On Bended Knee

Chapter 7

I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember being warm and safe. I was content when I went under and I think that was the best sleep of my life. I couldn't remember the last time I actually slept, and that probably was a bad sign.

I didn't have to open my eyes to know where I was. The smell of sage and cedar in the downy cotton around me confirmed that I was back in Atlas's bed. Smiling at the idea of Atlas carrying me to bed and tucking me in, I stretched my arms above my head, welcoming the pops of my joints. The room was dimly lit from the faded light outside, the sun rising quickly and telling me that I slept all through the afternoon and overnight. Atlas wasn't in the room, his was scent too faint though it still clung to the sheets. But with my enhanced hearing, I could hear the rhythmic beating of his heart coming from the kitchen. It was when I heard a voice that did not belong to my mate that I left the warmth and comfort of his bed.

"—mess it up, man. She is under so much pressure already, I don't want to add to it." Atlas was whispering, but I heard him just as clearly as if he were right in front of me.

I knew Jason had heard me emerge from the back room and stand around the corner in the hallway, still out of sight from my mate. And even though he knew I was listening, Jason would give Atlas his honesty.

"I understand what you mean, son. Andromeda is the daughter I never got to have. Her father was my best friend and when she was born, it was like she was mine too. I have seen her through every season of her life, every heartbreak and every triumph. No one alive has known her longer or better than I do. So if you want my advice, I can offer it to you."

Atlas must have shook his head in confirmation because Jason continued. "Andromeda is loyal. To a fault. Our pack may be named Fidelis, but Andromeda takes it to the extreme. I believe with all my heart that there is nothing she would not do for this pack and her people. Nothing. I have taught her how to be a soldier since she was able to throw a punch. She is strong and determined and cold-blooded in her mission to keep her people alive."

I knew where this was going, and I fought the urge to round the corner and stop the conversation. If Jason was saying it, it needed to be said.

"I have seen her kill in the defense of her pack, Atlas."

Maybe it was just me, but I could feel the air being sucked out of the room. I closed my eyes and concentrated every sense I had into the room that housed my mate and my Beta.

"What happened?" Atlas had emotion thick in his voice, but I didn't know him well enough yet to know what that emotion was.

"It wasn't long after her father had died. She was barely 20. We had been on a mission to one of the last remaining packs in the area. I tried to tell her that we could cancel the trip, but she was adamant that we had to go. She wasn't going to let her own heartache get in the way of a mating trip that had been planned months in advance. Fidelis was unstable to say the least. Their Alpha had died and his mate, their Alpha female, was in no shape to lead the pack. Some of the older generation wolves, from my generation and even before, were pressuring me to take up the mantle. I was Beta at the time and it would have been an easy transition. I really don't think Andromeda would have even objected if I asked her how she felt about it. But Andromeda is the most natural Alpha I have ever seen. Even when she was in training as a kid and before her first shift, she was a natural. Giving her time and extra lessons to the kids that were struggling in warrior training. To this day, Andrew is convinced that the only reason why he made it through training was Andromeda practicing with him. And as the man that oversaw that training, he is right."

Jason and Atlas both laughed quietly. I cracked the smallest of smiles at the vision of Andrew two years older and nearly a foot taller than me. He was all arms and legs during training, never strong enough to take me down because he couldn't build the muscle.