The Pack's Alpha (by Cooper) novel Chapter 55

Hacker

While Tracker has been away, Hijack and I have taken turns watching over Sphinx. Neither of us expect that she will get into trouble before she comes to the Academy, but sometimes trouble comes looking for you. Since all of us like to be proactive and cover all our bases, we agreed that we’d monitor Sphinx when we could. Having been the ones who put the security system into her brother’s pack, it’s a lot easier for us to monitor what’s going on in that pack.

This morning, I’m watching her in warrior training. I smile. She’s good. Really good.

Until she isn’t.

I frown, turning up the volume on the security system. It doesn’t help. There are too many other warriors on the field talking and giving instructions. Sphinx and Alpha Connor, who is talking to her, are on the other side of the battlefield.

I watch her nod, see the look on her face like she knows she’s disappointing her brother. Having seen them in person, having Shakespeare basically threaten Hijack and I, knowing that we’re the ones helping to get his mate out of her situation, says a lot about the love this family shares. Sphinx is no different. She looks devastated.

I watch Alpha Connor pull her into a hug, still talking to her. I watch her nod again againt his chest and when he steps back, he continues talking to her until she gives him a small smile. Then he chucks her under the chin and moves on.

I continue to watch her until sparring is over, then I get back to work, waiting to hear the notification that she’s back at her computer. As soon as I hear it, I turn to our chat.

Me: Good morning

Sphinx: Good morning to you

Me: What was that in sparring class this morning?

Sphinx: What do you mean?

Me: I was watching you. You were incredible, until you weren’t. What happened?

Sphinx: You were watching me? That’s not creepy at all.

I’ve started to realize that distraction is her way of avoiding topics she doesn’t want to discuss.

Me: The Council gave us a directive to ensure that nothing happens that will keep you out of the Academy next year. We take that seriously. Stop avoiding the question.

When she doesn’t immediately respond, I growl at the computer. I wish I could see her. Is she upset or avoiding me? Did she walk away to use the bathroom, or did she leave so she doesn’t have to answer me?

Sphinx: It’s too much to write here.

I switch my earbuds and grab my phone, hitting video call. She answers with a huff.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. You have a weakness. Weaknesses can be exploited, especially ones that you’re trying to hide. Talk to me,” I say.

She looks down, the shame that I saw on her face earlier returns and she grits her teeth.

“I nearly died in a battle a couple of years ago. I haven’t been able to get past it,” she says softly.

“Tell me what happened,” I say, keeping my voice soft.

She shakes her head, and I see the tears welling. Whatever happened to her may have happened two years ago, but she’s still feeling it like it was yesterday.

“Why were you in a battle at fifteen?” I ask her, trying to give her a starting point.

She swipes a tear off her cheek but still doesn’t look at me. “It was my brother-in-law’s pack. We were attacked the night of Kennedy’s Luna ceremony. I knew my father and brother would have ordered me into a safe room, so I waited until they were outside before I joined them. I’d never been in a battle before and the moment I got outside, I realized I was in way over my head. But by then, it was too late. I was trying to find one of them when Connor realized I was in the battle. Then I saw my brother Yorick but before I could get to him ...”

She cuts off and her body shakes with the sob she’s trying to keep inside.

“Take your time,” I purr at her. Damn, I’ve never wanted to hold someone like I want to hold her right now. I have a nearly desperate need to wrap my arms around her and rock her until she’s back to her strong, sharp-witted self.

She takes a deep breath. “He was a Beta from the attacking pack. I should have been able to take him but ...”

“You were a pup. He was a grown man, an experienced fighter,” I say, keeping my voice steady. Inside, I’m anything but steady. I don’t have to know the rest of the story to know that she’s lucky to have survived. Why the fuck would a Beta go after a pup on a battlefield?

She nods. “Anyway, his wolf slashed Dasha deeply. He was coming in for the kill. If Henry hadn’t gotten to me when he did ...”

Her voice cuts off again and her body shakes as she fights her sobs.

So, that’s the bond between them. I'd seen the bond they share outside the Council chambers. Henry saved her life. She idolizes him and he feels even more protective of her because of what happened.

“Even with his intervention, I almost bled to death. My mother, for the first time in her life, lost it. My sister Kennedy was the one who had to sew me up. She said I nearly died several times. Everyone in my family and some of the other warriors in Quirin’s pack gave blood so I could get a transfusion.”

Fuck! She really did almost die if she needed a transfusion. I’ll look up the medical records later, but right now, I need to help my partner.

“Look at me,” I say. She shakes her head, unwilling to look up. She swipes the back of her hand over her cheeks, but I can still see the tears dripping onto her desk.

“Look at me, Wendy,” I say gently.

She sniffs and when she looks up, her shattered look nearly breaks my heart. But I don’t let that show on my face.

“You didn’t die. You survived. Do you know why?”

“Because my sister is an incredible doctor-in-training?” she asks.

I smile at her. “I’m sure that’s part of it. But you survived because you’re strong, Wendy. You are stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for.”

“I don’t feel strong,” she says softly.

“But you are. Look at you. You’re still out on that training field every day trying to push through. You’re here, helping your brother and his mate so they can be together. If it wasn’t for you, it might have taken us years to find out about Alpha Leo.”

She shrugs. “A lot of that was Yorick.”

“Stop giving credit for your work to other people, Sphinx. You are an incredible woman. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t have told the Academy to put you on our team. Do you know how often that’s happened in the three years I’ve been here?”

She looks at me, giving me a ghost of a smile. This one is more real than the one she gave Connor earlier.

“Once?”

“Once,” I confirm.

She wipes her cheeks again and this time, they stay dry.

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