Saved By The Alpha
Chapter 10

I had gotten Bella to bed, and Remus and Eli still weren’t back. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal. I’d had interrogations before that had lasted hours. This was assuming the men in question were in their apartment at all, of course. I knew they were working for Project Night Moon, and who knew what kind of schedule they kept?

Despite all of this, my mind kept offering me little “what-ifs”.

What if this was all a trap?

What if someone planted one of Remus’ packmates to lure him somewhere?

What if—

At some point, I had to stop myself, or I’d just keep cycling through useless, anxious thoughts. After scanning the TV and replaceing nothing worth watching, I wandered into the kitchen. I wasn’t much of a baker, but there were ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in the cupboard, and the package of chocolate chips conveniently had a recipe on the back.

I’d made three dozen cookies, eaten at least one from each dozen (as well as some cookie dough), and washed all the dishes by the time the door opened. It took a lot of willpower not to hurry over the moment I heard it, anxious to hear what the men had found out.

“Smells good in here,” Remus murmured as the entrance closed.

A moment later, Eli rounded the corner, raising a brow at me. “I didn’t know you baked.”

I shrugged. “Not a lot to do around here. What did you replace out?”

Eli sighed and looked over at Remus, who immediately returned his disappointed glance. My heart sunk at once. “What?” I asked, the suspense already killing me. “Another dead end?”

“Yes,” Remus said, stonily.

“Literally,” Eli added, sitting down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs.

I scowled. “What is that supposed to mean?” Why was this like pulling teeth? “Were they there, or weren’t they?”

“They were,” Remus said after a moment, joining his half-brother at the table. “One of my pack members owns the apartment complex and gave us access. The two actually let us into their apartment and started off by trying to play dumb, but they stopped acting soon enough.”

Eli cleared his throat. “They did admit to working with Project Night Moon, and as soon as they did, they spouted off about how ‘shifters wouldn’t need to hide anymore’.” He scowled, reaching for a cookie and biting into it aggressively. “They said something else, though. They said this had been going on for decades. I know Agent Foxrun had mentioned they’d recruited Dr. Brenner a while ago, but the way they were talking…” He trailed off and shook his head.

Remus gave a small nod. “Yes, they indicated it was well older than any of us, but I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, exactly. It would be worth mentioning to her, at least. Perhaps she can replace more information.”

I rolled this over in my mind before narrowing my eyes. “That sounds like a good start,” I said slowly, looking at both of them. “So, what happened that made this a dead end?” I hadn’t forgotten what they’d said.

Eli finished his cookie and cleared his throat before looking up at me. “They’re dead,” he said simply.

“What? What the hell!? Why didn’t you take them into custody? I thought Remus had a holding facility for that!”

Remus sighed, rubbing his face. “I do,” he replied. “And we would have liked to. However, before we could even broach the subject, both of them collapsed. They had foam coming out of their mouths. I’ve arranged with my people to collect the bodies and do a proper analysis, but I would be willing to bet cash they had a cyanide and colloidal silver capsule implanted into one molar for events like this. I have no idea what else could have killed them so quickly without us noticing.”

Eli snorted. “I saw one of them clench their jaw once, but he was yelling at Remus about what a shit alpha he was for not wanting to join Project Night Moon. I assumed it was his temper.”

I blinked, stunned by the idea. “Are you kidding me?”

Eli shook his head. “No. They’re dead. They are very dead.”

What kind of group gives their guards that kind of out in case they’re captured? Who the hell are we dealing with?

My thoughts roiled. We had a lead — and once again, we were cut off. “What the actual f**k,” I snapped.

“Iris—”

“Just give me a minute,” I growled, leveling Eli with a dark look. “I need a minute.”

Remus cleared his throat, standing. “Understandable. I should get back to Luna.” He paused, giving me a searching look. “We will figure this out, Iris. We will not let you and Bella be found. And this will not be allowed to continue.”

I watched him for a moment and gave a curt nod, not trusting myself to speak right then. Thankfully, that seemed to be enough. He nodded in return and bid us good night, letting himself out the front door.

As I turned to the kitchen, Eli leaned into his chair, balancing on the back legs as he looked at me. “Iris, I am sorry we didn’t replace more information,” he said quietly, his face drawn. “If I had any idea they’d do that…” He sighed and shook his head. “We were prepared for them to try and jump us or make a run for it. I never thought they’d use their own death as a form of escape.”

