Page 63 of Curvy Alpha Bride
Warmth swells in my chest, and I cup her cheek gently with one hand. I want to kiss her and tell her I love her, but the moment is so perfect, I don’t want to shatter it by misunderstanding her intentions.
She blinks, and a troubled look flashes across her face. “Xavier, I—”
“Yes?”
“I need to tell you something—”
“Come on, everyone,” Serra’s voice cuts through the chatter of voices, and Mabel closes her lips abruptly. “Let’s get inside and talk,” Serra continues, addressing the crowd. “We have much to discuss if we’re going to survive the next few weeks.”
“Mabel, what is it?” I ask her as we walk towards the hall.
She shakes her head. “I’ll tell you later. Right now, we have to tend to our duty.”
A flood of words runs through my mind, almost setting my tongue on fire with the need to say them, but I hold back. The town is in too much danger for me to put my own feelings before the welfare of others.
In the hall, Mabel and I walk to the front of the room to take our seats with the elders while the rest of the townsfolk settle into the tables around the room. Once everyone is comfortable, Serra stands up to start the meeting.
“It’s good to have you all gathered here,” she says. “The last couple of weeks have been trying for us all, especially since we believed the danger was past. What we need to do is establish our routines and decide how we want to proceed.”
“I think we’re safe for a couple of days,” a very old woman says. “In all my years, I never heard a whisper from the witch on a full moon.”
“You know better than me, Rachel,” Serra replies. “You’re the oldest in the pack, and elder before me.”
Rachel nods. “You can just feel it in the air. The threat is much less today.”
“We can all feel it,” Ivan agrees. “And it’s not just to do with the light; it’s our own power growing as the moon becomes full.”
“Because we have a luna!” Lyssa states.
Mabel blushes, but doesn’t seem embarrassed. “May my presence here grant you all strength,” she says, and the crowd murmurs an affirmation.
“Okay,” I say, standing up to get everyone’s attention. “I have an idea, and many of you won’t like it. I’ve decided that no matter what happens, we need help. It’s time to open up this problem to the other packs and see what can be done if we combine our power.”
“But we can’t have more alphas here!” Serra cries. “It’s too risky.”
“I know,” I say. “That’s why I’ve sent out our scouts with instructions to only bring back warriors or betas, no alphas and no lunas. Even if we feel safe right now, we won’t take the chance of strengthening the witch. Men have always been safe in the woods, right? Even on a new moon?”
“We never let anyone leave shelter on a new moon,” Serra says. “But yes, men have been safe in the woods. The witch has not attacked them. But we didn’t flaunt it, or tempt her. It was only one or two wolves, and they were stealthy and careful.”
“Understood. The scouts I sent out should have no trouble getting out and returning, if those are the rules.”
“Nothing with Ivarra is ever a rule,” Serra warns. “I’m not sure about this course of action, Alpha.”
“We have to do something,” I insist. “And the other packs deserve to know about this. We can’t keep it a secret any longer.”
“I agree,” Finnah says. “We have suffered alone for too long, and if the others know, they can prepare themselves. I lived in Cyan Lock for most of my life, and they are good, dependable people. They deserve to know.”
The talk moves on to resources and job allocation, and when the sun passes noon, Mabel makes the decision to stay in town with the other women. No one disagrees, and as our important matters are settled, everyone enjoys the food and each other’s company while we wait for the scouts.
It’s not until it begins to get dark that I finally start to worry. Someone should have been back by now. I ordered them to work in relays, so they could get information back to us quickly. I was ready to suspend the operation at any moment if it became too dangerous.
“Night is falling,” Mabel whispers, standing in the doorway, looking out across the mountain.
“Are you scared?” I ask.
She nods. “I don’t feel like there’s any danger. The woods seem very quiet, peaceful even. I will return to the cabin with the others soon. If your scouts aren’t back in an hour, we’ll go.”
“They should be back by now,” I mutter, a bad feeling beginning to churn my stomach. “I’m starting to worry.”
