103 - Kennedy
"Oh, my girl! How are you holding up?!" Sarah hurriedly approached the SUV as we stepped out. Or rather, as Ryker stepped out he still refused to let me go. Be walked close enough that his arm brushed against my foot with every stride.
“I''m fine, Sarah. Just a few bumps and bruises," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. Both Ryker and Be exhaled simultaneously, clearly worried. I rolled my eyes at their concern. "Really, I''m okay. See?" I motioned to my face, which was already showing signs of improvement. "Being this close to Ryker seems to speed up my healing."
"Well then, we need to get you a hot meal and a checkup from Doctor Bradshaw, and then straight to bed," Sarah ordered firmly.
"No, I want to head to my office first," I insisted. "We need to figure out what Amy is plotting, what ude is up to, and I don''t want to do that lying in bed. I''m tired of being stuck there because other people are trying to get to you through me." I nced at Ryker. “It makes me seem weaker than they think I am. I know I look like a mess, but I''m really okay. My physical condition can''t be more important than the pack''s safety, especially when there are at least two people actively trying to harm us right now." I tried to free myself from Ryker''s arms, but he whined softly.
"Thanks, Mom," he muttered as he gently set me down.
"Why your office, girlie?” Sarah asked, ignoring her son''sment.
“Because I''m not going alone, and my office has enough space for multiple people. Ryker''s office isn''t as amodating," I exined, noticing the smile she gave me.
"Can we at leastpromise? I can have Cindy bring you some food," Sarah suggested.
"Sure. The boys need to eat, too. You''ve probably heard, but we''re taking in a whole rogue camp. They''ll need food and likely some basic medical care. I''ll let Cindy handle feeding us, and once they''re settled, Doc Bradshaw can check me out." I raised an eyebrow, daring her to argue again. To my surprise, she simply nodded and turned away.
I followed her into the house, eager to sit down and review all the attacks now that we knew Amy was either leading or heavily involved in them. With this new insight, we had to understand how they''d been slipping past the pack''s defenses unnoticed. Sarah headed straight for the kitchen, no doubt to inform Cindy and the other kitchen omegas about the situation. As we made our way toward my office, Robin passed by us.
"I''ll provide you with a full list of the rogues staying with us once they''ve all been ounted for," Robin said. "There were two pregnant she-wolves I moved to the dorms so their mates could stay close but under watch. The healers are prioritizing them. Anything else you need, Alpha, Luna?"
"No, thank you, Robin," Ryker''s voice had that familiar tone that let me know he was standing close.
"Robin, once all the rogues are settled, I want you to get some rest. We''ll need you tomorrow," Imanded.
"But-"
"That''s an order,” I interrupted firmly and continued walking. If I didn''t insist, she''d push herself to exhaustion trying to handle everything.
When I pushed my office door open, I stopped abruptly. "Oh! What''s all this?"
"All what?" Ryker stepped in behind me.
"All these extra books scattered everywhere—that''s what!" I eximed.
"Josh and I brought them the other night. Don''t you remember?" He moved forward, followed by Danny, Be, and Josh.
“Uh, no,” I said, stepping over a stack of the oldest-looking volumes. "Where did thesee from?"
"Your alpha took them from ude after he insulted you," Josh said with augh. “Actually, the one you''re holding-he snatched it right out of ude''s hands."
I smirked as I flipped through the pages. "Why would you take his books? Insulting me doesn''t seem like a good enough reason."
“Well, it is,” Josh said with a grin. “He and his jerk Rick were searching for something. The office looked like a tornado hit it. They were in a rush, acting like assholes, so we decided to make their job a little harder."