The Omega's Predicament

Chapter fourteen

Bella's hands shook as she moved through the Archive. Glass crunched under her shoes. The chilly wind blew through the open front door, bringing in snowflakes to land on her coffee cup. She curled her hands around the steaming mug with a sigh, looking around the living room. The bright orange rays of the very first sunlight did not make the destruction she faced last night look any better. The Archive had been destroyed. All her books, all her hard work, torn apart and scattered around the floors.

She bent down to pick up a few papers, so old the writing on them was almost nonexistent. Bella could have cried, the worn pages were fragile and they could not withstand such a heartless attack. All the books around her, the hundred years of history that had been gathered under one roof, destroyed. "These books are irreplaceable," Bella breathed, running her finger along the spine of one of them, its pages all missing. She could feel the sting of tears in the corner of her eye. "They're all gone."

Alpha Winter took the book out of her hand and gently guided her off the dirty floor. He held himself calm and strong, like a boulder in a violent river, but Bella could feel the raging storm brewing inside of him. "I'm sorry, Omega Williams," he said, his voice rough as an earthquake.

"All our history," she sobbed, unable not to. All her books, her cabinets full of paperwork, the pack registries, everything upended on the floor, ripped apart as if it was no more than garbage. There was no salvaging most of this mess. "I cared for these books. I was in charge of these books."

Kat had been hanging back in the kitchen, letting the head of the pack handle things, brewing coffee like there was no tomorrow. Both to sober herself up and also to keep everyone awake while they examined the Archive. But now she quickly walked into the hallway where Bella stood and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't gone out," Bella began but was cut off by Beta Taylor instantly.

"Then you would only have gotten in the way. It was a good thing you weren't here, you could have ended up in a state worse than the books."

"Beta Taylor is right," Alpha Winter agreed, his thoughts a million miles away as he surveyed the destruction around him "Thank goodness you went out last night."

"No Northcreek would vandalize his own Archive like this," Beta Taylor grumbled, picking up another book from the floor. The papers slid out and landed by his feet, one after one. "Who could have done this?"

Alpha Winter's nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed at the mess around then, his lips curling into a snarl. "I need a list of all strange wolves on our territory," he growled, scratching his stubbly chin with his thick fingers.

"We have a meeting with Alpha Green and Beta Cooke today, they're in the vicinity, two Enforcers from Pinewood are passing through, Justin Grant and Callum Borsch. We have a few wolves from Oaktree, Jordan Smalls, and Sarah Lopez, but they were on stage last night," Bella recited all the information she had in her throbbing head, her eyes shut tightly as she rubbed her forehead, listing the names. "And then Alpha Donovan, of course, that should be all. In two weeks we have-"

"Alpha Donovan?" Alpha Winter asked slowly. "Are you sure? We have no meeting with him and he has refused any further offer of supplies."

Beta Taylor cleared his throat. "He is, I spoke to him last night. He is not here on any official business." Alpha Winter raised a questioning eyebrow at his blonde Beta. "He can be a loose cannon but he did not do this. Michael would never lay a hand on another pack's Archive," Beta Taylor said, standing rigid with his hands folded behind his back, his mouth a deep frown. He was trying to remain calm, but his breathing quickened, he was on edge.