Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
I wasn’t sure when I fell asleep but I must have because when I opened my eyes, I was wrapped in Derik’s arms, Kai snoring at my shoulder, the room dark.
I looked down at Brax who was sitting up, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded, “Yeah, I’m just going to check on the twins then training with Cain, go back to sleep, Spitfire.” He kissed my cheek then got up and went to the bathroom. I went back to sleep but something in me was telling me I shouldn’t. My exhaustion beat that feeling into unconsciousness.
14. The Rejection
Brax
I showered and dressed in a pair of cream pants that were loose on my hips, then went through to the twins.
My shadows were tugging, ready to practice, but I had to make sure Zale and Enzi were okay first.
I leaned over their crib, smiling down at them as they slept soundly.
Their hands were together like they always were. I ran my shadows over them, checking their emotions. They were calm and safe.
I did the same thing every night, needing the reassurance.
They were so different. Magic, wolf, human, all wild and strong in them. It would make them a target for evil as they grew, so I had to know how to protect them. I had to be able to protect us all if the time came.
Which is why I left the twins and made my way to the rooftop. Cain insisted on it instead of the arena. After the witches, it was a trigger which was not helpful for my training.
We had learned that the hard way.
I ran up the stairs of the mansion, passed Beenie’s quarters, and up the furthest corner to the staircase that no one used.
Except for Cain and I.
I pushed through the large wooden door, the bolts creaking as I did.
Cain turned to my entry and I nodded towards him.
He was wearing his usual black pants, black shirt, black vest with a cowl. His jewels hung from his nose, his ear. His rings were heavyset on his fingers, and I had given up telling him to be casual for once.
If he wanted to weigh himself down with jewels, then have at it.
I was not so inclined. I preferred the lightness of my linen pants. I needed to feel like I could breathe when my shadows suffocated me.
And they did try.
I took a deep breath, the cool air refreshing my lungs. I cleared my head of all distractions and links like Cain had taught me to.
He was looking particularly agitated tonight, and I knew why. We had all seen Beenie put down that rogue with a touch.
Something was different about her, everyone knew that. The dark princess in her tower who refused to come down had always earned her title. But no one had guessed just how different she was.
Now we knew.
But none of us had said anything. Not even Spitfire with her curiosity that tried to get her killed half the time. Not that we’d given her time for interrogating between putting our cocks in her.
I smirked at that and walked forward to where Cain stood.
“Don’t ask about it. I won’t tell you,” Cain started with his boundary.
That was fair.
“If you think the pack will judge then you are wrong. It accepted Lorelai. And the twins. Hell, they accepted me.
Beenie will be welcome.”
Cain shook his head. “She knows that.” Was all he said.
I accepted it and nodded at him to start the training.
He needed to strengthen his magic to heal all the wolves that were getting fucked up, and I needed to strengthen my shadows.
It was a mutual agreement to fuck each other up and suited me perfectly.
Cain threw his magic at me.
I hardened my shadows, throwing them up in front of me, rebounding the magic back.
Cain shook his head. “Absorb it, Brax. Absorb it into your shadows and then throw it back with intention. Don’t rebound,” he ordered.
I nodded and we tried again.
I got it this time, the rush of power making my skin warm. I grinned and misted my shadows, winding them around Cain. I tightened until he burned his magic through them.
We went around and around for hours, throwing magic and shadows until we both collapsed on the tattered brown rug that Cain had brought with him on the first night.
I was panting, trying to catch my breath, my body covered in sweat as I stared up at the stars and the dark sky.
Cain was silent too, in his own head.
“I miss her too, you know?” I whispered.
Cain waited a minute before answering.
“Mom would know what the rogues were doing. How to stop them,” he admitted, his voice breaking.
“She would. Or she would have the vague words of wisdom that pissed us all off enough to figure out the riddle she left us with,” I smirked.
Cain chuckled lightly at that.
“She loved her riddles. She thought that straight answers were lazy.”
I wasn’t surprised. Tabby was a witch after all.
“I guess she was right,” I admitted. It was the fun way of doing things which I could appreciate.
She liked to see things play out and I couldn’t fault her for that.
Cain let out a big sigh then sat up, holding his knees with the crook of his elbows, his ankles crossed.
He looked down at me and nodded to my face.
“Your nose is bleeding again,” he said.
I wiped across my nose, looking at my hand. There was a streak of blood on it.
Cain stood and got the rag I had been using all week. He chucked it at me, and I cleaned myself up.
“You’re pushing your shadows too hard if you’re still bleeding afterward. You need to listen when they tell you enough, not push through.”
I shrugged. I couldn’t afford to go easy on them or myself.
“I have to push through or it won’t be enough to protect Lorelai and the twins,” I said firmly, standing up. Cain helped me, which neither of us mentioned before he stashed my rag again.
“You won’t be able to protect them if you pass out either,” Cain said, opening the door to the roof for me. We left the concrete square and went downstairs.
Cain stopped at the room he shared with Beenie, “We’ll meet every second night from now on, give your shadows time to recover. I’m not having Lorelai’s wrath on me when she finds out you’ve been burning yourself out,” Cain smirked.
I wanted to argue, but I had a feeling he was rescheduling more for his sake than mine.
I nodded, and he went inside his room.
I went down to the kitchens for a drink, shooing out the two initiates who were making out in there instead of prepping the pack breakfast.
They hurried off and I grabbed a drink of juice. It was refreshing, slipping down my throat, appeasing me, but my shadows were restless.
They were uncomfortable inside me, rubbing like sandpaper on my skin, and I winced, leaning heavily on the counter.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?