Alpha

I wake up in the morning, lying with my body pressed against Ryder's. I don't even care about that. I'm just happy that he's still alive, and his shoulder wound is healing.

"Morning," he murmurs sleepily with a shy smile on his face.

"Hi," I whisper back, just as shy.

"The room looks much better than the last time I was here," he says with a playful glint in his eyes.

"As it well should," I reply, equally playfyully. "Next time you feel like trashing the place, warn a girl, would you?" We laugh and snuggle a little closer.

Finally, Ryder begins to sit up, careful not to put too much pressure on his right shoulder, the one he got shot in. The place where the bullet penetrated looks red and nasty, but the scar looks much better than last night, and his body's natural healing seems to have consumed Andre's make-shift stitches. I begin to sit up too, preparing to go to my room when I realize two problems. Number 1: I have no clothes. Number 2: Even if I was dressed, there are two other girls in my room in the same predicament—without their best friend lying naked in bed beside them.

"So…" I say awkwardly. "Um...how do we do this?"

"Well…" Ryder seems to consider for a moment. "Uh…I can close my eyes, and you can get one of my t-shirts and put that on. Then go back to your room and get a change of clothes."

"Alright." He closes his eyes, and I scoot off of the bed, feeling extremely awkward and self-conscious. I make sure he isn't looking before going over to his dresser and grabbing one of his extra big t-shirts, tugging it over my head. "Okay… Well, see you later." Eyes still closed, he waves goodbye, not daring to even talk because he knows as well as I do that if he says anything, we both may wind up cracking up. I poke my head into the hall to make sure no one is there before high-tailing it to my room.

I knock gently on the door. I hear movement from within before Nyx calls out in a gentle, pixie-like voice twined with that Greek accent, "Come in!" Zeeva does the same, her voice thick with sleep.

I tentatively open the door, making sure that Ryder's shirt covers my body—thank goodness he's so tall. Nyx is beautiful. Her long brown hair, which must have once been soft, full, and wavy, looks a bit nappy after all the time spent in Damien's confines. Her skin has the same sickly hue as her brother's, her sleepy eyes the same shade of brown. They look exactly alike. I feel so sorry for her after spending a month and a half in suffering in that awful manor. Zeeva simply looks exhausted, but smiles kindly at me.

"Good morning, Zeeva, Nyx."

"Good morning, you dog," Zeeva says slyly as she looks me up and down, knowing that this is one of Ryder's shirts. I blush violently, and Nyx seems to catch on. Her eyes widen and she laughs.

"Who's the guy?" she asks with an amused glint in her eye.

"Ryder," Zeeva answers for me. "And it's about time you two finally get together. You can smell the tension between these two lovebirds from a mile away. Besides, I know that you are more than capable with dealing with your brother." She winks at me.

I roll my eyes at her and look at Nyx. "It isn't like that—we’ve been friends for almost three years. And we didn't 'get together,'" I say, turning my gaze to Zeeva and crossing my arms.

She shrugs and smiles back. "Whatever. You two go ahead and take the showers. One of your brothers can have the last one. I am going to get a bit more sleep." She closes her eyes and snuggles back under the blanket. I sigh and grab a t-shirt and shorts for Nyx, handing her a towel to wrap around herself.

While she does that, I pull the softest towel I have out of my closet and grab a pair of jeans and a blue tank-top. She smiles at me, and I lead her to one of the bathrooms. I usher her inside, and she closes the door with a grateful smile. After that, I hightail it to one of the other bathrooms—I do not want to be seen in Ryder's t-shirt. I don't even know what he is to me anymore.

As I'm walking, I send Lovett a message, trying to send it only to him like Susanne said she used to. 'Lovett,' I say, 'I showed Nyx to one of the bathrooms, and I'm taking another. Can you please show Nox to the one across the hall from you guys?'

'No problem,' he replies kindly.

I enter the bathroom and take one of the most thorough showers I ever have. After I rid my body of the disgusting feeling of Damien touching me, I pull my soft hair up and make breakfast for everyone. People slowly trickle into the kitchen, the aroma of fresh bacon and eggs to much to resist. I shoo everyone to the dining/living area and enter with a huge pan overflowing with scrambled yellow eggs.

Food and juice is passed from person to person, the only one who turns the food away being a very sullen looking Cannan, as everyone tries to leave behind everything that happened in Damien's mansion. My Pack mates dig in, thrilled to have a decent meal after barely getting by on whatever it was that Damien was passing off as nourishment.

After everyone has had their fill and more, I get down to business. "Alright, we need to figure out how to go forward from here. Obviously, things are a little different. We lost a traitor to the Pack, but we gained two new Pack mates—two new family members." I gaze happily at my cousins sitting together across the table from me. They blush.

Anger flares in Cannan's eyes. "Don't refer to Susanne as a traitor," he snarls at us all. "She was a beloved member of this Pack. While she may have made some...unfavorable choices, we should remember her positively. And these two have just barely stepped over the threshold. Just because they're related to you two means that they're instantly part of the Pack? That's rich!" He glares bitterly at me before switching to Lovett, and then he turns his fury on the twins. "I don't think so. That kind of title is earned. We all had to prove ourselves in this Pack. Who's to say that they won't wind up turning on us and turning us into some enemy even worse than that Damien. Susanne may have given into temptation, but who hasn't? Look at how most of us wound up here in the middle of nowhere! I happen to know that Zeeva left just to prove herself to Eyulf."

