The Alpha's Eden

Just for tonight

Jace PoV

"Jace, the wards are now up and Fallon told me that she's added additional ones around their pack. Nobody will be able to trace your people or find out they are there" Amara informed me as I climbed the steps of the packhouse ready to take my position and watch the pack convoy leave my territory.

"Thanks Amara. I really appreciate all that you've done to help us. Please thank Fallon too. You are a valued member of the pack, I hope you know that" Amara and I hadn't always seen eye to eye but I was damn grateful to face her on my side.

"I'm grateful that you offered me a place here. It's been a long time since I had somewhere to call home. It's nice to have roots again, to have that sense of belonging" From the haunted time of her voice I could tell she was recalling things she didn't find easy.

"I know what you mean. Until I met Eden I felt like I was just drifting through life, day to day with no real purpose or reason to truly live. But now not only do I want to live a full and meaningful life but I want to ensure other people do aswell!" Goddess I must have sounded totally crazy, like one of those cringy self help midlife crisis guys on social media.

"It's time Jace" Hayden joined me, his face stricken with sadness as Mia was leaving to seek safety elsewhere.

"She'll be safer there man, you know that right?" I slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him into me like I did when we were kids and he was scared of something. I'd often end up with him tucked into my side and Natalia clinging to my leg with her face buried in my trousers as she shook like a leaf.

"I know, doesn't make it any easier though bro" he nodded his head solemnly.

"No matter how many times we talked about this it still feels strange that it's really happening" Eden came out of the packhouse with Blake and Daisy at her side.

She looked just as sad as Hayden and I knew she'd miss Sky, Harry and Iris like mad. They were her family way before I came into the picture and she loved them so much it was killing her to watch them leave.

"Iris is going to spoil those babies so much, I hope you are ready for that!" Hayden chuckled as he ran a hand over his face like he'd scrubbed his sadness away.

"I think everyone is going to spoil these two little pups" I corrected them placing my hand across Eden's belly, the babies both kicked me and that provided me with some joy despite this awful day.

The vehicles slowly began to trickle out of the car park beside the packhouse and one by one they headed down the long tree lined driveway until they disappeared from view.

Gradually the people watching them dispersed until it was just me sitting on the steps reflecting upon what had just happened and what was left of things.

People saw alphas as strong, dangerously strong, lethal predators. An alpha was a leader, a warrior, a negotiator. Someone level headed and full of wisdom that they could always rely on for guidance, leadership and protection.

But here I sat on the steps of the packhouse watching my pack load themselves into vehicles ready to leave the Silverhaven territory for a much more secure location, where another alpha, perhaps a much better alpha would look after them in a way I couldn't right now.

I couldn't protect my own people, an alpha unable to defend their own pack was not much of an alpha at all. Without my pack I was just a mere man. I wasn't invisible or immortal.

I would bleed out on the ground just the same as any other one of my pack members. I'd lay down my life for any one of them.

I prayed to the goddess that they knew that, I prayed that they'd return once things were safe and that they didn't find alpha Clinton a far better leader than me and choose to stay there.