Chapter 3: Irune POV
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Where am I?
“Alpha... Alpha, can you hear me?”
“J.R.? Where are we?”
“Dude, what the fuck happened?”
“WHERE. ARE. WE.”
“We’re at the hospital.”
“What?” I sit up in bed and rip the lines out of my arm. “Why would you bring me here?”
“Security called. Said you passed out outside the building. What the hell is going on with you? We don’t get sick, and our Alpha sure as hell doesn’t just pass out. Is there something we should know?”
“Pull the elevator footage. I want the name of the woman who was in there with me. I don’t know what game she’s playing, but I’m going to find out. She thinks she can take me down? She doesn’t know who the fuck she’s messing with. I WANT HER NAME. NOW.”
“Alpha—slow down. We’re all in the dark here.” Evan says, pointing between himself and JR. “What exactly happened?”
“I’ll explain after we get out of here. Tip the nurse and the doctor, and let’s go.” It’s a good thing some pack members like the city. Those in the medical field have chosen to work here at the county hospital. It makes it easy to get treatment if we cannot make it back to the pack lands in time.
I close my eyes and slip into the inner silence of my mind.
Malik? You there? You good?
“I’m here... but I feel like a newborn pup. Everything is drained. We need rest. We also need answers—but from a distance. Don’t let her near us again until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Agreed.
Trinity POV
Oh, my goddess.
I’ve been pacing my apartment for an hour.
Alpha.
Fucking Alpha.
Security called him Alpha.
The moment I heard it, I ran. My instincts screamed at me to get away. Run. I didn’t even think—I just bolted.
Mr. Cooper. Irune Cooper. Alpha. How the hell did I miss that?
I grab my phone and call the only person who might have answers.
“Mom.”
“Hey, darling. What’s wrong?”
“A lot. But first, I have a question. Do you know who Irune Cooper is?”
“Everyone knows Alpha Cooper, sweetie. His pack came out of nowhere two years ago. He’s the Alpha of the Copper Mountain Pack now—second-largest pack on this side of the continent.”
Shit.
“This is bad. Really bad.”
“Sweetie, talk to me. What happened?”
“He owns the design company I work for. Tonight, I bumped into him in the elevator... and I passed out.”
“Did you hit him that hard?”
“No, Mom. It got hot—really hot. Unnaturally hot. Then I just... blacked out. But while I was unconscious, I had a dream. And this time, I remembered it. That rarely happens.”
“Oh no.”
“Why did you say it like that? I didn’t even tell you the dream yet.”
“I... assumed it was bad. You sound panicked.”
She’s hiding something—but I don’t have time for that right now.
“It was a war. Blood everywhere. More than I’ve ever seen. I had the same gut feeling I had the night Dad went on that mission. I wanted to warn Irune, and when I reached out to him... I think I scared him. He passed out.”
“Wait—what?”
“I MADE THE ALPHA PASS OUT, MOM! He’s going to come looking for me.”
“You left him there?”
“Security came running and called him Alpha. I panicked!”
“You need to come home NOW.”
“I don’t know! I can’t come back to the pack. I’ll try to explain it at work tomorrow. Maybe I’m overreacting.”
“Explain it? How do you explain making an Alpha pass out? Sweetheart, do you realize how ruthless a wolf must be to create a pack from nothing and become one of the largest in a 2-year period?”
“I didn’t make him pass out! I just tapped his shoulder. If he’s that weak, maybe he shouldn’t be Alpha.”
But something gnaws at me...
How was I able to get that close to him? How did I not know he was a wolf? And why the closer I got to him, the hotter I got. I almost passed out again just trying to reach him. If he hadn’t passed out first, I definitely would have gone down again. Then there’s the fact that I’ve never sensed his wolf. He wouldn’t know I am a wolf with Zuri’s ability to hide our scent, but he should have at least sensed my presence, even if he thought I was just a human.
Zuri didn’t sense him as a wolf either.
Oh no. Zuri.
When’s the last time I even talked to her? When did I last let her out?
“Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I hang up and close my eyes, diving deep into myself.
Zuri... I'm sorry. I know I’ve been neglecting you. Please talk to me.
I’m here... just tired.
Are you tired? Or weak from being locked away? I ask.
I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this, Trinity. I need to run. We need to run. We need our mate. We need a pack. We weren’t made to be alone like this. If we keep going like this, I will become lost to you.
I really didn’t want to hear that. We are not alone. We are just without other wolves.
That’s the same as being alone. We need our kind.
I do not feel like having this conversation right now. I have not been fair to you, but for now, would you settle for a hunt? We can go now.
Yes, a run would be nice, but Trin... you feel the change coming, don’t you?
I go quiet.
Because she’s right.
Something’s coming. I don’t know what, but it’s big. It’s strong.
And it’s going to flip my world upside down.
Yeah... I feel it.
I grab my keys, leave a note for Ty letting him know I will meet him in the office tomorrow, and head out the door.
