*Grayson*
“Where’s your mother?” I asked the pup currently clutching my legs. I looked around, trying to see if anyone was coming after him. When no one appeared in sight, I furrowed my eyebrows, lifting the little boy and holding him in my arms. Keera’s words from earlier about ensuring that the pack was more aware of their families echoes in my mind. I hadn’t admitted then and I still wasn’t ready to admit it now, but she had been right. Everyone was so used to the pack being safe that they were finding it difficult being extra cautious.
Even with their pups apparently.
I was about to ask Ria if she knew who the pup’s mother was when a talk blonde came running towards me. She glared at the pup in my hand, and then stood with her head bowed, not meeting my eyes. I shook my head disappointedly, leaning forward so I could transfer the little boy to her arms. “You might not find him so easily next time.” I said simply, moving to continue my walk with Ria. Even the goddess knew that I was doing my best trying to make sure that everyone stayed safe until the killer was apprehended.
There was only so much that I could do.
Her phone rang and she looked at the screen, a small worried line appearing on her forehead. She tapped her phone, raising it to her ear and shooting me a sideways glance. I felt my wolf stir up and I instantly knew that something was wrong. The way she visibly paled after listening to whoever was on the other side of the phone confirmed my suspicions. I drew my lips into a tight line, waiting for her to disclose the information she’d gotten.
I heard her mutter a curse beneath her breath before gazing at me with worry in her eyes. “They found another body.” She informed bluntly, her shoulders deflating. I felt the blood in my veins run cold. I gave myself a second to feel the complete loss of yet another pack member before I squared my shoulders and braced myself for the after effects of finding another body.
“Where are they?” I asked Ria, my voice dangerously calm. She pressed her lips together, looking like she wanted to say something but then she seemed to decide against it. Which was absolutely fine by me. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to listen to anyone. I wasn’t in the mood for anything. Period. I wanted to drown myself in a bottle of alcohol. The effects wouldn’t last as long as it did with humans but at least it would be something.
Ria looked around, lowering her voice to only a whisper. We didn’t need the entire pack finding out about the body and causing chaos. “The damn bushes.” She answered silently. “A few blocks away from Ginny’s place. Ginny had been the one to discover the body.” My heart immediately went out to my sister. I opened the mindlink immediately and tried to reach her but her end was closed.
No doubt she wasn’t in the mood for telepathic communication.
I began heading towards Ginny’s house, finding it more difficult to continue the walk with each step I took. Never before had I felt so weak and vulnerable. As Alpha, it was my sole responsibility to protect members of my pack and keep them from harm, and yet, here I was, about to come face to face with proof of my inability to protect them. It came as quite a shock that the killer had struck again even with Keera and her team on pack grounds. I had thought that their presence was going to at least disrupt their plan for a few days.
Obviously, I thought wrong.
Josie was the first person to spot us when we arrived at the scene. She said something to the others and they all turned to stare at us at the same time. Unlike the other times when we’d been called to a scene where a body had been discovered, there were yellow tapes all over the place restricting access to the actual scene.
A small crowd had formed but luckily no one was trying to get past the tapes. I lifted the tape with my right hand and Ria and I crossed from beneath it. Keera spotted me and immediately began walking towards me. She made a move to say something but I walked past her not really in the mood to see her or hear her voice. I might have failed in my duties as Alpha but she had also failed in her duties to stop the killer.
Having any kind of conversation with her was the last thing I wanted to do right now.
I wasn’t sure if the look that had twisted her features was hurt but I was too occupied with knowing who the victim was to care. Ginny walked into my outstretched arms and I gave her a hug, kissing the top of her head. “Are you alright?” I asked her, trying to get a look at the body. No such luck. I was too far off. Ginny sniffed and then nodded, stepping out of my hold.
“It’s Sam.” She whispered, a tear rolling down her eyes. I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling a lot like I’d been punched in the gut. My wolf howled in agony inside of me and I almost shook with the need to shift and make a mad dash for the woods. The only thing that held me back was the thought that the pack needed me right here.
Right now.
