26 - ra


    He left. Just like that he simply walked away. Did I secretly hope to find him beside me when I woke up? No, I told myself firmly.


    "Yes," my inner wolf whispered sharply, calling out my lie, but I refused to admit it aloud.


    I''m not sure I''ve ever allowed myself to be this exposed with anyone before. I surrenderedpletely, letting him take the reins and use me as he pleased, and somehow, it felt like it was all for my own good. He didn''t gain anything from it. Maybe that''s why he vanished. He never sought anything in return; he just knew how to manipte the bond between us to force me to rest—and rest I did. I slipped into unconsciousness for the remainder of the day and the entire night that followed. The only thing that stirred me awake was the steady poundinging from my best friends'' apartment next door, the shared wall amplifying their rhythm as the sun crept over the treetops. Checking my phone, I saw the time and couldn''t help but let the sounds stir my own memories. I allowed myself to drift into the recollection of Ben and his wolf iming me with such fierce passion.


    Once the noise died down and we all seemed content and quiet, I hesitated but eventually climbed out of bed. I made my way to the shower, only to be ambushed by memories there too—Ben catching me bent over as I washed, the fire in his eyes as he gripped me tightly. I definitely needed a cold shower if I was ever going to leave my room again.


    “Sleep well?” Jax''s smirk greeted me as I entered the dining room.


    "Did you have a good morning fuck?" I shot back with equal sass. His nce toward Dev was charged with heat so intense that I knew if we kept this up, they''d both need a half-hour break to recover.


    "Thanks to you and your boytoy, yes, we did," Dev said with a smile. “He''s been the best yet. I could practically feel your pleasure wafting through the air—it was incredible." I buried my face in my hands, feeling a flush rise.


    We''ve never been shy about sex, always sharing our experiences openly, which has only enhanced our own. But for some reason, I didn''t want to share anything about Ben or the new, fragile intimacy blossoming between us.


    "Don''t go hiding on us now. Was it really as amazing as it sounded? I bet he''s hung like a beast. You were making so much noise—he has to be huge!" Dev teased.


    "I don''t actually know, Dev. He only used his mouth and fingers," I replied, feeling a little shy.


    Jax dropped his fork in disbelief. "You sounded like that and didn''t even get the full ride?!"


    A small smile tugged at my lips. I could understand his surprise. I''d never been satisfied with oral alone, and no one had ever knocked me unconscious with just two orgasms-Ben did both spectacrly. A pang of envy for his girlfriend— wherever she was—twisted in my gut. Suddenly, my mouth went dry. Jax must have caught the shift in my mood because he quickly changed the subject.


    "So, we have a better handle on the trails now. Patrols found a new one earlier this morning—well,st night, actually. About five hours ago, they discovered a trail that leads into the western forest near the mountains."


    "How did you find a new trail now? We''ve been searching for months..." I asked, puzzled.


    "Uh, Ben walked us through it while you were... uh... well, after he, uh..." Jax stammered.


    "After your boytoy rocked your world and knocked you out, he filled us in on some new findings," Dev cut in, interrupting Jax''s faltering exnation.


    "He told you? And don''t call him that—it''s weird and wrong on so many levels."


    "Oh, I''m going to call him whatever I want behind his back. To his face, it''s ''sir.'' My wolf won''t let me call him anything else."


    "What? No, I don''t want to know. We''re getting off track. What did he tell you?"


    They updated me on the details Ben had shared about witch involvement. All our patrols took the information seriously and acted on it immediately. The most active trail starts from the forest on our western border, crosses the waterfront, and heads toward the cave. Junior''s team checked in and found trails leading into neutral territory. Ben also alerted Blue Moon and White Diamond, but so far, they''ve found nothing. Despite the trails, no one has been caught moving through ournds.


    "We need to catch someone-anyone-at this point," I muttered, pacing around my desk. We''d updated the map in my office to include the new trails, but now I needed timings to strategically monitor anyone passing through our territory.


    A sudden knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. An omega opened it, her face pale with fear.


    "Get out of my way!" a booming voice barked as one of our shopkeepers stormed past her. I straightened up, ready for whatever confrontation was brewing. I wasn''t about to let some arrogant jerke in here and treat anyone under my roof like dirt.


    "Marcia, are you okay?" I asked gently, noticing how she clung to the doorframe, clearly wishing she could be anywhere else.


    "I''m talking to you, girl. Your help can leave," the man growled, making Marcia squeak and scurry away quickly. My temper red instantly.


    My wolf surged to the surface, reflected sharply in my eyes as I stepped forward to face the full-grown man. "You are in the presence of your Alpha. You will show respect in this house-to everyone here. Is that clear?"


    "You''re not my Alpha. Your father should remember what he was toldst year. All our businesses are tanking under your so-called leadership. Your people are suffering. Kids are scared to go outside, parents worry they''ll be next to be poisoned and left to rot in the hospital while you hide away here with your little friends ying at being in charge. Fix the problem, or you''ll be challenged—and you won''t win."


    With that, he stormed out, leaving me stunned. I nced around the room, dumbfounded. "What the hell was that?"


    My best friends looked at me like they''d just tasted something sour. "You should talk to Ben," Dev suggested quietly.


    "What can he possibly tell me that you two chickenshits can''t?!" I snapped.


    "It''s not that we can''t tell you. You''re just calmer when he delivers bad news," Jax exined. I exhaled sharply and fixed my gaze on him. I''d wait them out since apparently, I wasn''t being reasonable.


    “Yeah, so there''ve been some rumors floating around... and they''re just that— rumors. Nothing we''ve heard is close to the truth, but someone''s definitely trying to see you fail,” Dev began gently.


    "Why the fuck..." I started, but a familiar voice interrupted.


    "Hey, El." I looked around, searching for the source of the disembodied voice.