe mirror the alphas on my sides, both smiling widely at me.
“I stand here in my husband’s stead, humbly thanking you for your help in the forest,” I say, trying to sound as official as I can.
“And I thank you for using your wits to figure out how to cull the danger in our forest,” Penelope replies, bowing her head. She then gives me a cheeky smile and asks, “HowisSawyer recovering, if I may ask?”
“I’m sure he’ll be perfectly fine any day now,” I assure you. “The magic could only do so much for him, but we’ve had nurses from the infirmary check on him regularly.”
“Good,” Penelope says.
“And how are you doing?” I ask. “I know you raised Violet since she was young…”
Penelope sighs heavily before answering. “I’ve been finding ways to make peace. Punishing the ones who blindly followed her over me has helped some, too.”
Just as the three witches are about to turn around, I’m surprised to see Ellis step forward and hold a hand out for them to wait.
“Um, I just wanted to say,” he starts awkwardly, as if he’s not sure how to speak to a witch without fully insulting her, “that if your coven ever needs our help again… Well, you all know where we live.”
Danielle eyes him carefully, nodding her head once.
“Thank you, Ellis,” Penelope tells him. “I hope to never need to take you up on that offer.”
“Same,” I snicker.
“And, the offer goes the same way for you,” the coven leader adds. “Good day, shifters.”
“See you later, Lacey,” Monroe chirps out.
Danielle waves over her shoulder. “We’ll call you soon.”
***
“Oh, come on, Nurse Lacey,” Sawyer grumbles from the couch. “You’re just being overprotective. I feelfine. There’s no signs of infection, no bleeding, I’m just tired, but you probably would be too, if you were dead one and a half times.”
I chew on my bottom lip. “Alright, fine, you can come with us for a walk. But if you get tired, you sit down, and you call Greg to pick you up.”
Sawyer accepts my terms and makes a big production out of getting up and putting some clothes on. He hardly has any scars left over, but I still worry. I fear something could go wrong at any second, like the magic disappearing again.
But I suppose, three days out, he’s probably fine.
As Sawyer gets ready for a trip outside, I help Shea get into her sneakers, and soon, the three of us have left the house and are walking around the town.
With Sawyer keeping an eye on Shea as she hurries ahead, I’m free to look around and see the valley slowly but surely rebuild.
The wildflowers are looking more and more beautiful. The trees stand tall. And the people in town are back to their kind and caring selves. Even those who suffered from the plague are back on their feet, with no signs of the black spots growing on their skin. According to the nurses who came in and out of our house the last few days, each symptom disappeared at the same time.
