Alpha Reid

3

Reid

"You'd better have a good reason for calling us over this early," Theo yawns as he steps over the threshold into my packhouse. He and Jax are the last to arrive- Gray and Brock are already here. I sent out a text last night telling them we needed to meet this morning, and considering I don't make requests like this often, they all showed up, no questions asked.

"He's got coffee," Gray calls from the kitchen, holding up the pot.

Theo scrubs a hand over his face. "Thank fuck."

I roll my eyes, clapping him on the shoulder and leading him and Jax into the kitchen where Brock is sipping on a cup of coffee and Gray is filling a few more for the rest of us.

"You gonna tell us what's so urgent, or are you gonna keep us hanging?" Jax groans, posting up against the kitchen counter. He's got dark circles under his eyes and his hair is disheveled- I'm guessing he stayed up too late and drank too much at the post-run celebration last night.

"I'll get to it," I chuckle, stepping past him and pulling open a cabinet. I reach in to retrieve a bottle of Crown, handing it over to Jax. "Hair of the dog?"

Jax shrugs, unscrewing the cap on the bottle and reaching for one of the full mugs of coffee in front of Gray. "Fuck it, might as well."

He splashes some liquor into his coffee, setting the bottle on the counter. I reach for it, adding some to my own coffee, which immediately piques his interest.

"Shit, if the news you're gonna deliver has you drinking, then I'll definitely need some more," Jax grumbles, taking the bottle back from me and splashing more in his mug.

"Think we're all gonna need some," I murmur, sliding my gaze around to the others as I bring my coffee to my lips and take a sip.

Gray arches a brow, studying me. "What's going on, Reid?"

I swallow down the hot beverage, lowering my cup and heaving a sigh. "Can we sit?" I ask, ticking my head toward the living room.

The other guys nod and follow me in, and we all sink down onto the comfortable leather furniture, forming a semi-circle. They look to me expectantly as I take another sip of my spiked coffee, searching for how to begin.

It doesn't help that I'm fucking exhausted, myself. I had trouble falling asleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about Serena, wondering who she is and what she's like. My wolf wouldn't settle down, either, knowing that our mate was in the room next door. He was still all jacked up from finding her, and by the time he calmed down and I quieted my own mind, I got maybe an hour of sleep in before being awoken by Serena's screams. I bolted out of bed and tried to go to her, but the door to her room was locked. I came close to busting the damn thing down, but then her screams dissipated and I heard her breathing even out, and I came to the realization that she must've been dreaming, so I went back to bed.

Her nightmares from the next room woke me up twice more throughout the night. I know it sounds crazy since I don't even know the girl, but it physically pained me to not go to her and comfort her. Thanks to the mate bond, I'm hardwired to protect and console Serena. Staying away while she was in distress drove my wolf crazy, but the last thing I want to do is scare her off by coming on too strong, too fast. I just found her; I don't want to lose her.

I heave a sigh, leaning forward to set my mug on the coffee table in front of me. "The alert at the border last night," I grind out, resting my elbows on my knees and looking around at the guys. "It was a wolf. Another shifter."

"What?" Theo blurts.

"Who?" Gray demands.

I hold up a hand, drawing a breath and giving them a stern look. "Just listen. She said she was abducted by the shadow pack, but she got away. I don't know all the details yet, but I brought her back here last night, and I intend to find out more when I talk to her today."