Chapter 89

Haynes

As we drove to Simon’s pack, I looked over at my mate. She was staring out the window, and I could feel her nervousness through our bond.

“What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

She turned and looked at me, smiling bashfully. She was used to worrying on her own without anyone noticing or caring. She was still struggling with me being in her mind, constantly focused on her thoughts and emotions. She loved it when we were in bed together, but at times like this, she forgot, and I think it embarrassed her to get caught.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” she asked me.

“Nope, I’ve never been a Gamma before. Just a warrior, like you.”

She turned, looking back out the window.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. I was glad that it was just us. I wouldn’t be so direct if there were others in the van with us. But since we had to bring so many vans, we doubled up, and I made sure that my mate came with me.

“How do you know we won’t be attacked when we arrive?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t. We might, but I doubt there are very many warriors left, and any that are left will be young, too inexperienced to have fought with Simon, or suffering from a broken mate bond. There could be other warriors left to patrol the pack; that’s possible, but I doubt it. Simon was focused on getting our Luna. He doesn’t strike me as the type of Alpha that cared about his pack.”

“So you’re not worried about possibly walking into a fight?” she asked.

I shrugged. “How is that any different than what our lives have been like until now? Why, are you nervous about it?”

I watched as she thought through my question. I felt the turmoil in her. She liked knowing what she was walking into, and the not knowing was making her nervous.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” I asked.

She turned and looked at me, and now I understood the fear.

“I could lose you,” she said, barely above a whisper.

I took her hand and pulled it to my mouth, kissing it while watching the road.

“I’m not Noelle, Laney. I’m a strong warrior, and I know you’ve spent a large portion of your life trying to keep her safe, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. My life has improved dramatically since I met you. I’m not giving that up. I’m not letting some asshole take me out now, just when I’ve found you and I finally get a taste of the life that I’ve always wanted. No way that’s happening. I have too much to live for now, and not only that, but I have a kick-ass mate who I know will always have my back. So, even if someone gets past me, there’s no way they’re getting past her,” I said, smiling when I saw her lips twitching.

“Yeah, she is pretty awesome,” she said, chuckling.

“She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met,” I said seriously. “And that’s considering who our Luna is.”

I felt her settle as we talked. The fear was still there, but it wasn’t at risk of overwhelming her. My mate liked to be in control, and in the bedroom, I was happy to oblige. But in the real world, that’s not always possible. I preferred her focused on what’s going on today, not worried about me and making mistakes because she’s too busy trying to protect me rather than protecting herself.

When we pulled up to the gates of Simon’s pack, it was quiet. I rolled down the windows, listening. There was no one here, and I didn’t hear any patrol either.

“Anyone hear anything?” I asked in the mind link.

“No, Gamma,” I heard from each car.

“Stay alert,” I said as I pulled into the pack lands. Laney rolled down her window, and we listened. I knew the others behind us were doing the same.

Luna Yara had convinced Trena to come with us. She hadn’t wanted to, but when Yara said she would, Bradley insisted on coming along too. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Trena, not going to let anyone say anything bad about her, but we needed her to let the others know that we weren’t here to kill them.

“This is creepy,” Laney said as we pulled up to the packhouse. It was still eerily quiet here.

“Stay alert,” I said to her as I got out, looking around. I could smell stale food and fear. Lots of fear.

“Do you know if Alpha Simon is dead yet?” Laney asked quietly, walking to stand beside me.

“I would guess that if he isn’t, he will be soon. It took us just over an hour to get here, and I’m pretty sure Alpha wasn’t going to wait to kill him. Maybe that’s why it’s so quiet.”

I looked at Trena as she walked up. I could see that her eyes were haunted being back here. I hated that she had to face this, but it was necessary, and she was a tough woman. She wouldn’t be mated to Bradley if she wasn’t.

“What do you think?” I asked her.

I watched as her focus changed, and the haunted look became more calculating. “I think the omegas are terrified, worried that we’re here to kill them, but someone has taken charge and told them to hide. That’s who you need to worry about,” she said.

“Any ideas who that might be?” Bradley asked. He wasn’t one hundred percent yet, but I knew he’d fight if it came to it.

“His Gamma, maybe. I’m not sure if he’s still alive or not. I doubt the Lead Warrior is alive. He’d have been with Simon.”

“Hello!” I called out. Nothing.

“They don’t do booby-traps here, right?” I asked Trena.

“Not to my knowledge,” she said.

I turned and looked at the warriors behind me. “You five, in the back, the rest of you, with me.”

“Get behind me, Trena,” Bradley said, gently pushing her behind his back.

“You’re the injured one, Bradley,” she growled softly. He ignored her.

I looked at Laney. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this,” she said. We walked up to the front door, and I nodded for Laney to kick it in. I wasn’t risking that someone was on the other side waiting to attack.

