In the Alpha’s Arms

Rise and Shine

Cole gave her one week. A werk to sulk and vomit and cry. A week to grieve and worry and hate herself. A week to process and avoid everything and hit rock bottom. And on the final day of that week, two hours before sunset, he burst through the door to the bedroom, composed but urgent and commanded, “Get dressed, we’re going out!”

*1-1 can’t,” Lita shook her head, feeling like death warmed over. She crawled deeper into the covers.

“You can and you will. Get up, he strode to the bed, tossing back the sheets and hauling Lita out, throwing her over his shoulder. She’d become despondent and moody. Her anger was unavoidable and unchecked. She was desperately trying to push everyone away.

Lita wanted to hate everyone, that much was clear. And how much she actually hated herself, shocked him. All that hate, all that rage, was only deflected onto him for a moment or two. The real object of her cruelty was herself.

“Put me down you goddamned caveman!” She squirmed hard but he wouldn’t release her.

no way to address your Alpha or your mate.”

“Til show you how I address my fucking Alpha Lita kicked her knee towards his face but he dodged it, dropping her hard on the seat of her ass. She screamed, tugging at her hair, “You asshole!”

Cole pushed the button on the shower and turned back to the stubborn ass of a woman. Half shifted and angry, Lita was ready to rip out his throat. Her claws elongated.

“Enough!” His tone was even, stern but loving and it gave her pause, What the hell was she doing? She was ready to fight Cole? He watched the emotions pass over her. His face softened. She was broken but it was nothing he couldn’t help put back together.

Lita didn’t think she would ever pull herself out of the funk. She couldn’t eat. She could barely sleep unless she siphoned Cole’s emotions. She hated everything and everyone, even him sometimes. And she was angry. Fucking pissed at the world, at herself, and at her wolf. She hated her parents and Brian and in all honesty she hated everyone who’d ever been born.

She couldn’t find a way to remedy her two selves. The person she believed herself to be and the person she actually was. The reality was this: her brother’s death hadn’t been her fault but Erica’s had been. She couldn’t undo it. And she couldn’t eat the body. That was a thought that would never sit right.

Cole was a calm comfort, not pushing her to talk or do more than she was ready to do. He just quietly went about his day, including her where he could but leaving her to her own head over the last week.

were almost unbearable for the first few days but by midweek they had softened and lessened in length. Her wolf was quiet for the most part, no more than the occasional nudge to assert she was still there. Lita wouldn’t call what her wolf was doing sulking. That would imply her wolf felt bad about anything that she did to Erica, which she didn’t. But it was a subtle acknowledgment

pull herself together. Every time

“I’m not going.”

snapped at the buttons on his jeans. Lita watched him strip down to nothing before he started on her. She watched him as he stripped her down

hint of humor as he shot his eyes over to the shower, “Now am I going to have to be a caveman, or are you going to walk yourself? His smile danced in his eyes and she knew that both options were

the halls of her

“Good.”

closet, pulling on athletic clothes. Cole wouldn’t tell Lita where they were going or what they were doing except to say she needed to work out her

and sat on the edge of the bed, unsure how to move forward but knowing wholeheartedly she couldn’t stay locked in the

Rise and Shine

device to

I call

dibs on

called over her

do, I hate all that fantastical shit you listen to,”

do for kidnapping me to some unknown location! And I hate all the 00s alternative you listen to,” she scoffed, “At least my shit is from this decade. She

disrespect Linkin Park,” he growled,

cars but apparently Cole and the others had toys tucked away because Cole led Lita

this? But also need to wear spandex? Lita laughed

for me to know and you to enjoy the ride

volume on the

fuck on

“Oh come the fi