In the Alpha’s Arms

The Thing About Falling Apart…

Vomit splashed the floor, the acrid smell stinging Lita’s nostrils as she tried to keep herself from breaking. Don’t show weakness, don’t show weakness, she chided herself as the old habit of hiding her feelings, reared its ugly head. Maxim was gone but with this new betrayal, Lita felt as vulnerable as she ever had.

Lita could hardly see through her tears. The betrayal shouldn’t have hit her so hard. Logically, she knew that. It was hardly the worst thing that had happened to her that week. Lita had watched a monster murder an innocent woman with a bullet to the head just a few hours earlier. He’d done it just to fuck with her. That wasn’t something Lita ever thought she would see and nothing she thought she would ever forget. And yet in the moment, she managed to force that pain down. So why couldn’t she could do it again?

What had her life become? As if discovering her own werewolf genes hadn’t been enough, the dark world of deviant werewolves was nothing like the more simplicity of Cole’s pack. It had all been so much to process, Lita felt numb to the core. So, Jar’s admission shouldn’t have been able to hurt. In all honesty, it shouldn’t have been able to roach her. But it had, Lita had grown too used to be being let down to feel so blindsided, so gutted. And yet.. and… yet… the tears wouldn’t stop. That numbness had been no match for the knee–wobbling relief of seeing her pack. Her family.

She silently cried harder. The family was falling

falling apart right in front of her eyes.

How many times had she told herself not to cry in front of others? Time and time again, she had learned those emotions didn’t help anything. Yet, bere she was… a badass she–wolf… throwing up and going into shock like the weak human she’d always been. James would be so disappointed. She hated everything. She hated her own weakness.

Arms might have wrapped around her but she stiffened. Lita told herself to push the pain away, to regain control. Memories of Brian flooded her, the touch always pretending to be gentle before it was rough. But he wasn’t here right? And Maxim was dead. There was no one left to put their filthy hands on her. She was surrounded by friends, by her support system, people she loved. Right? Her stomach bottomed out again. If Jaz could betray her, amyone could

Those arms might have helped her up from her knees and over to the office couch as they held her close. Why was she such a mess? Hadn’t she been doing better? Hadn’t she been handling everything? How she’d endured all this time with Maxim’s pack without shattering completely, Lita didn’t know. But she had. And yet a betrayal of her friend had turned all that strength to dust? Somewhere in her rational mind, Lita understood that she wasn’t weak for having emotions. That even the strongest of people could hurt too when it came to their loved ones. But she wasn’t in a position to be rational. She wasnt in a position to be anything.

Someone might have produced a napkin and wiped her face. She snapped her head away, a groul coming on so fast she couldn’t stop it. Lita felt exposed. Surrounded, Suffocated Alone. She wanted to attack. To regain balance. To toughen her soft heart.

You re not alone, just, hurting. Nyx rumbled in the back of her head. It helped Lita,

a little.

Lita had been betrayed before. Would probably be betrayed again before her time on earth was over. So, why the fuck did it feel like this? Like her lungs. were too tight… like her heart was bleeding out? Someone might have been talking to her. She thought someone was snapping their fingers in front of her face. Lita couldn’t be sure of anything though because her senses weren’t right,

She only threw up once but her stomach continued to cramp, twisting in time with her heavy breathing. Everything about this was wrong.

A hand touched her shoulder carefully, the thumb rubbing small circles. Then the sensation of her limp body being pulled against a lap. The familiar smell of firewood and fall air. Thank god, Lita leaned further into it, put her nose to his neck, unable to resist the natural pall of her mate. She didn’t know how much she needed his comfort until she had it. Something constant to center around. Nys muzzled the edge of her mind too, chuffing and soothing her too. The room, though, was too quiet in her ears, only the sound of blood and her heart thumping

This was not the first time she felt deadened. But she hoped it would be the last

But it was long enough that she didn’t hear the fight start. Didn’t even know there was a fight happening until Cole pulled away from her suddenly.

at Andres taking a threatening step forward. “That’s bullshit and

thought Ace

dropping down to match the snarl, “Watch

calming breath, ‘The point still stands, Ace. Tantrum

About if aling

don’t even have fucking cells back at the compound. We’re not that kind of pack and I dont think Cole is signing off

opened his mouth to reply

on the edge of the office couch. Her head was clearing hit by but so she still struggled to keep her attention on the fight. Cole stood in the center of the room, broadening his shoulders in take a more commanding position. Everyone could see the verbal fight had the potential to turn physical at any minute and

down

us, really! Running from a past she didn’t choose. She’s not a villain for doing what she

Alex insisted, cutting in. Lita didn’t like the malicious spark in his eyes. “You heard her. She spied on Cole for years! We cant just look the other way on that! You really mean to tell me you’re fine thinking she might have

and withdrawn, Lita might not

Accepted her as part of the pack. He would protect and defend her as such. But he didn’t love Jaz. Not like Lita And now that she saw

wet. She looked at Lita. Damnit, Lita couldn’t help that she wanted to defend her friend. And she

deserves a second chance, Ace said in a low voice.

after what she did?” Alex replied. “She betrayed us all. Including you. Unless you’re saying the whispered the truth to you during post–sex pillow talk? And you just failed to fill the rest of us in Jar flinched and Ace lunged for Alex, the two falling sideways

talk about

to separate and get to their feet but that didn’t cut the fight short. Are we faulting people for surviving their fucked up situations now?” Ace yelled, throwing a punch to Alex stomach then dodging one to the nose. “Last time I checked, Maxim wasn’t someone anyone said no

“Jaz comes home with us under supervision

1000

warning that be would, if he had to.

forward to push the two men

sets of boots sounded from the hallway, then a voice Lita knew. “How much longer until we can get out of here, Cole? Round up your damn pack

pushed the doors open, freezing on sight at the chaos he walked into. There was no way to hide the haphazard scene. Ideally, pack issues were supposed to stay out of the public eye. Anything else was a sign of weakness but Rafi wasn’t technically part of the public. So Cole suppressed the urge to attack him even if he did walk in the room like he was more than a fucking Beta. Ordering Cole to do anything like he wasn’t one misstep away from

father Lita had ever known but he was also acting as a good faith ambassador from the Imperium pack–nichest pack of the Northeast, hence the pretentious ass Latin name. There were so many packs across. the globe, no one would ever keep track of them all. But Imperium had the full weight of New York City’s

to let it go for the time being. That meant letting the personal disrespect go too even though it left a had laste in his mouth. Lits could hash that out with her father later. At least he had at least come to help. Though Cole couldn’t help but wonder why the Alpha of such a

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