Saved By The Alpha
Chapter 5

A few hours later, we were boarding the private jet. Iris got Bella situated while I got our bags put up overhead, handing over Bella’s stuffed toy as soon as she sat down. Iris gave me a tired smile as she sat down next to Bella, opening the window blind for her to look out, even if there wasn’t much to see on the tarmac.

“Are you okay?” I asked, frowning slightly as I sat down across from her.

Iris tore her gaze away from Bella and nodded. “Mhm. It’s been a crazy few days.” She shrugged. “Besides, even shifters don’t heal overnight, not from something like this. If it makes you feel any better, I feel better than I did the first time I had the battery changed in my pacemaker.” She paused thoughtfully. “Or, at the very least, I don’t feel as taken off guard by it.”

I hated to admit it, but that did make me feel a little better. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to just rest.” I sighed, certain that dragging Iris halfway around the world hadn’t done her any favors in the healing department. Maybe I should have thought of that before leaving for London. But what was done was done, and I couldn’t take it back. Besides, my concern about Project Night Moon and the Raven Brothers hunting for Bella — and Iris — wasn’t just paranoia either. Protecting them from a direct attack wouldn’t have offered anyone much rest.

“Are you okay?” Iris asked, raising a brow when I let out a sigh.

I grunted, mirroring her look. “I just want to be back in Texas already,” I muttered, looking impatiently toward the cockpit.

Iris nodded. “You and me both.”

What are they waiting for? My father was already here. Everything was stowed away. There was no reason to loiter.

Moments later, two more men walked on board, and the door finally shut. I bristled instinctively, my wolf surging to the surface at the sight of them. “What the hell are you two doing here?” I demanded.

“Where are your manners?” Brock grunted, folding his arms over his chest.

Uncle Gage simply gave me a placating smile. “We’re joining you in Austin,” he said simply, taking a seat next to my father. “It sounds like you could use some help with the chaos in Remus’ pack.” Brock sat down across from them both. He was lucky he was out of reach. I couldn’t be responsible for kicking him in the shin if he made the mistake of sitting next to Iris and Bella.

I shot a concerned look toward my father. “We have everything under control,” I growled.

“That’s not what it sounded like when Nic was talking to Remus,” Gage replied, still smiling like the cat who’d gotten the cream and the canary too. “You two need extra manpower.”

Ancestors, I hate cats.

I didn’t bare my teeth, but it was damn close. “Maybe you didn’t hear me —”

“It’s fine, Eli,” my father said, cutting me off. He held out a placating hand, seeming weary.

I glowered back at him, trying not to snap. He should have been more careful when he was on the phone. He knows better than that! While I doubted anyone from the Raven Brothers had been in our family home over the past few days, Maverick had told me (and I had told everyone else) that they were an international organization and London was a global city. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an agent or two hidden in London somewhere.

I bit my tongue and took a deep breath before I could say something I couldn’t take back — not with Gage and Brock here. “I assume everything here is under control, then?”

If we were going to take back extra help with us, the least my father could have done was to have been overheard by capable wolves. I’d never seen Brock be useful a day in my life.

“Yes,” my father hummed, fixing me with a look that said, “We will discuss this later.” I wanted to discuss it now, but Brock and Gage didn’t need to know any more than they already did. “I’ve split duties between Liam and Gladiola. I’d like you to coordinate with Myles about assisting them, as well.”

Gage snorted — his expression slightly pinched. “I’m sure Myles will be happy to do whatever you need,” I replied briskly, glowering at my uncle. Myles was so much more capable than his father gave him credit for — actually, both of his sons were. How Gage had produced people who were actually good, I’d never know.

“Now that that’s settled,” Gage said, relaxing into the seat a little more as the plane’s engines rumbled to life, “we’ll need to be caught up to speed.” His gaze shifted from me to Bella, and I couldn’t quite read the expression there. “They’re targeting this little girl? Why would such an organization target a child?”

I bristled, but before I could speak, my father shut the conversation down. “That is none of your business, Gage,” he growled. The pressure in the cabin seemed to shift, and it wasn’t just the plane hurtling down the runway. “Bella is a person, and you don’t need to know every detail about her. You also do not need to know anything else about the case and whether the child is involved.” When Gage opened his mouth once again, my father growled. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” my uncle replied, his voice a little strangled. He wrinkled his nose.

Brock frowned. “You know, we could be more useful if—”

My father gave him a sharp look. “You would have been most useful in London, but you insisted otherwise, so no — I do not think you could be more useful,” he replied, clearly unimpressed.

