The Alpha's Favour

XLIX

Tristan

"Tristan?"

I shot up quickly getting ready to jump into action.

But as soon as my eyes adjusted to the light I realised there was no threat. It was just Courtney.

The blonde girl furrowed her brows at me.

"Um, okay... chill." She spoke, holding her hands up. "I just came to tell you that my mum wants to know if you're going to be having lunch with us."

I felt my body begin to relax and it's only then that I realised how tense I was.

Or rather how tense I had been.

I couldn't sleep in my house for a month after my father was murdered.

And now I couldn't even feel at peace in my own pack.

Once again, Ornyx had stolen that from me. He had stolen it from my entire pack.

I looked at my watch and sighed.

"Tell her thanks but I should be going. I have a meeting I have to get to." I spoke as I got up and picked up my jacket from the back of my chair.

I turned around to look at Bridget who looked peaceful in her bed. You would even believe she was sleeping if it wasn't for the machines she was attached to keeping her alive.

Courtney leaned against the doorframe and looked at her older sister. "You know if you keep coming here everyday, you're going to give my mum the wrong idea. She already believes you and Bridge are 'soulmates'."

There was humour in Courtney's voice as she made quotation marks in the air when she said 'soulmates' but we both knew Bridget's mother had been trying to set us up since we hit puberty.

I used to find it funny until I realised that Bridget actually had feelings for me. Then it just became uncomfortable.

Bridget's mother had always put pressure on her to marry well and provide for the family.

Bridget was never the type who believed she needed a man in her life to make her happy. So she worked hard and got a good job instead.

You'd think her mother would be happy having her daughter be the second most powerful person in this pack but she still constantly bothered her about not getting a husband.

"Why aren't you in school anyway?" I asked Courtney, changing the topic.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I got suspended, remember?"

I had almost forgotten. The school had actually called my office to inform me of Courtney's suspension seeing as to how she would have to be suspended from my apprenticeship program as well.

"You really shouldn't be starting fights at school, you know." I told her knowing Bridget would have lost her head if she heard Courtney had been suspended for fighting.

"So I've been told." Courtney muttered irritably. "You know there are bigger things to worry about than me starting a stupid fight at school. The Van Cliffes are back, I need to be training for war."

I looked at Courtney. "Never say that. There is no war." I told her sternly.

I worked too hard. We all did. We sacrificed so much so that no one else in Woodfell would ever have to experience war again.

"Tristan." Courtney spoke in a small voice, "Ornyx Van Cliffe is back."

I walked towards Courtney and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's my problem, okay? Not yours or anyone else's."