Page 28 of Becoming the Alpha

I frowned at his comment, but didn’t argue. We walked down the street quickly, basically dragging Luke along with us. We made it to the end of the road and turned left, where we walked past houses that reminded me of a suburb. We made it to the end of that road and turned right, a large white house standing in the middle of the square. I blinked up at it, taking in the large windows, the garden in the front, and the vehicles in the driveway before we quickly ushered Luke inside. Jake swung the door open. “Sam!”

A girl about twenty appeared in a doorway a few feet away from us. She was pretty, but had nothing on Lily. Her black hair was thin and pulled into a ponytail behind her. Her small face paled as she took in Luke. “This way,” She urged quickly. She ducked back into the doorway and metal banged around.

I helped Jake maneuver Luke into the room, realizing it was a kitchen and the metal was the pots and pans that Sam had thrown on the floor to clear off a kitchen table. We laid Luke on it, he was murmuring and grumbling in delirium. Sam sighed before she rolled up her sleeves and hovered her hands over Luke, palms down. She murmured under her breath, the rush of cold brushing through me again.

I gripped Jake’s arm and pulled him backward, hissing. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Jake sighed, running a hand down his face. He suddenly looked much older then the twenty-five year old he was and the playful, happy-go-lucky personality was replaced by a serious and tense man.

“Sam is a witch.”

My jaw dropped open as I stared at him. He grimaced at my reaction before turning back to Sam and Luke. I blinked, snapping my jaw shut and turning to look at them as well. My mind couldn’t comprehend the ramifications of what he was saying. Sam was still chanting under her breath, but it looked like Luke’s color was returning. I waited, feeling like I was holding my breath, for there to be some type of change or thing that happened that clued me in to what this was all about. It didn’t take long for Luke’s eyes to open and his body to relax as if all of his pain had drained away.

Sam finally lowered her hands, looking sternly at Luke. “You know you’re not supposed to do that. That is only for emergencies and this -” She waved over at me and Jake. “Was not one of them.”

Luke grinned sheepishly before sitting up slowly. “I’m sorry, Sam. I wanted to show off a bit for our guests here.”

Sam shook her head. When Luke had gotten comfortable leaning against the wall, Sam reached out and smacked him on the back of the head. He hissed in pain, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at her. “That’s what you get for being stupid. You’re lucky I don’t curse your ass.”

She turned on her heel and marched out of the room. I watched her go, my wolf curious, but wary about her. I turned back to look between Luke and Jake.

“What did she mean?”

30

Lily

It wasn’t long until I could hear Nia’s sniffles. A few of our fellow prisoners grumbled and snapped at her to shut up. If this continued on much longer, we would bring the guards down to investigate what was going on and then incur some type of punishment. I didn’t have the energy to deal with Nia’s emotions, but I definitely didn’t have the energy to deal with the guards and their bullshit. I got up and slipped onto the cot, wrapping my arms around Nia. Her sobs quieted down, but her shoulders shook as she tried to hold it in. It took a long while until she fell asleep.

Our fellow prisoners settled down after a while and the entire dungeon grew quiet. It was eerie to hear the soft, rhythmic breathing of everyone around me. Exhaustion pulled at me, but adrenaline was keeping me wide awake. I had no idea what was happening or why. All I knew was that I was awake.

It wasn’t long until I realized that I had stayed awake for a reason - turned out I didn’t know what that reason was, but it revealed itself to me sometime around two in the morning. The door at the top of the stairs creaked open, much more slowly than if a guard was coming down. I slowly peeled myself off the cot and walked to the gate, wrapping my hands around the cold metal bars. I held my breath as someone crept down the stairs. I glanced at the prisoner in the cell next to us, but he was facing away from me on his cot.

Miss Kitty came bursting through the doorway, her large ass hitting the frame and causing her to stumble as she hit the bottom steps. My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Miss Kitty?” I hissed.

She glanced in the direction of the cell I was in, but then focused on what she was carrying. I squinted as I realized she was holding a long, rectangular box. I stuck my arm between the bars and waved. “Miss Kitty, it’s me! Lily!”

She breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagged and waddled down to where I was standing. I let out a breathless laugh, shaking my head as tears filled my eyes. “Miss Kitty, what the hell are you doing down here?”

She scowled. “Language, missy! And I’m here to bring you nourishment. That big old meanie may not care much about his prisoners, but I don’t believe thatanyoneshould be starved for a good meal.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the guy next to us, but Miss Kitty tsk’d her tongue on the roof of her mouth. I turned back to see a mischievous grin on her face. “What did you do?”

“I may or may not have slipped a little something in their dinner. It’s natural and won’t harm them at all, it just puts them into a heavy sleep. It takes awhile to kick in which is why I had to wait so late to come down here to see you. I’m so sorry, my dear. You shouldn’t be down here,” Miss Kitty said, shaking her head. Her entire body emanated sadness. I reached out and patted her shoulder, giving her a small smile.

“Not to worry, Miss Kitty. It is all part of my fabulous and exciting life!” I said, trying to buck up her spirits. She gave me a pointed look that told me exactly how much of my bullshit she believed. I sighed, then shook my head. “It’s just another day in the King’s kingdom, Miss Kitty. There isn’t much we can do about it right now. Jason is safe and he’s challenging his father today. All I can do is hope that he makes it through this fight alive.”

“You can also eat these,” Miss Kitty said firmly. She then tilted the box sideways and shoved it between the bars. I backed up a few steps, catching the box before it fell on the ground. I righted it and opened the lid, staring at the containers full of meat, vegetables, and desserts. I looked up at her, tears filling my eyes again. “Thank you.”

“Miss Kitty, we have got to go! We can’t be down here much longer,” A voice hissed from the staircase. I stepped back up to the bars, leaning to try to see who was with her. I gave her an inquisitive look, which she responded with a smirk and eye roll.

“Shaun, will you get your ass down here and see our girl?”

I gasped. “Miss Kitty! Language!”

“Hush, you.”

Shaun stepped off the staircase and glanced around like he was expecting someone to tackle him to the ground at any minute. I grinned, pleased to see him here. “Hello, Shaun. What are you doing here?”

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