A heavy sigh slithered free, and my shoulders slumped. “It’s not your fault,” I said quietly, the anger already draining out of me. “I just… It feels like no matter what we do, we’re not getting any closer. If anything, we’re going backward. They know we know now, and they could get out of dodge at any moment. Then where will we be?” I pressed my l!ps together and looked toward the stairs and the little girl sleeping on the second floor. “I don’t want Bella to have to spend her entire life looking over her shoulder, waiting for these ghosts from her past to pop up at any moment.”

I know exactly what that feels like…

I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I heard the sound of a chair skidding over the floor. A moment later, Eli was standing next to me. He paused for a moment before brushing his hand against mine. I allowed myself to tip my hand toward his, and he laced our fingers together, giving me a gentle squeeze. “I know,” he said, quiet now. “I know. It feels like we’re on the hamster wheel from hell.”

I laughed, even if it wasn’t that funny. But if I didn’t laugh, I felt like I might cry.

Eli must have felt it too, and turned, pulling me closer. He let go of my hand, wrapping his arms around me instead. “I won’t let them get Bella,” he murmured softly, his l!ps next to my ear. “I won’t let them get you either, Iris. I promise. If it’s the last thing I do — I will not let them replace you.”

I paused, the last of the anger fading away.

“Thank you, Eli. I— thank you.”

And I meant it. I really, truly meant it.

Anxiety was still thrumming through my veins when I woke up the next morning. I felt like I was in a bit of a haze as I got Bella up, only going through the motions instead of engaging with her the way I usually did. We were quiet, and she didn’t seem to mind, but a bit of guilt gnawed at me. And that only fed the anxious feeling in the pit of my gut.

The coffee probably didn’t help, either.

Remus returned shortly after breakfast. This time, Luna joined him, smiling at me and Bella as they followed Eli into the kitchen. I was surprised to see Remus’ beta, too.

“Iris,” Remus said once I got Bella settled on the floor in the living room. “I’m not sure if I’ve properly introduced you to my beta. This is Bane McGrath.” He nodded to the man leaning against the door frame between the kitchen and living room. Bane had dark brown eyes and a scowl that would put most cathedral gargoyles to shame. I supposed he’d make a good beta if you were the type of alpha who didn’t want anyone to bug you. “Bane, this is Iris Walker, the woman who brought Project Night Moon to our attention.”

Bane gave a small nod, inclining his head in my direction. “Nice to meet you,” he rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly.

“Likewise,” I replied, tipping my head to one side.

“I’ve asked Bane to help Luna as she learns some self-defense,” Remus continued, his face still quite serious. “With everything going on and how often I haven’t been at home lately, I want to make sure she’s able to protect herself and our children if it comes to that.” He paused, looking back at me. “Luna suggested she’d be more comfortable if she had someone else to work with, as well. Would you be interested in training with the two of them?”

I paused, momentarily stunned that Luna would ask for me, never mind that Remus would take that seriously.

Of course, I thought he’d take his mate seriously, but me?

He tipped his head. “You aren’t obligated, of course,” he said, apparently taking my silence as disinterest. “But I wanted to at least ask.”

“No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m just — I’m not professionally trained. I had to teach myself. I’m not sure how much help I’d be.”

The corner of Remus’ mouth quirked up, some of the brightness returning to his gaze. “That’s why I have Bane,” he said, nodding to his beta again. “I think Luna just wanted the moral support of a friend. You’re welcome to practice with Bane on your own as well if you’d like. Or not. Again, I just said I’d ask.”

I blinked. “I—”

Luna thinks of me as a friend…? Wow. When was the last time—

I cut myself off. “I’d like that, but…” I nodded toward Bella. She was still sitting happily on the carpet, currently coloring rainbows across a butterfly’s wings in one of the coloring books she had. Her stuffed wolf was propped up next to her.

Remus hummed. “Well, for now, Eli and I are more than capable of keeping an eye on her. I’d like to go over last night with him, anyway. And if you want to keep sparring in the future, you’re welcome to bring Bella over to our house. Fiona watches the twins when Iris and Bane spar if I’m not home.”

“Please?” Luna asked, stepping in from the kitchen. I’d almost forgotten she and Eli were still over there. “At least, just for today. We’ll just be out back.”

“Okay,” I finally said, nodding. I still wasn’t in great shape after having my pacemaker’s battery replaced, so it probably wasn’t a bad idea to shake some of the rust off. “Yeah, okay. Maybe Bane could even teach me something new.”

Bane grunted, but I could see the hint of a smile before he forced it back down.

Maybe this will help me release some of this anxiety too.

