Alpha X

The Aftermath

Áine would've howled herself hoarse until Lyssa lost her voice if not for the strong arms that gathered her. As her mother muttered comforting words, she managed a weak tail wag and clung to Mum. The fragrance of lavender and linseed oil washed fears away. A warm blanket enveloped her. Mum's presence doubled as a shield, assuring her nothing terrible would get through.

"Shhhh. Leon called. I told him we will not be going." Mum held her tighter. "None of the seraphim have to do this. The second and third chairs can use the practice."

Áine, rather Lyssa, held Mum as if she were a lifebuoy preventing them from drowning.

That was until urgent footsteps invaded the garden.

"Your friends are here," Mum said, stating the obvious.

Reinforcements arrived—a huge brown bear, a snow leopard, a saber tooth, and a lioness—to protect her. Surrounded by them, even he couldn't reach her.

"I'll talk to him later. You don't worry 'bout a thing, June bug," her mum promised.

A panting female burst into the garden and held her knees to catch her breath. Her light footfalls came closer. "Sorry... l-l-late. Áine...Lyssa—"

Lyssa snarled to ward Nessa off.

For now, Áine couldn't bear anyone but her mum's touch.

"Ly, um, you're hurting Josephine."

Lyssa stiffened. A sickening stench filled her nose. Her claws had dug into her mother's flesh. It took every ounce of self-restraint she had not to throw up. She hated that coppery smell.

"I'm fine." Mum insisted.

"Áine, let go of Lyssa." Mara, hidden in the hybrid form of a female torso covered in a fawn pelt and a lioness' head, commanded.

Though safe, Áine didn't want to emerge now when her Lycan allowed her to control her.

"Nessa!" Sasha growled. "Get away from Lys—"

"Shut up, you bully," Nessa responded, with her trademarked gentle equilibrium as she ignored the towering grizzly blocking her way.

"An accidental swipe and you're dead." Sasha sat on her haunches and stroked Lyssa's fur with a clawed paw. "Babe, we're here. If anyone comes for you, they'll have to go through us." She meant it.

Hera's low roar echoed that sentiment.

"Sorry," Áine sobbed. Yet her bones threatened to break as she released her mum.

Mum kissed her forehead. "Tch. It's a scratch."

"Jo's old and needs longer to heal. So no, it's a lot worse than a scratch." Zahra, a beautiful snow leopard, drawled, "Are you done? If you still need a hug, I can take it."

Mara grunted, but Lyssa grasped her meaning as if she'd used words. "Nessa, go clean Aunty Jo's wounds. We'll stay with Lyssa."

'Better?' Hera asked.

When she nodded, her beast spit her out. Lyssa disliked Áine commandeering her form.

Sasha tossed a towel over Áine's naked body. She huddled in it, shuddering and fighting the dizzy spell. The sudden transformation had left her disoriented.

The beasts waited. Along with Nessa and Helen, whose absence didn't rankle, these four had known her since she was seven and had seen her at her worst.

They needn't have stayed, not when her panic attacks had caused them all injuries. But they hadn't ever reported her loss of control. Over the years, they'd become a pack of sorts and their presence calmed her down.