Chapter 326 – Owned by the Alphas Novel Free by Jen Cooper

Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel

I only wished my parents had been here to meet him.

My heart ached as I moved over to my family. Lorelai grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

“They would have been so proud,” she mouthed.

I smiled and kissed the back of her hand, “Of us both.”

She stood and handed me Alaric. He was bundled in knitting, sound asleep.

“My grandfather believed in having allies with other races. My father was corrupted by the war, broken by it to the point he was jaded and only believed in looking out for ourselves. But I wanted more than that. When we came together, I wanted it to be like my grandfather believed. Like our son will believe,” I said, holding him tighter.

Lorelai nodded, “This war won’t break him, Derik,” she said like she was promising me.

But she couldn’t promise such a thing.

All we could do was hope.

My mother said hope was a silent killer. I was starting to think maybe she was on to something.

“That’s why you have a mate who believes in hope to its fullest. I believe enough for the both of us,” Lorelai grinned up at me.

“Eat, Mate. Enjoy the night before we go to the real world tomorrow.”

She smiled, kissed my cheek then sat down with the twins, Kai and Derik, Galen and Pearl. I stood, holding Alaric, promising him things would be different for him than they were for my father.

I spent the night with my family, getting up with my mate for feedings, looking after her while she looked after our son.

If she was awake, so was I.

Kai got up early to go do training and Brax snored, curled up by Lorelai’s legs like he always was.

We were all enjoying the respite we had been given.

But we all knew it couldn’t last.

Not when the rogues had been beaten this time. We had the border up, they hadn’t gotten through despite it not being there.

They hadn’t gotten to Lorelai or the twins.

We had won this round and after the lake battle, I knew the rogues had to be fuming.

I had no doubt they were planning their next attack.

Which meant we had to be ready for them when they came.

The more I thought about their impending attack, the more restless I grew. I couldn’t just sit by and accept a traitor roaming around.

So once Kai left, I slipped out of bed.

I shook Brax awake, eyeing Lorelai to make sure she was still out.

Brax frowned, looking up at me like he was about to bite my head off.

I put my finger to my lips to shush him.

“Don’t wake her, she just got back to sleep. But watch her. I’m going to the barn,” I said.

Brax hesitated like he wanted to argue but eventually sighed and nodded.

He uncurled and slid up the bed to climb in next to Lorelai, holding her.

A small smile pulled up her lips and it was what I needed to walk out of the room. I intended to keep her smiling.

I washed, dressed then let Kai know where I was heading.

‘Keep me in the link. I’ll be there if you need me,’ he said.

They both would be, I knew that. But I wanted to do this. Especially at the start.

Mentally, I was the strongest. And I was going to have to dig deep in the links. And I had the most trust in the pack.

Kai had it with the warriors. Brax had it with the water pack. But I was the blanket trust we needed. I had to do it.

Each wolf had to trust enough to let me in. I wasn’t going to force them, I wanted them to agree to it, to let it happen because they had nothing to hide.

‘We could tell them if they don’t, they can fuck off to the rogues,’ Kai offered.

Something I knew he would say and the exact reason I was alone.

‘I have my shadows if you need help?’ Brax said.

Another prediction to come true. Brax had his shadows. He was getting more comfortable with them. Lorelai had helped him immensely with that. He let the pack see what he was a little more.

Most of them had the idea anyway, he was the one who had always hid it. But not so much. That didn’t mean the wolves weren’t wary despite accepting it.

And the shadows digging were a lot different to trusting enough to opening the link.

‘No. I’ve got this. If I find anything, I’ll let you know,’ I said then strode into the barn.

It was cleared of livestock, stray hay scattered over the stone floor but most of it piled to the sides and in the stalls.

Two chairs sat facing each other and I drew in a deep breath.

Linking to a wolf personally enough to dig in their mind was going to take a lot. Energy, mental and physical.

But if my mate could go through what she went through to birth and protect the pack then I was going to go through what I had to for her.

I rolled up my sleeves to a third way up my forearm, spinning quickly to the barn door creaking open.

My brows shot up when Ryleigh strode in.

“I didn’t summon you?” I asked.

She shrugged, “Not in as many words, but I heard it. You’ll need me here to draw on. At least that’s what the crazy witch lady said in my dream. She let me through her painting thing, and I just left Vaughn and Althea in the mansion, so shall we get this going? We have a traitor to catch, don’t we?”

I grinned at the way Tabby was still playing mother hen. She was a rare sort that I appreciated more than most people.

“Yes, we do.” I sat down in one of the chairs, “Bring me the first wolf. Start with the council.

22. The Interrogation

Lorelai

Derik had been gone for days, stuck in the barn, interrogating wolf after wolf. None of my mates would let me in. They wouldn’t even let me leave the mansion, citing safety and all that. To butter me up, they had left me with Vaughn, Althea, Mom, and Galen.

I had spent days drinking tea, healing, spending time with Alaric and the twins. But I wanted my mates too. They checked in on me. Brax the most. But it was quick so I couldn’t plead for them to let me leave.

Derik’s pain became mine more times in a day than I was used to until Ryleigh took it instead. It made me one angry Luna. Kai was training, keeping the warriors and wolves placated during the interrogations. They were all on edge. So was I.

Every time Derik interrogated a new wolf, I felt him. He was draining himself to find out who the traitor was. Every night he came home, bathed, and then fell asleep with Alaric in his arms. Mom and Galen had to leave today, the humans needed someone there since Ryleigh was with Derik.

The vampires had kept them safe but Mom knew it was going to be a shambles to go back to. And I loved her, I truly did but I was glad she was leaving today. Her and Galen were hard to get the slip from.

And Vaughn was on my side, worried about Ryleigh too so he had already agreed to let me out and stay with the kids. I had a protective spell on the door, a mini version of the pure intentions spell Cain had done on the lake. He had done it by himself this time though which told me how much he had grown in strength since then.

“I’ll miss you,” I said to Mom as we stood in the lobby. Galen was carrying all their things and narrowed his eyes on me. I was pretty sure he knew what I was planning but he didn’t stop me so I didn’t say anything.

Mom wrapped her arm around me and kissed my cheek. “Well done, Sweetheart. My grandchildren are wonderful just like you. I’m proud of you,” she said against me. I smiled and hugged her tighter.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said then released her. She was teary as she stepped away and nodded to Galen. He opened the door for her and she walked down the steps to the carriage. I hadn’t asked Derik if she could leave. He was adamant no one could but Kai was escorting her to the border so I could let them through.

Galen gave me a knowing look, one that resembled Tabby’s, “Be careful now, Luna.” I nodded and he left. I stood in the doorway of the mansion and waved them goodbye, eyeing Kai in his wolf form. He looked at me from in front of the carriage, licking his lips and I chuckled.

‘You are looking quite delicious mate and I’m starving,’ he teased in the link. I laughed and looked down. I was not dressed in formal attire at all. I had thrown on a dress for the easy access of feeding Alaric but it was not one of the fancy ones.

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