Sam had been one of Ginny’s favorite people in the pack. For one he had been Ginny’s neighbor. They had a few houses separating them but Ginny had considered him a neighbor nonetheless. She had to pass by his house everyday to get to mine. And then there was also the fact that he’d been one of the few people who’d patiently listened to every single story Ginny had to share back when she’d been attending school.
Ryan walked over to where I stood and gave me a comforting pat on my shoulder. I hated that he looked so concerned about me when in reality it was supposed to be the other way around. “Keera and her team are already on it.” He said softly. “Hopefully whatever it is they’re doing will produce some actual results this time since it’s a recent death.” He didn’t say it out loud but I had the feeling we were having the same thoughts running through our minds.
How had the killer taken Sam out when we were as alert as ever?
I looked around at the sad confused faces around me and urged everyone to leave the scene so Keera and the rest of her team could do whatever it is they did best. One by one people left and the scene cleared until it was just a few of the buff pack members helping Joe move Sam’s body to some unknown location. I informed Ginny that I was going out for a run in the woods to clear my head.
I tried to meet Keera’s eyes then but I had the feeling she didn’t want to acknowledge me. There was no way she hadn’t looked in my direction that long by accident. I huffed out an irritated breath. Of course she was going to show some kind of attitude even now. Pushing the thought out of my head, I did what I always did whenever things got a little too much for me to bear alone.
I shifted.
I ran.
And I howled.
***
It was extremely late by the time I got back home. Late enough that none of the team members would have been able to move around the pack without carrying some sort of light source. The doors of the house had been locked and I’d been contemplating ringing Keera’s cell when I heard footsteps. I turned my attention to the see through glass door, noting that Lexi was walking to open up the door for me.
“Thank you.” I said softly, well aware that the rest of the team were probably fast asleep. I watched her as she locked the door, reducing the intensity of the porch lights and making sure there was no one hanging around the house. I waited a little awkwardly for her to conclude her check, not really used to any form of help from any of Keera’s team.
In fact it was the first time I was alone with any of them.
She turned to me, tapping her phone screen to stare at the time. I heard the low surprised whistle she tried to hide. “I couldn’t sleep,” She confessed sheepishly and it was only then I noticed that the soft whispers I’d detected earlier were coming from the television. I followed her back to the sitting room, my eyebrows jumping on my forehead when I noticed the bag of chips sitting on the couch.
“Is everyone else asleep?” I asked, not able to stop myself from looking towards the stairs. I wasn’t sure I was in any state to have any kind of conversation with Keera. If Lexi noticed where my attention had gone, she didn’t say anything about it. She adjusted her robe and turned off the television before picking her half empty bag of chips. She turned to face me, opening her mouth and then closing it back without saying anything.
“As far as I know,” She replied. Once again she looked like she was debating whether or not to say whatever was on her mind and I had just decided to ask her to say it anyways when she made the choice all on her own. “Don’t be too hard on yourself.” She advised softly before walking into her room. I paused for a minute, her words echoing in my head. I wasn’t nearly as hard on myself as I needed to be. If I was, we would have come up with a solution to the murders by now.
Still.
I appreciated the fact that she cared in her own little way. “Lexi?” I called out, halting her in her tracks. I could feel her surprise at the fact that I actually knew her name. I might have laughed if I wasn’t feeling like I was carrying a ton of bricks on my head. Did she really think I was so careless with the way I ruled the pack that I would let just anyone on pack grounds without identifying them first? I studied her reaction and decided that she did in fact think that I couldn’t be bothered to at least know the names of the people who had been recruited on the team.
If only she had an idea of how wrong she was.
“Thank you.” I finally stated. She gave me a nod and a small smile before closing her room door behind her. I ran a hand through my hair, taking the stairs three at a time until I was standing right inside my bedroom. Even then I didn’t hesitate to take my clothes off and get the overhead shower running down my body. I fisted my hand on the bathroom wall, trying to push the image of Sam’s lifeless body to the back of my mind.
It took a few minutes longer than usual for me to finally step out of the shower and put on my sleeping sweatpants. I’d just dried my hair and put on my vest and socks when a knock sounded on my bedroom door. I stared at the ceiling wishing above all hope that it wasn’t who I thought it was. I stood up and walked to open the door, sending a short prayer once more for good measure. The door creaked slightly as I pulled it open.
It was exactly who I thought it was.