It wasn’tthat I doubted Bane, exactly, but…I didn’t think he’d be much of a teacher. To my pleasant surprise, I was wrong. The Silver Streak beta didn’t have much to say, which was fine by me, but he seemed to actually understand not just how to fight but how to teach. He didn’t get frustrated when Luna stumbled over a few moves or with the fact that I was clearly well out of shape.

“Why don’t the two of you take a minute to spar with each other?” he suggested, taking a few steps back to give us space.

“Really?” Luna asked, looking a bit alarmed. She glanced over at me.

I flashed her a reassuring smile. “I’m not going to beat you up,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m pretty out of shape. We’ll be evenly matched.”

Luna paused for a moment, twisting her mouth. “Well…don’t go easy on me, either.” She paused again. “Okay, maybe a little, but not too much.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head. “Sure,” I replied, taking my place. Luna did the same, taking a few moments to shake her wrists and settle her breathing. It wouldn’t be like that in a real fight — but it seemed like Luna hadn’t really had any actual sparring matchesunder her belt, just practicing particular moves with Bane. We could build up to more later.

Once Luna gave me a nod, I stepped forward, reaching for her. It probably wasn’t as fast as I could be, but that was all I was capable of at the moment. Luna froze for a moment before reacting as I got a soft tap in on her middle. I wasn’t trying to hurt her, after all, but she needed to know when she’d be hit and where.

It seemed like that was enough to get Luna’s head in the game. Her next movements were much faster. She even got a strike on my arm before I could duck out of the way. It seemed to encourage her, and soon I wasn’t thinking so much as reacting. It felt good to get back to something I knew. I didn’t even notice I was panting or my muscles were burning until Luna stumbled a few steps backward, holding her hands up in surrender.

“That’s enough!” she gasped, breathless. Her cheeks were flushed bright pink, but her silver eyes were sparkling. “That’s enough. Damn, Iris. You’re so fast, and you’re not even at full strength! I’m not sure I’ll ever be that good.”

I took a step back, grateful for a moment to catch my breath. “I wasn’t that fast when I started,” I replied, smiling a little. “I’ve had a few more years than you. You’re a lot better with little kids than I am, you know.”

That made Luna smile and duck her head, seeming pleased. “I guess that’s true. If you’d like to keep practicing with me…I’d really like that. I know Bane is trying his best, but…I’m just more comfortable with you.”

I smiled a little more, tipping my head. “Yeah…I think I’d like that. I think Bella would probably like playing with the twins, too.” After a moment, I decided to sit down on the ground, hands in the grass. “I think I need it, too,” I admitted after a moment, trying to settle my breathing. “I forgot how quickly my stamina gives out.”

Luna sat down across from me, making a small face. “Is that because of the pacemaker?”

“Yeah,” I said, sighing. “When I was a kid, I used to love running — both as a wolf and in human form. There was a track team at the middle school, and my best friend and I both really wanted to join. We’d have races with each other all the time.” I looked down at the grass. “Obviously, we never got to try out.”

Luna made a low noise. “I’m sorry, Iris. I can’t even imagine.”

I shrugged. “It happened. If my heart was going to heal itself, it would have by now. I’m just…going to be like this forever.” I sighed, looking back toward the house. Bane had given us some privacy, which I appreciated even more right about now. “I hope I can keep up with Bella as she gets older.”

I was starting to doubt we were going to replace her family any time soon.

Luna made a sympathetic face. “You’re doing a great job, Iris.”

“Am I?” I frowned, my brows pushing together. “I feel like I’m barely keeping her alive, much less happy. I never even wanted to babysit my foster siblings when I was younger, much less…I don’t know. Have a not-quite-my-own baby.”

Luna tipped her face to one side. “No?”

I shook my head. “What the hell would I know? My parents died when I was ten, and the foster homes weren’t exactly loving.” I huffed, looking back toward the house again. “Besides…Bella deserves a two-parent household. I mean, she deserves her parents, that’s what she deserves, but if not her parents, then a couple who love her and can support her.”

And that’s not me. Eventually, I’ll have to get on the road again, and Bella needs a stable home to grow up in.

Eventually, I’d have to say goodbye to her. I hadn’t considered that possibility before, and something like regret pooled in my belly.

Luna was quiet for a few moments before she got back to her feet, closing the distance between us and offering me a hand. “C’mon. Let’s go inside and see what the boys are up to,” she suggested. “Maybe we can send them out for burgers and shakes.”

“That sounds nice,” I said, aware she was trying to change the topic and make me feel better. For the moment, I was willing to let her.