In the Alpha’s Arms

Foundations Crumble

Lita tracked her eyes across the dark of the sky that crested into dawn. From the main compound doorway, she could see to the pits. It was chilly, dampness in the air that hung fog like a film over the world. This kind of morning always had her feeling uneasy. For as long as she could remember, days like this spelled disaster. And for once, she hoped the disaster had already come and gone. The battle was over. Maxim wasn’t coming back for any more dinner talk. Or torture. The men had been hurying bodies for hours. That was a side effect of conflict, Lita had never considered People, other than Maxim, dying. But they had. And the losses were from both sides. Cole admitted that they’d lost pack members too but that each of them knew what they were fighting for. Cole had always taken on people that no one else. Wolves that needed a pack and a place to belong. And those people were willing to put their lives on the line for him. She hadn’t recognised the names he listed. And while it wasn’t long, even one name was too many. Her heart already wrenched for the families. Even though they may have been loners, even they had family somewhere. People who might miss them.

And then her mind turned to more practical things. How would they explain the deaths? Would there be a human investigation? Would they have to lake a story? Or would they simply be brushed aside as missing people buried in unmarked graves?

Her

gut tightened as she considered the loyalty that her pack had shown. Most of them didn’t even know her, had never even met her, and still, they came. And fought and some died so she could be free. There would never be enough gratitude she could show to balance that. But she would try. Far against the horizon, she could see the bleeding of colors from deep blue to orange. The breeze kicked up, whipping through the doorway and she shivered, pretending not to limp as she turned back into the foyer.

She and Cole hadn’t yet stepped out into the main drive of the compound where Maxim’s pack had been lined up and brought to their knees. It bothered her to see it, some part of her recognizing that begging position. The months that felt like years spent begging not to be hit. She recognized the defeat in their eyes and it twisted her heart. Many among them were innocent, she was sure. Bullied or abused into serving Maxims will. Many were probably born under his thumb. How many among them were ever given a choice? She assumed none had that choice if his son had to flee.

At this hour, and in her current state, she couldn’t tell her pack apart from Rat’s so she bit her tongue about the situation and waited for Cole to return. He’d gone with Alex and Andres to investigate the cells below the house. And likely raid any security information they could find now that the building had been cleared.

It wasn’t supposed to take long, but that had been an hour ago now.

1. w. Lita didn’t think she could stand and watch people kneel for another minute. She needed to find him. No one innocent would be hurt, she told herself. That was the hill she would stand on, Hurting innocent people was not what she was about and it wouldn’t be something she would become. Or else, they were no different than the monsters they were fighting

Are bounded into the entryway. He scanned the area like he was searching for something. His face: strained and paling, turned surprised as he saw her and he came to a stop right in front of her.

“What’s WT-

“Have you seen Jax?” he blurted, a pulse of hysteria threading into his voice. Before she could finish asking what was wrong or answer him, he’d already started looking inside the rooms just off the entryway, “Jaz?!”

“Why would Jaz be here, Ace? This isn’t the place for…”

“I know,” he ground his teeth and tugged at his collar, “And I promised Cole I wouldn’t bring her but… I mean you’ve seen how pushy she can be when she wants something! Plus she didn’t want to stay behind alone. Hell, I didn’t want her to stay behind alone either

“What about all the other humans in the pack? She wouldn’t have been alone, Ace,” Lita could already feel herself scolding him. It was irresponsible to bring a defenseless person knowing there would be a battle.

“If I’m not with her, she’s alone, Lita,” his voice turned hard and for a second she could see the strange desperation in his eyes. She was starting to think she’d either missed a lot over the last week or jaz and Ace had been fooling everyone into thinking they were just casul..

done now. I–I told her to stay with the

“But what?”

there and I

all the vehicles? Lita felt her own bead of hysteria building,

no one even knew a human was waiting out there. That was the idea at first but now…

him to calm despite her raging pulse, “Calm down. I

Foundations Crumble

Mark are

Lita grabbed

and the others went, “And the rest are through here. I think they were headed to the cells. Or… they

here; you’re still injured. Cole would kill me if you got even more hurt. He

for a second I’m going to wait around like a fool while my friend is missing in a

Ace might have been right about her injury because she could feel the hot trickle of blood down her leg. But it

back, eying the stain building through

sound of raised voices. As they got closer, their werewolf hearing kicked in and they

up their pace, subconsciously growing more frantic the closer they got to the offices. Something was wrong. They could tell even as they didn’t know what it

have a choice! Lita and Ace froze midstep, blood freezing in their veins. It was laz and she sounded like she was trying. What should have been a welcome relief felt sour, Why was Cole arguing with Jaz? She hoped it wasn’t because of Ace bringing her. If Cole had a problem with that, he should take it out on the

Especially not a female. He was always the gentleman, always the flirty protective one. Hearing how angry he

growled, rushing towards the room with renewed force. Lita followed, reaching for him as if to stop the unstoppable thing that was about to happen. Because she could already feel it building. The sense of foreboding. The question shed asked herself a hundred times until Cole told her it was

body she took in the scene. Cole was standing near the windows, eyes red,

doing? Ace growled, shoving Andres back until he released her, “Don’t you ever touch her like that? Andres answering snarl traitor sent ripples through Cole and Alex as Jaz whimpered,

have to believe me, Lita. 1–I didn’t tell him. I didn’t know, Jaz gasped, crawling, “H–he got to me a l–long time ago. When I was young and my father got mixed up with the wolves. I had never even heard of a werewolf before my father was murdered by one. I had two choices, Lita. Spy on Cole or meet the same fate as my

eyes brimming with tears. She began to

take a

as saucers, lax scrambled to her feet, taking Lita’s hands in her own

HER! Cole howled, wrangling two or three extra steps frots Ales. Andres skirted armund Ace to help hold Cole hack.

defensive position and she was sure it