"What?" Rudi, Eyulf, and Zeeva all say in unison. Zeeva turns red from embarrassment, and Rudi's face registers with fury. Eyulf almost chokes on his eggs. I feel guilty for having known and not telling anyone, and I avert my eyes, biting my lip shamefully.

But Cannan isn't done. "We all also know that Rudi only led us into that trap because she wanted to seem superior to the rest of us." This time, it's Rudi's turn to be humiliated, and she turns the same shade of scarlet. "Don't be so shocked—figuring out all of your intentions is not rocket science. So yes, Susanne made a mistake. But let's not remember the bad stuff that she's done. Let's remember the good in her whenever recalling her memory. Or else, you guys are as traitorous as she was." He shoots up from his seat and storms out of the room, leaving silence in his wake.

I sigh and shake my head in exasperation, guessing what's to come with dread and not even bothering to continue my train of thought. Sure enough, Rudi opens her mouth next.

"You like Eyulf?" she asks Zeeva, trying to keep the attention away from the fact that she unwittingly led us into a trap.

Zeeva stands her ground, shocking all of us. I think we're all just so used to her silence that it's amazing to see her when taking a stand. "Yes I do," she replies strongly, standing to match Rudi's height. "I have for a while and you take him for granted. You bitch and complain, and you chewed out Louve simply because you didn't possess the guts necessary to go looking for him yourself. So I did."

"You little bitch!" Rudi shouts. She uses her hands to spring herself over the table, snarling at the other girl, and begins to fight her, yanking her hair and punching her. Zeeva doesn't take it without a fight though—she kicks Rudi and bites her wrists, eliciting yelps and snarls. Eyulf and Nox both leap up, having been closest to the girls. Nox grabs Rudi and restrains her by the arms, Eyulf taking Zeeva by the back of the shirt. Neither girl is too severely injured, with Zeeva only sporting a bloody—but thankfully not broken—nose. Rudi glares at her mate. "You traitor! How dare you stand by this little bitch! You were the only one I really cared about being kidnapped! How could you betray me this way? Thanks for defending my honor!"

Tired of listening to all of this, Ryder cuts in. "Excuse me!" he calls over the raucous that our Pack mates are causing. "But I would just like to insert that no one here is technically a traitor. I think we should all sit down and—

"Hey!" Cannan snarls, returning to the room and throwing the brunt his fury at Ryder. "What the hell are you talking about, Mr. High-and-Mighty—about how no one here is a traitor. If anything, you're all worse than Susanne was. You all drove her to Damien. And you—" he turns to me "—did nothing to help her, Ms. Alpha. You just sat on that stupid pedestal that these idiots placed you on and watched as we got taken and injured and killed."

Ryder and Lovett stand on either side of me, and Nox temporarily abandons Rudi to join the defense. Eyulf, still keeping his hand unconsciously on Zeeva's back, watches uneasily, ready to offer assistance if things get out of hand again. I see how much this is pissing Cannan off, making him even angrier, and I stand up. "Guys," I say gently. "It's all right." They exchange uneasy glances but respect me enough after what we've all been through to step back, if reluctantly. I walk past each of them and to the archway to stand before Cannan.

"Alright Cannan," I continue in the same soothing, calm voice I used on the boys. "Get it out of your system. What do you want to say to me? I'm all ears. Don’t wanna talk? Fine. Hit me! I don't care, Cannan. Do your best."

"Louve!" Ryder and Lovett say at the same time. Nox's mouth just hangs open, and everyone else stares, tingling with anxiety—they all think that Cannan will actually do it. But I'm convinced that he won't. I decide to try what Susanne claimed to be able to do on him, having done it successfully on Lovett this morning.

'Cannan,' I say calmly in his head. 'You don't want to hurt me. You're mad and in pain, but you will get through this. I'm not mad at Susanne. She did what she thought was right. She really thought that turning against us all was what was best for society. While none of us can understand that, we have to be forgiving and sympathetic to the fact that she simply thought that she didn't fit in. I've felt that way before. But she's gone now. We all need to accept that and move on. We are all here for you, Cannan.' I reach up and cup his cheek gently. 'We just want to help you.'

He still seems angry, but he tries to shake it off and returns to his seat. Everyone stares at me, not knowing what the hell I just said to make him calm down. Not bothering to relay it to them, I sit back down at the head of the table. "Everyone, please, sit down." While my voice still has the calm note to it, it is now a bit more authoritative. My patience only extends but so far.

