The Broken Wolf
Chapter 136

“Oh, Oli,” I say, kneeling down next to my friend who is sitting under a tree, leaning against the trunk. “That looks awful.”

“It’s OK,” he says with a weak smile. “It could have been worse, and my wolf is already healing it. I’m glad that YOU are alright.”

I nod at him, not really knowing what else to say. He looks around, making sure there’s no one terribly close to us as he leans close towards me.

“I think they were after Benjamin,” he says in the softest voice, making sure no one else can hear.

I nod, not wanting to let anyone overhear too much. “I could see from the window. I saw everything that happened in the front.”

“Good,” he says with a nod. “Seth seemed fairly unhurt. How is your family?”

“They all seem alright. Just some minor cuts,” I tell him, looking at the massive bite on his arm. The bite is deep and there’s so much b***d, but he’s right, his wolf is already taking care of him and he should be fine.

He moves over and when his leg moves he winces in pain. He looks up at me with a lopsided grin. “I’m pretty sure I broke my leg. Ash is healing it, but damn does it hurt.”

I nod, feeling terrible that he’s hurt so badly. “We shouldn’t have come out here. I should have stayed at Lunar Falls. I should have known that it wouldn’t be safe.”

“Molls,” Oliver begins, “you couldn’t have known.”

He’s right, and they didn’t even want me. But why would Alex want to kill Benjamin? He’s his Beta. That’s nearly unheard of. I sigh and sit down next to Oliver on the ground, leaning against the tree.

We sit there for quite some time as they sort things out and move the bodies. Honestly, I’ve no clue where they’re taking them, but Seth seems to have everything under control. I do note that Albert is standing close by and my mate keeps popping his head around the side of the house to check that I’m alright.

“Molly,” Oliver says quietly, breaking the silence. “I think I smelled my mate last week.”

“What?!” I exclaim, turning to see his face. “Who?”

He shakes his head sadly. “It doesn’t matter. He smelled me, I’m sure he did. He looked right in my eyes, and then turned away.”

“I’m so sorry,” I tell him. I don’t want to pry, he’s clearly hurting from it, so I just stay there with him, looking up at the stars, willing the goddess to send him another that won’t silently reject him.

It’s getting really late and I’m struggling to stay awake,laying my head over on Oliver’s uninjured arm. Finally, Seth and Robbie walk over and Seth sits on the ground next to me.

“I know Benjamin offered,” Seth starts, “but I don’t want to stay out here tonight. I’d like to go back through the tunnels. I’ve tried to convince them to come with us, but Benjamin is stubborn. He’s not safe out here, though.”

I nod in agreement, he really isn’t safe. “I have an idea. Give me just a few minutes, alright?” Seth nods and I begin to walk to the cabin, but I turn back to my brother. “It IS alright if they stay a few days, right?”

“Of course, Molly,” he says seriously. “They’re welcome any time.”

I nod and continue, walking into the cabin where I replace all four of my parents sitting in their living room. “Did you tell her?” I ask Benjamin and he looks at me curiously.

“Did I tell who what?” he asks, wrinkling his forehead.

“Did you tell Lily that they weren’t targeting me,” I say, crossing my arms and looking him in the eyes. “They were after YOU.”

Lily gasps and looks at him. “What?”

Benjamin looks very upset with me and turns to her. “They may have. We don’t know for sure.”

“We do know for sure,” I cut him off, not wanting to hear him try to convince her of anything else. “I saw it. You’re coming to the Falls, at least for tonight.”

“Molly,” Benjamin says, clearly irritated with me.

Lily shakes her head and stands. “I’ll go pack. You’re not staying here if you’re not safe.”

He looks at me but I don’t even give him the chance to speak. “There’s no point to me saving your life if you’re just going to stay out here, waiting for them to kill you.” I can see on his face that he’s holding back anger at my outburst, but he doesn’t say anything as I turn and walk back outside to Seth.

“Lily is packing,” I tell him and he nods. “They’ll be ready soon.”

He nods, putting his arm around my shoulders. “You’re very sure about what you saw?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “I’m sure.”

After a few moments, we all begin to walk back to Lunar Falls. I note that Robbie rushes up and takes the bag that Lily is carrying and it makes me smile. There are fewer of our guards on the way back than there were on the way there. The realization of why breaks my heart. A few of the rogues had stayed and are walking with us, though I’m sure they’re making sure Benjamin arrives to safety.

We pass through the cave and once we arrive back at the packhouse, Seth leads me straight to Robbies Robbie’s office. My brother collapses unceremoniously in the chair at his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dad walks over to the filing cabinet and before I have a chance to sit down, George is entering the door as well.

George looks at me with a small smile on his face. “You alright, Princess?”

“Yeah, George,” I tell him, sitting in a chair at Robbie’s desk. “I’m alright.”

He looks up at my dad, a sad look on his face. “I’ve already pulled the files of the men we lost, sir.”

We lost men? I want to ask, but it doesn’t seem like the time. I hadn’t seen anyone from the falls at the cabin, but I could have been wrong.

“What did you see?” Seth asks, propping himself against the desk in front of me.

“The brown wolf, the one that led the others in,” I begin to tell him. “You were wrestling him. He looked up at Alex, who hadn’t shifted. Alex nodded towards Benjamin and he immediately left him and went straight to him.”

Seth sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“I know,” I tell him, completely agreeing with him. “When he did shift, he moved to the porch, but no one was actually trying to get into the cabin. They were all after Benjamin.”

“They attacked his house before,” Seth says, my dad sitting in the chair next to me, nodding in agreement. “They went after his children.”

“I know,” I tell him, shaking my head. “It doesn’t make sense, but I’m sure of what I saw.”

“Can I ask a question?” my dad asks and Seth looks at him. “What is the plan for the rogues? Essentially, they’ve formed a pack out there.”

Seth looks at me, but I’m unsure why and I shrug. “We’ve not really talked about it, but I felt safe in the assumption Molly would like to give them the land they’re on and make them an official pack.”

I nod in agreement and my dad smiles at me. “Then just give the pack to Benjamin soon. They’d be under your official protection then. That would likely head off more attacks. As Alpha, he’d feel them cross the border, at the least.”

I shake my head at him. “Benjamin can’t have the pack.”

“Really?” my dad asks, completely shocked.

“Yes,” I tell him and Seth nods. “It would be undermining Peter’s decision to make him rogue. As the King, I can’t do that to him. I’ve already told him I can’t give him the pack and he understands. I obviously can’t give it to Alex, either.”

“Perhaps that’s what Alex is trying,” Seth says and I look at him in confusion. “When we stayed at Alex’s he was adamant that night that Benjamin be on patrol with them, remember? He didn’t know that Benjamin couldn’t shift, but it seemed he had suspicions.”

I nod slowly at him. “And then Benjamin DID shift, and he’s clearly regained all his strength. Maybe Alex thought HE could be the Alpha, but now it seems more likely Benjamin can handle it. Since he’s my father, Alex probably thinks that I will hand it back to him.”

“So we need to replace a new Alpha and then hand the pack to them soon,” Seth says, deep in thought.

I look at him and shake my head, a smile on my face. “I think I’ve already found the new Alpha.”