The Alphas of South Forest - Valentine's

ROSEMARY

“What have my mates been up to? I haven’t spoken to Harvey today, and I refuse to talk to them, obviously.”

Hector looks a little uncomfortable, as he always does when I put him in the middle like this.

“Uh, when I spoke to them earlier, they were making steady progress. They have eliminated one of the humans. He knew too much.”

It’s the sad truth that, sometimes, humans find out our secret and want to use the knowledge for malicious actions. When that happens, they’re taken out.

“And how did they seem?” I ask tentatively.

“Uh…irritable, if I’m honest. I think being away from you isn’t good for them. Combine that with them knowing you’re angry and it’s a dangerous mix. They’re on edge.”

I chew on my bottom lip, worrying that I’m being too harsh.

“Do you think their emotions could affect their judgment? Am I putting them in danger by winding them up like this?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t believe so. They are very good at switching off their emotions and focusing on the task at hand.

“They’re good Alphas. I trust them not to let their feelings affect their judgment.”

He looks like he’s going to say more, so I stay quiet. Hector leans in and lowers his voice, as though the twins might be listening.

“You didn’t hear this from me, but a lot of pack members agree with the stand you’re making. The trip should have been a joint decision. They were not right to make it without you.”

Hector’s support is refreshing, and I feel grateful for his input.

“Thank you, Hector. I really wouldn’t have gotten through this past week without you, so thank you. I really appreciate it.”

He smiles proudly and gets to his feet. “Anytime, Alpha. Message me if you need anything.”

He leaves the room and I sit back in my chair. I look at my mates’ empty desks and my chest tightens painfully. I miss them, a lot.

As if they know I’m thinking of them, my phone screen lights up and Emmanuel’s face appears, showing an incoming call. It takes great strength for me to turn it over and return to my laptop.

Hopefully, this protest hasn’t been for nothing. When they come back, they might respect my input more.

***

EMMANUEL

“No fucking answer,” I growl as the call goes to voicemail, again.

“This is getting ridiculous now, it’s been a week,” Ez complains next to me.

“Don’t remind me.”

He reaches up and rubs his chest. He is feeling the same constricting discomfort as I am. It’s like a rope is being tightened around my chest, making it hard to breathe.

This is a physical punishment for being away from our mate for so long. Worst part is, we have another week of this.

It wouldn’t normally be anywhere near this bad if we were communicating with her. If we could see her face or hear her voice, we wouldn’t have this pain, or if we did, it would be a lot milder.

Having Rosemary ignore us completely is hurting our bond. She doesn’t realize the pain she is inflicting on us.

“Should we have just brought her?” Ez asks me.

“No, we would have put her in too much danger. You saw that human this morning, the look in his eyes…he was crazy. He was so far gone; he would have done anything to kill our kind.

“I don’t want our mate anywhere near that kind of person.”

“You’re right. She’s safer back at the pack, on our territory.”

“Exactly. She is angry at us for not letting her have a say, but surely we are treating her as an equal because she is running the pack by herself? She is an Alpha doing an Alpha’s role.”

“I don’t know why she’s so mad. I just want to get home and convince her to forgive us.”

I nod in agreement with him. “You know we can do it, as well. She can never resist our touch.”

“No, she can’t. We’ll get her to forgive us in a heartbeat.”

“If we ever get back. At this rate, this operation is moving so slowly that we’ll miss Oya’s wedding.”

“We can’t do that, Oya will never let us live it down.”

I shudder at the thought of facing the wrath of our mate’s best friend. Oya is a force to be reckoned with. In truth, she scares me more than any of these pesky humans ever could.

“We need to be back for that wedding.”

***

ROSEMARY

“Rosemary? Is everything alright in there?”

Livinia’s concerned voice comes through the door. I sit back onto my heels and wipe my mouth with tissue.

“Yes, thank you, just an upset stomach, I’ll be out in a minute,” I respond as chirpily as I can manage.

I flush my vomit away, close the toilet lid, and sit on it. I lean forward and put my head in my hands, grimacing at the clamminess clinging to my forehead.

This is the fourth morning in a row that I’ve thrown up. My diet hasn’t changed at all, but I’ve been feeling run-down and tired. I know what it is, I’m not unaware of my own body changing.

I don’t want to think about it, though. I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with the weight of that answer yet, so I’m not asking the question.

I wash my mouth out with water, wipe my face, and pat my hair down. When I look semi-respectable, I step out of the Templum bathroom and muster a bright smile for Livinia.

“Sorry about that, I had takeout last night and it doesn’t seem to have agreed with me,” I tell her apologetically.

She seems to buy the excuse and gives me a sympathetic smile. “Why don’t you go home, dear? Aren’t you having people for dinner tonight?”

“I’m going out for dinner, actually. Would you mind awfully if I left now?”

“Of course not, it’s been very quiet today. Go, please, I feel bad keeping you here.”

“Thank you, Livinia.”

“I hope you feel better soon,” she calls after me.

I leave the Templum and walk over to my mates’ house. It’s smaller than the one off-territory and isn’t built for three people the way that their other house is.

When they first left, I was staying in the big house off-territory because it’s more secluded and private, but it was too lonely by myself.

I thought of the boys too much by being in our space all of the time, so I moved back into the center of the territory.

It’s more convenient for being on hand for any situations that come up that require an alpha present.

It’s an hour drive to meet at the restaurant my in-laws have chosen.

A couple of weeks ago, my mates’ parents, Leilani, Jarren, and Dane, made a reservation for us to all have dinner at a restaurant that is halfway between us, on the border of our territories.

My mates have obviously had to bow out because of this human thing, but I still wanted to see them so I’m going alone.

In-laws can be really scary for some people; I am the luckiest girl alive because mine are so nice.

They treat me like their own daughter, and as someone with very little family left, I could not be more grateful for it.

The three of them are already at the table when I arrive a little late. I apologize profusely and kiss and hug them all.

I’ve cleaned my teeth since my not-so-morning sickness; I feel much better and I’m ready to eat again.

“How are you doing, Rosemary?”

Leilani’s question is a loaded one, although it’s asked with love. There is concern in her eyes.

The three of them know that I’m ignoring their sons and I know they’re probably worried about the mental and physical toll it is having on the three of us.

I thought I’d managed to cover my peaky complexion with makeup, but it seems her shrewd eyes have picked up on it.

“I’m a little tired. It’s a lot of work running the pack by myself. I didn’t realize how much we all shared the responsibilities until they were gone.”

“Yes, it is very useful to have a team working on it,” she replies agreeably.

“I know you’re probably worried about your sons. I heard from our beta an hour ago and they’re doing well, don’t worry.”

“Actually, it’s you we’re concerned about,” Jarren jumps in.

“We spoke to Emmanuel and Ezekiel earlier,” Dane explains.

“In the nicest way possible, sweetie, you do look exhausted. Are you sure you’re looking after yourself?” Lei checks.

“Yes, please don’t worry about me, I’m okay,” I try to reassure her.

She doesn’t seem to believe me. When we’ve ordered drinks, she leans over the table to me.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom. Join me?”

Oh, dear.