She did, then quickly moved aside as I stood in the doorway, ready for someone to leap out at me, but no one did. The pungent scent of fear increased now that the door was open.

“Hello?” I called again.

“YOU KILLED HIM!” a woman screamed, leaping at me from the shadows. Before I could grab her, Bradley’s big hand grabbed her by the throat, holding her in the air.

“Calm down!” he growled.

“Lina, calm down. What are you doing?” Trena asked her.

“Trena? We thought you were dead.”

“I’m not dead. Who’s in charge here?”

Bradley set her down but didn’t release her throat. Lina scoffed. “Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? No one’s left. It’s just us.”

“We’re clear in the back, Gamma,” one of my warriors said.

I nodded at Laney to enter along with the men I had with me.

“Where’s Gamma Darius?” Trena asked.

“Dead. They’re all dead. We felt all of their tethers break, including Alpha Simon’s not long ago. So, are you here to kill us then?” she snarled.

“No. We’re here to bring you back to our pack or offer you the option of joining Alpha Harold’s pack. You have the option of going rogue, but I wouldn’t recommend that,” I told her.

“Mostly terrified omegas and pups inside, Haynes,” Laney’s voice said in my mind.

“Trena, can you go inside and talk to the omegas? Let them know that we’re willing to take them into our pack,” I said. She headed inside, leaving Bradley and me to speak to this woman who must have taken charge of the pack.

“Are you going to let go of me now?” she growled at Bradley.

“Are you going to stop trying to attack my Gamma, now?” Bradley retorted.

“How many warriors are left?” I asked her.

“Only those of us who were unable to fight,” she said. “Most of them are near death because they lost their mates.”

“Our Luna can help them,” I said.

“Your Luna…” she scoffed again.

“Yes, my Luna. Maybe you’ve heard of her. Her name is Yara. She came from this pack. She’s the reason that your Alpha and all of your warriors are dead. He came after our Alpha’s mate. He didn’t care how many of his warriors got killed and, in the end, he died because he tried to take her,” I snarled, annoyed by her attitude. “So, you have a couple of choices, Lina. Get your sh*t together and decide which pack you want to be a part of or try and make it on your own. You have until we get these omegas packed into the vans to decide. You come after me or any of my warriors again, I’ll kill you. Are we clear?”

I watched something in her shift. This woman may have been a warrior, but she was no leader. She, like the others in this pack, needed a leader to feel safe. I realized that she was not only suffering from the loss of her mate but also from not having anyone to lead her and this pack. She took it over, but it wasn’t her strength.

She lifted her neck in submission to my authority, and Bradley released her. “We’re clear,” she said, much more calmly.

It was at this moment that I realized the importance of my role in the pack. Our pack accepted me because they knew me and knew my strengths. But there would be times, like now, when my position was important for other reasons, and being able to show others that they are safe, protected, and cared for goes a long way to making the pack cohesive and calm. I’ve always respected Alpha Warren and Beta Charlie, but that respect just increased, knowing that this is what they have had to do, even in our pack, since they took over.

When I walked inside, I saw the omegas were starting to stand. Their eyes went wide when they saw me. Maybe me accepting my position, the role in the pack, had changed my aura, or maybe they just recognized a ranked member from another pack. Either way, my presence was making them nervous.

“Trena, have you explained to them what we are offering?” I asked, looking around.

“Yes, Gamma. Everyone would like to return to our pack. They don’t know Alpha Harold, but I told them if they aren’t happy in our pack, we would find a way to help them see Alpha Harold’s pack.”

“Good thinking. Everyone needs to collect their things and get in the vans. Only take what you can carry or can’t live without,” I said, and they all began moving to their rooms to get their things.

I looked at Bradley. “Let’s see what food we can take. They don’t look like they’ve been eating much.”

He took Trena, and together they went to collect whatever food was salvageable.

Laney took my hand and pulled me into an empty hallway. “That was so f*cking hot, the way you went all Gamma on that woman,” she growled, pressing herself against me. “When we get home, you’re mine, Gamma.”

I slid my fingers into her hair, gripping it and tugging her head back so she was looking at me. “I’m always yours, Gamma,” I said before taking her mouth in a hot, dirty kiss.

We got everyone loaded into the vans, making sure they had food and water. As we drove back to the pack, I looked at Laney, and I knew she felt it too. We may have had the pack ceremony to make us the pack’s Gammas, but this assignment, getting these people back to our pack, had made me feel more like a Gamma than the ceremony did.

I reached out my hand to take my mate’s. I understood my role now, understood my position in the pack much better, and I knew that she felt the change in us as well. We were our pack’s Gammas. We were leaders in the strongest pack in our territory.