Alphas War

Chapter 62

I peered down at my daughter, snuggled up in her crib. She was so incredibly beautiful and I couldn't get over just how much I adored her already.

"There you are," Zach said, causing me to jump. He chuckled softly, lowering his voice so he didn't wake the baby. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I sighed in contentment when his arms wrapped around my waist. "How did your chat with Ryder go?"

The smile slipped from my face. "It wasn't exactly easy. The last time I spoke to him, I told him I was planning to die. And since then you've come back to life and he's lost his brother."

Zach stayed quiet for a moment. I could tell he was irritated but he cleared his throat and pushed it aside. "I'm sure he was glad to see you baby."

"I should've been there for him when he lost Ty. He was there for me, I should've been there for him." I leant further into him, my eyes never leaving my daughters tiny face.

"He agreed that it was best to leave you until after the baby was born, he didn't want you to be stressed either," he said, pecking my cheek.

I huffed. "I would've been fine," I said, turning in his arms. "I just needed you."

He shook his head. "The pack was falling apart, people were scared and needed someone to lead. You would've woken up to all that stress and responsibility and the both of you-," he nodded to our baby "-were unstable, it would've only made you worse."

I sighed heavily. There was no use in arguing with him. He'd done what he considered to be the best course of action and I could hardly complain about not particularly liking his choice when I'd made some questionable ones of my own.

"I'm just glad that we're back together again. It's taken almost a year," I said with a sigh, resting my head on his shoulder.

"And I hope we never have to be apart again," he said softly. "At least not for long," he added before kissing my forehead, "because right now you have to go."

I nodded reluctantly, the nerves bubbling up in my stomach. "I wish you were going to be there," I admitted, turning to the small mirror hanging on the wall and running a hand through my hair.

"I'll listen from here," he said, "just remember that I love you and that I believe in you."

I smiled, my heart warming. "I love you too."

With a deep breath, I stepped out of the nursery and made my way down the stairs and out the house. I was grateful that my chat with Ryder this morning had been mostly a tour of the new territory because otherwise I'd be completely lost.

I made my way to the town square, doing my best to remember the route he'd shown me. The pack was a mismatch of brand new, completely furnished and lived in houses and half built structures everywhere. There were random clusters of tents pitched all over the place and I felt a little guilty that I was one of the few members of the pack that had an actual house right now.

I couldn't help but be a little gutted that I'd missed all of autumn - my favourite season of the year - and winter. It was now nearing the end of spring and soon it would be summer all over again - not that you could tell since there was still a brisk chill in the air and a thin layer of snow covering the ground beneath my feet.

Moving up north was certainly a big change, however hiding out in the snow had its advantages - people were much less likely to find us here.

I halted when I approached the centre of town, seeing thousands and thousands standing in a large crowd, their backs to me as they stared up at the stage, awaiting the announcement. I sniffed, noting that there were both wolves and humans amongst the crowds.