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

start. Didn’t even know there was a fight happening until Cole pulled away from her suddenly. She slid down

lax is going in a cell,” Ace yelled at Andres taking a threatening step forward. “That’s bullshit and you

pause was the only thought Ace would give it. “She can’t

eyes turned ruby, teeth dropping down to

hand fisted, wrist twitching as he took a calming breath,

Thing About

the compound. We’re not that kind of pack and I dont think Cole is signing off on having some created for your

to reply and Ace quickly

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

down

Cole,” Ace insisted, “Like me. Like Lita. Like all of us, really! Running from a past she didn’t choose. She’s not a villain for doing what she had to in order to survive. Don’t make her out

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

not have understood everything, but she knew that

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

her face desperate and wet. She looked at Lita. Damnit, Lita couldn’t help that she wanted to defend her friend. And she felt torn between her own feelings of betrayal and her desire

second chance, Ace said in a low voice. “To fix

you’re saying the whispered the truth to you during post–sex pillow talk? And you just

about her like

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

turn to flinch. “Enough!” Cole yelled. “Jaz comes home with us under supervision for now. No cells. No punishment until

1000

his fall Alpha tone but the reverberation of his anger was almost palpable. It was a warning that be would, if he had to. “Separate, NOW! The main priority was getting Lita–your Luna- back safely.

men apart, nodding for them to take opposite

until we

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

ask his daughter. She deserved first swing at least for everything she had gone through. Not only was he the only father Lita had ever known but he was also acting as a

a conflict with another pack, especially one with those kinds of resources, so whatever Rafi had done to hat Lits, whatever he was complicit in, Cole had to let it go for the time being. That meant letting the personal disrespect go too even though it left a had laste in

About Falling