Chapter 259
Chapter 259
He shakes his head, “Honestly, I hated the idea of Mal being my mate. I fought against it and yet I could never bring myself to reject her. She showed up constantly, making sure that I wasn’t drinking. Even when I told her to fuck off she would still come back. After that, I would find myself watching her. I can see her front door from my kitchen window and she does the same thing every evening. Sits outside with a mug of tea and watches.”
Now I understood what Mallory was saying when she said she likes to watch.
“When she didn’t follow her usual routine a few nights ago, I followed her scent into the forest. I heard her link that wasn’t supposed to be for me and felt my heart fall out my ass when I realised she was in danger.”
“A matebond will do that to you. You knocked Jenson out?”
“Yes. But he didn’t seem himself. And he didn’t wake up like I expected him to.”
“He’s in the hospital fighting for his life.” I mutter
“It’s that bad?”
“Yes.”
“Mal told me what’s been going on. I know I’m not your Beta anymore, but she has been keeping me in the loop as much as she can. I want to help if I can.”
“Where is she now?”
“I believe Neah is letting her meet the twins.”
That news surprised me more than anything. Neah had point blank refused to let Mallory near them or even be in the same room as them until now.
“Have you really stopped drinking?”
I couldn’t smell a drop on him. “A couple weeks.” It matched what Mallory had said. “I’m in a much better place,”
I imagine Mallory had a lot to do with that.
“Good, I need a second Beta.” He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Damien is a great Beta but he won’t take the blood oath yet. It makes it difficult for him to get information to the rest of the pack. You would be able to do that, just like before. Though I expect you to work alongside Damien.”
“Of course. Where do you need me?”
I catch him up on the very few things that Jenson said before he basically died.
Eric has a small smile on his lips, “Mal is smart.”
“A lot wiser than what any of us give her credit for.”
He nods. “I will speak to the guards, get a new rota going. Upgrade training again I guess.”
“It needs to include weapons. From what I’ve heard, Blair is well trained and maybe it will be something she doesn’t expect.”
He leaves and I head upstairs to the nursery. Logan and Evrin are both staring at Mallory in amazement as she plays peekaboo with them. Giggles escape both of them each time she ‘appears’.
Dorothy is sitting on Neah’s lap with her lips almost pressed to Neah’s ear as she whispers something.
“You know where the snack box is.” Neah mutters back with a smile.
Dorothy had been here for a while now and she still asked permission for almost everything. Still afraid that she was going to be told ‘no’ or starved. It pulled on Neah’s heart because of her past so she always made sure the snack box was full of all Dorothy’s favourite things and she never said no.
She skips past me and towards the stairs but Neah’s eyes are on me. “What’s happened?”
“Jenson is in hospital.”
“Wait.” Mallory mutters, “You were going to give me forty eight hours.”
“It turns out that he didn’t have that left.” I sigh. “The forced shifting has killed his wolf and Jenson died with him. We restarted his heart, but it doesn’t look great.”
“Can he survive that? Like how does that work because it’s only Alpha blood that has an extra spirit right?”
“I don’t know, but you were right, Mallory. He said he fucked up. But his stubbornness to ask for help means we might be too late. Raven is doing what she can.”
The twins are oblivious to our conversation and are pulling on Mallory’s sleeves to get her to keep playing. She plasters on a smile and plays with them as she asks what we are going to do.
I repeat the same things to her as I did Eric.
“She’s really coming?” Neah asks quietly
“I don’t know, but it felt like it was a warning.”
“Don’t let the darkness in now, Neah.” Mallory warns her. “It might be exactly what she is looking for.” Her head flips to me. “We need to find more Lycans.”