The pair of men exchanged a look, but the pack alpha had left no room to argue. I was relieved Brock and Gage had finally stopped talking, but… I knew I wasn’t going to be able to relax for the rest of the flight, and we’d only just taken off.

I glanced back over at Iris, and she flashed me a grimace, eyes flicking over to my uncle and my mother’s mate. I returned her gaze before we both schooled our expressions back to careful, neutral, and uninterested in inviting any more conversation with either of them. I wasn’t ready to let this conversation go, but — I wasn’t going to give either of them any more ammunition either.

At least they can’t plot to take over Longbow if they’re within arm’s reach.

It was a feeble silver lining at best, but that’s all I had to go on right now.

The flight consisted of the longest nine hours of my life. Bella had fallen asleep about halfway through, and once she was comfortable, Iris had drifted off, too. Even my father eventually got some shut-eye, but I couldn’t rest. Even when I was the only passenger awake on the plane, I refused to let my guard down.

Gage and Brock had all but forced their way onto this trip, and my father had made it clear he wasn’t really interested in their so-called “help”. I knew there was nothing altruistic about their offer, especially when they had tried to overthrow him merely hours ago.

So why do they want to come with us? It would be so much easier to sow seeds of doubt among the other council members if they stayed behind.

I stared out into the black of night, with only the blinking light on the edge of the wing breaking the void. There had to be a reason, and it wasn’t that they’d done a 180-degree personality switch and become totally different people.

Are they trying to collect evidence of my father’s…I can’t even remember what they were trying to call it…loyalty to Remus instead of Longbow? Of Remus’ intentions to take over Longbow? The idea made me snort. If that was their plan, let them waste their time. I still might not be convinced my father didn’t prefer Remus over me, but it had become obvious over the past several months that my half-brother was not interested in leaving his pack for England, nor did he want to expand his pack to a new continent.

As my father had noted, it would be absolute insanity to try and manage that, even for the most powerful of alphas.

They might try to get evidence on me, too.The realization hit me a moment later. If they were trying to build their case that my father should be deposed, then they were going to try to build a case against me, too. It was quite clear they weren’t looking to me to be their next pack alpha, so they’d be forced to get me out of the way, too.

I sighed. Great. I can’t wait to watch my every move because this wasn’t stressful or challenging enough.

Two cars metus at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. My father nodded to me and the girls as we disembarked from the jet. “You, Iris, and Bella will take that one,” he said to me quietly, his gaze softening momentarily as he watched Bella sleeping on Iris’ shoulder. I looked over and recognized Jaxon as the driver.

He turned to the other two, his expression going stony again. “Gentlemen, I will accompany you to a hotel. I wasn’t expecting you to join us, or I’d have made other accommodations.”

Gage raised his brows. “You aren’t staying at a hotel, Nic?”

My father shook his head. “I stay with Remus when I visit so I can spend more time with my grandsons. I cannot invite you to his home, you understand.” He gave his brother a dark look. “As it is, I’m pushing his hospitality by informing him I’m bringing two extra wolves with me without asking his permission first. This is, after all, not our territory.”

“Of course,” Gage replied, clearly trying to placate him. His tone made me want to slug the man. Instead, I grabbed our bags, trying to hurry the process so I could get as far away from my uncle and his henchman as possible.

Unfortunately, all I succeeded in doing was getting Brock’s attention. “Why don’t we stay with Eli? He’s got a place. We wouldn’t want you to spend any money on our behalf, Nic.”

I rolled my eyes — as if Gage wasn’t loaded. As if he couldn’t afford a penthouse for himself and one for Brock too. “I don’t have a guest room,” I replied, not bothering to force a smile this time.

Brock gave me his “disappointed” face. “I thought you had an entire condo here, Eli.”

Who told him that?

It didn’t really matter. I wasn’t staying at the condo, and I wasn’t about to tell them where I was staying, either. It was supposed to be a safe house, and frankly, more people already knew about it than I was comfortable with. My father had already blown the Project Night Moon secret, and I wasn’t about to give away our secure location on top of that.

“You heard what I said,” I replied, not about to go into the details of my living situation. That was none of his business.

My father rumbled and stepped closer, extending a hand to guide Brock away from me and back toward the other car. “I assure you that this is one of the nicest hotels in Austin. It’s no trouble.”

“I’ll see you later,” I snapped, leaving no room for argument. Iris had already gotten Bella situated inside the car, and as soon as I got the door closed behind me, Jaxon had the vehicle moving.

I just need some space.