Finn

Chapter Twenty-Four

I sat in office Rory and I shared, flipping over pages mindlessly. I was supposed to be reading through the paperwork, but my brain couldn't seem to focus. I leaned my head in my hand, wishing I could've stayed in bed instead of doing boring paperwork.

Rory was off in the kitchen helping prep dinner for the day. She had tried to get me to go with her, but I didn't want to be in there with the rest of the pack. Paperwork might be boring, but at least I can be alone for it.

Cillian had insisted that it was best for everyone to go about their normal routine in Turin's absence, but I hated it. Nothing felt right knowing he wasn't here. He'd only been gone a week, and I found myself dreading waking up in the mornings now. I used to be so excited to get up and see Rory and Turin and Nolan, but everything was different now.

Nolan had been moved up to Beta in Turin's absence. He and Cillian were busier than ever trying to make up for his tasks, so I barely saw either of them. I had thrown a fit when I found out Nolan was taking Turin's position. Not because I didn't want Nolan to have it, but because it meant they were giving up on Turin.

After Nolan found Turin's room in the pack house a mess, with a bunch of clothes missing and food stolen from the kitchen, they sent a couple people to follow his scent. It led straight to a river nearby and then disappeared, which meant Turin had intentionally disguised his scent. He had packed up his things in a hurry and left in the middle of the night, and ensured we had no way to find him.

To Cillian, that meant Turin had given up on the Lonn pack, and on him. He had deserted his pack, and wasn't coming back. I refused to believe Turin would leave without a good reason. He loved his pack, and he loved having a home - he wouldn't just give that up.

I also refused to accept that he had left without an explanation. I had hounded Cillian a thousand times asking if he'd said anything to him, but every time he insisted he had no idea why he left. I'd searched Turin's room for a clue, a note, anything to tell us what happened, but I came up empty.

I replayed our last conversation in my head over and over, wondering if there was something I had missed, or something I did wrong. The only thing I could think of was Cillian attacking him at the fire. I didn't think Turin would leave over that, but it was the only thing that made sense.

I wondered if he just needed space from the Alpha, and he planned on coming back. It didn't explain why he left without a note, or why he brought so much with him, but I clung to the idea. I'd never had many friends before, and I hated that I had lost one so quickly.

Despite Cillian's insistence that Turin had abandoned us and we move on, I couldn't bring myself to do it. He didn't give up on me in the forest when I attacked him, and I wasn't going to give up on him now.

A loud noise in the hallway made me jolt up in my seat. I hadn't even realized I dozed off on the desk, but the line of drool on my chin was very telling. I was shaken out of my daze when I heard someone yelling in the hallway, and the sound of footsteps as several people ran past my door.

I scrambled away from the desk, throwing the door open and looking around frantically. I didn't see anyone in the hallway, but I heard commotion in the living room so I ran in that direction. I heard Rory in the kitchen, shouting some commands to some of the women who were in there helping her.

I glanced at the hall closet where she had hidden me the last time there was commotion. She told me after that night that Cillian didn't want the women in the pack to fight. They learned how to hide instead of self defense, and they didn't take part in patrolling or training. Rory hated it, but she obediently listened. When an emergency struck, she was given the role of gathering up all the women and keeping them safe in the pack house.