Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“You ask a lot of questions.”
I just stared at him.
“Fine. The thing happened about two hours ago, and I’d rather not say. We should let our alpha do that.”
“You could have called, and we could’ve talked earlier.”
“Yes, but there was testing first.”
“I don’t… What?”
“Just please get in the car,” he said irritably, opening the passenger-side door and gesturing for me to get in.
I crossed my arms. “Is it life and death?”
Fletcher was glowering at me. “Can you just get in the car?”
“You know, I worked all day.”
“We all worked all day and then had to have a hunt, because heaven forbid we fuckin’ move it to the weekend.”
Reggie turned to him. “Did you just complain about your alpha?”
“I asked for it to be moved, so he knew I was pissed.”
Reggie threw up his arms and turned back to me. “Get in the car!”
Was he kidding? “What kind of manners are those?”
“If you don’t come with us, they’ll send other guys who don’t know you to bring you in.”
I shrugged.
Fletcher huffed out an irritated breath. “There’s a boundary on your land, isn’t there?”
“Yes.” I answered truthfully, because why not? And I suspected they had come into contact with it during their hunt. “I told you that hunting on my land couldn’t happen.”
“Is there one around the house too?”
My eyebrow raise was instant because it seemed a logical leap to me.
“The same one on his land is on his house, idiot,” Reggie said to him.
Fletcher grunted. “Okay, yeah, that makes sense.”
We all stood there silently until Reggie said, “It won’t kill you to come, and you don’t work on Saturdays.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Please, Merritt,” Reggie said softly.
“Fine,” I muttered, and walked toward the car.
“Your home is beautiful,” Fletcher commented as I passed him and got in the SUV. “The curved glass on all those windows is impressive.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I didn’t tell him I’d done it myself. I didn’t want to share that. Instead I pulled my seat belt on as he closed the door.
On the way down the mountain back to the road, they both tried to give me a quick tutorial on how to greet their alpha. There was something about not touching him before he touched me, which included offering him my hand. I wasn’t supposed to turn my back on him, that was considered rude, or look him directly in the eye. What they didn’t know about me was that I’d met many alphas in my life, and once they met me, they normally steered clear. I wasn’t worried. But I did have a different issue to address.
“Fletcher.”
He turned to look at me over his shoulder.
“Did you have a talk with your alpha about Desta?”
“That’s what you’re most concerned about right now?”
“The people who work for me are my family, so…yeah.”
There was a quick clearing of his throat. “I haven’t yet, no. But I will.”
“Make sure you do.”
“What’re you two talkin’ about?” Reggie asked him.
“Just don’t worry about it,” Fletcher muttered.
When Reggie turned left onto the road, I asked them why I couldn’t have gone to see the alpha the following morning.
“Because Narah got freaked out, and now Abel is upset.”
“Who’s Narah?”
“She’s his mate and also our healer. She’s skilled in taking care of wolves, and she worked as a nurse in a human hospital for many years.”
“And I’m needed why?”
No answer.
“It’s a simple question, I’m thinking,” I told them.
Reggie cleared his throat. “You said that if we tried to hunt on your land, basically, we wouldn’t be able to.”
“I did, yes.”
“Yes?” Fletcher turned around to look at me. “That’s all you have to say?”
“I warned you, you chose to ignore me, so what is it you expect me to say?” I tried not to sound frustrated. I was tired, which I never used to be, but I’d found, over time, that I’d fallen into the same circadian rhythms that governed everything else. I wasn’t nocturnal anymore, nor was I constantly vigilant, as it was no longer warranted.
“There were six altogether, Merritt, that crossed your land, but only five wound up unconscious. Cole’s little brother, Evan, wasn’t affected.”
“Who’s Cole?”
“He’s Justin’s cousin, our alpha’s nephew.”
“So both he and Evan are the alpha’s nephews,” I stated for clarity. I liked to know things.
“Yeah.”
“But Evan was fine and the other five were out cold.”
“Yep. And as soon as they passed out, they shifted back into humans—naked humans, I might add, on the edge of your property.”
“Why’d you say it like that?”
“What?”
“You said ‘naked humans’ like that’s weird.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah, ya did.” Fletcher backed me up. “You always emphasize weird shit.”
“Can you two just—why didn’t Evan pass out?” Reggie asked irritably.
“I suspect he wasn’t hunting,” I stated flatly.
“But he was with them.”
“It doesn’t matter. The barrier reads hearts and minds, not what actions appear to be.”
“That’s some barrier.”
“Again, I warned you.”
“Yes, you did,” Reggie agreed.