Nebraska was very calm. Too calm for Layan’s concern. She had not touched the food that had been brought into her room and there were no signs of leakage. The alpha tapped his finger on the table looking at his beta.
-And?- He asked his beta who was standing on the other side with his hands behind his back.
-She hasn’t spoken, she remains sitting on her bed with nothing more than to stare into space-
Staring into space was something she was surely doing, Layan thought, the difficulty in her eyes was public knowledge. But something more, he needed something more. He is sure that she would not stay with her arms crossed while he borrowed her, as he said.
He rose from his seat with such momentum that he knocked him over. Nor could he delay the reason why he had it there. It had been two days since he had brought her in and they had surely noticed in the Silver Pack her and his absence.
At the moment, he wasn’t concerned, not until the other day. Hades must be recovering from his zeal and no one would move without his permission or enter his lands without their leader at the helm. Anyone who did could lose more than one leg. Maybe he only had hours left for the omega to work its magic with his sister and bring her back or he would be forced to …
He walked down the hall shaking his head. He shouldn’t think that now. The pressure in his chest began to suffocate him and he had to stop. Leila was the only family he had left, he couldn’t afford to lose her, no matter what he had to do, even lay down his life for her. He took a deep breath and resumed his march seconds later.
Without asking permission, he opened the door to the room where he had Nebraska and she was indeed there, sitting cross-legged on the bed and one of her fingers folded over her lips as if she were reflecting on life. She didn’t even turn her face when he walked in and locked the door. The smell of the still hot food made him look at the table and frowned.
-You have not eaten anything-
-Shut up- she replied in a whisper, still undeterred.
That simple word made a vein throb in his temple. Not even his parents when they were puppies had told him to shut up.
-Nebraska- he pronounced her name through clenched teeth but without moving from the place, who knows what he would do to her, that woman could get mad without wanting to.
Apparently his tone made her react as she straightened and lowered her hand gently into her lap.
-Maybe you don’t want me to help your sister, so shut up, I can’t think with so much noise, your people have spent it all the time in and out and I can’t concentrate-
-What do you have to think about? – Layan approached more relaxed and sat on the edge of the bed a meter from her crossing his legs- Your power did not work the first time, you just have to try again-
He saw her move one of her feet impatiently and pinch the bridge of her nose. He was getting upset.
-My power, as you call it, had never failed the first time, I was even able to make all the males in my pack lucid again. It’s not that I don’t understand why it didn’t work with your sister, it’s that it barely worked even when I used all my concentration-
Layan looked disappointed but hid it by putting on his self-sufficient face with which he always achieved all his goals.
-Retry-
-It will be the same result-
-We have a deal-
-I had no choice-
That discussion seemed to have nowhere to go and she had an answer for each of his sentences. The alpha clenched his fists and turned his back on her as he walked over to the table and took the plate of food and carried it away.
-Eat- he ordered putting it in front- You will need strength-
-Are you worried about me?- She raised an incredulous eyebrow. She didn’t know what had happened in the time she had been there but she kind of lost her fear.
The alpha leaned down until his face was level with her.
-Nor do you get excited, beauty, the only thing that matters to me is that your body is strong enough for you to help my sister, the rest is indifferent to me-
Nebraska didn’t move a muscle in her face, though she swallowed a snort inwardly. The advantage of not being able to see was that you could perceive beyond normal. The wolf was not sincere. He was hiding his emotions and internal wounds behind his aggressive words but she had been able to see about it. Perhaps in the future they could speak not as enemies.
-Eat it all- Layan put the plate on her legs- You lost a lot of blood and I don’t want my sister to feel guilty when you collapse in the middle of your task-
-Blood- she repeated -blood- this time she screamed it.
He pushed the plate away, laying it on the bed and grabbed the front of Layan’s shirt to stay upright because his knees were unsteady from the same position for so long.
-Why didn’t I realize that before?- She shook him slightly and he, without understanding the change of mood, only held her by the elbows helping her to stabilize.
He was about to respond when the door was thrown open with such force that it cracked when he touched the wall. An immense wolf that bristled all its dark fur and showed its fangs after long breaths of air came walking towards them and changing shape.
-Wow Hades, you showed up pretty quick, shouldn’t you be recovering?- Layan joked, pulling away and putting distance between him and the omega. Surely the image he had seen had not liked anything, including other things.
Hades already in his human form, totally naked and with his hair tousled, stood in front of Nebraska, taking her hand carefully. Its claws and fangs still refused to retract, the worst part being that it was on the verge of collapse.
-You should not have come out in that condition, your zeal is too intense, you must be extremely exhausted- no one better than Layan knew the state in which his opposite was, that he was aware was already a miracle.
During heat all the senses were so intensified that it hurt. Their muscles were tense to the point that they could tear and the desire to mate could drive them crazy, because their nature commanded them to produce puppies. But in the case of Hades, who refused to spend it with a she-wolf, which could end up in very bad conditions due to the level of violence that males could reach in heat, his condition, after that period, was exhausting and devastating. It was even known that there were times when he needed more than the day it took to recover and this seemed to be the case.
Layan estimated that he had ended his heat only a few hours ago because of his scent and that he had hardly found out about it and had left in the direction of his pack. If he had waited one day he would have taken her himself, but the wolf was too possessive of his things, not to say stubborn. Luckily he had given the order that if they saw him coming, they should let him pass. He did not want a dispute as that would only expose his secret.
-Layan- he growled gravely releasing almost all the air from his lungs- This time I won’t let you pass-
-I don’t think you’re in any condition- the redhead raised the corner of his mouth.
For her part, Nebraska could hear the wild heartbeat of her current fiance and feel the cold, trembling palm that held her against her back. She swallowed hard and lowered her head. Hades did not look good at all and even so he had gone to look for her facing a whole pack, that was not expected. She smiled slightly as her own heartbeat also intensified. She stood next to Hades and touched his forearm feeling the skin just as cold and sweaty under his fingers.
-Hades, calm down, I’m fine- she said with soft words -Let me finish an issue that I have here and we will return-
But the alpha didn’t seem to hear her. He squeezed her hand and looked at her. His eyes so intense that it made her remember what had happened in their last meeting although she held back from separating from him, that could make things worse, so she would hold on.
-We’re leaving now- his words were firm.
-I don’t think that’s going to be possible- Layan’s tone had changed.
Both wolves growled and Nebraska lost patience this time. She waved his hand and let go of Hades.
-Since they do not listen when I speak, I will leave them to attend to their own problems without me, I have more important things to do- she turned around and walked towards the exit.
They both stared at her with shocked faces.
-Are you sure she is the one you want as queen? – Layan pointed at her with a snorting finger receiving a growl from Hades who staggered slightly- I see you losing your alpha position-
And he followed her knowing exactly where she was going.