I glance at the members of the newly formed relationship triangle. I feel no sympathy towards Rudi right now after her revelation, and I'm shocked and hurt to think that all of the tears she shed for the suffering of our fellow Pack mates may all have been an act. "Now, while it sucks that this relationship crisis is happening for you guys right now, I'd like to ask you all to deal with it elsewhere because I do not feel like dealing with it. Figure things out or not, but I don't want to hear anything else about it.." They all hang their heads, and I feel exhausted. "Listen guys, I know that this whole experience has been very tolling, on all of us, but I want to help you all through it, okay? We were all so close before all of this, I don't want this to be the thing that breaks up such a strong Pack."

"What about us?" Nox asks quietly. I look at him and Nyx. Side by side, she looks a lot like her brother with many of the same features, but she's much more delicate and pixie-like.

"Well, Cannan is correct," I say slowly and a bit awkwardly. "Usually, in the past when we've wanted to initiate a new Pack member, we've called it to a vote. Everyone pretty much agreed in the past after hearing what the others had gone through—we've all had it kind of rough. I kind of went around that because I wanted to get you guys out of there as soon as I learned you had been there for a month and a half. But at this point, it's up to the Pack."

Everyone looks around. Lovett and Ryder are the only ones who look decided about it, Lovett because they're our cousins and Ryder because he'd heard about what the twins had faced with Damien's men back in Greece. Everyone kind of reads each others trains of thought, and I can tell they're in agreement. They're going to allow it. I smile in spite of myself. 'So everyone's in agreement?' I ask the group. I'm greeted by many uncertain nods. Cannan doesn’t offer any acknowledgement at all.

"Alright," I say to my cousins with a wide grin. "You guys can stay. We'll help you get set up. For now, Nyx, Nox, you guys can kind of pick who to bunk with. I don't really know whose room is whose anymore." I sigh and watch as Rudi shoots Eyulf and Zeeva a dirty look.

"Alright," I say, thinking that this is more than enough of being cooped up in the house for one day. "I think we should all just try to enjoy the day and unwind a bit. It’s been a long month."

Everyone nods and starts to get up. Ryder returns to my side and pulls out my chair for me like a gentleman. I can see that Lovett was going to stay to keep me company, but he turns away and leaves when he sees Ryder. I swear I saw a smirk on his face.

Ryder and I wait for everyone else to leave before we exit the house and begin walking around. Dirt and twigs crunch beneath our feet as we walk side by side in a comfortable silence.

"How's your shoulder?" I finally ask.

"Better. It burns like hell but it isn't as bad as last night."

"Yeah, that should go away in a few days."

He chuckles oddly and I look up at him. Seeing me gazing at him, he smiles. "It's just funny. I haven't felt this much pain in, what is it, three years?"

"Two and a half," I correct, remembering that I changed Ryder in the winter and we already had Eyulf. "Remember how mad you were?" I recall, smirking.

"I wanted to murder you, Lovett, and Eyulf."

"I felt so bad for biting you. I mean, I wasn't in control. I hadn't eaten that day and I was sick."

"Yeah, I remember the excuses." He acts superior and snobby, and I laugh.

"But remember the next month?"

"I remember that you bit me on the last day of the Cycle that first month." He winks down at me and I elbow him. "Yeah, I remember. It was so much better than being alone with my mom. It was the first time I really felt part of a family, even though your brother was less than welcoming."

We both laugh at that and become silent again, lost in thought. I notice that we've gotten pretty far from the house, and am about to say something before Ryder opens his mouth. I bite back anything I was going to say because he really seems to be struggling to get this out.

"Louve," he says quietly, stopping by a stream. "Last night, when you came to help me, you seemed...different. What happened?"

I swallow and look away. How on Earth can I tell him that I let a Voice in my head take over control? I resolve myself to tell him the half-truth. "I was mad. They had hurt you, and I wanted them to pay. I'd do it again if I had to. I'd do anything to protect you, Ryder."

He grabs my chin and tilts it up to look at him. "You don't have to anymore. We're safe now."

"Ryder, we're never safe," I argue, referring to the Voice.

He doesn't seem to care. He leans down and presses his lips against mine softly, almost like a cloud caressing the sky. I lean into it, tired of the danger and the pain and the darkness and the Voice. I want to leave it all behind. I want to forget about it. None of that is worth my time.

Ryder seems to realize that I want this—that I need this—as much as he does. He wraps his arms around me and presses my body close. I stand on my tiptoes to reach his lips as he's so tall. We back up so that my back is against a tree, not breaking the kiss up once. All the tension and anger and pain that has built up between us and the Pack breaks free from a dam that we built up. It all comes rushing forward and builds up the passion in that kiss. Ryder helps relieve some of the horror that was left behind with Damien's forced kisses in his prison-mansion. I feel myself melting into it, into Ryder.

He finally pulls back, leaving both of us breathing heavily. An inch separates our mouths as our breath mingles in the small space. Both of us smile, our arms still wrapped around each other. Pure bliss seems to illuminate us both, and all I want is for that moment not to end. I want to stay in Ryder's arms, no voice or problems or pressure building up that makes me bitchy or difficult. I lean forward and press my forehead against Ryder's chest, breathing him in and truly believing, for just a moment, and everything is over.

He presses a kiss against the top of my head and just continues to hold me close. We stay like that for another hour, not talking or kissing, but just wrapped in each others arms in sweet, perfect, beautiful silence.