Second chance mate

Chapter 13 (final draft)

She woke up feeling restless. She knew what needed to be done and she was nervous about it. More than she had been when she had called the council or when she had been dealing with the banks. But she went through the routine she had made in the last few days. When she went down for breakfast, no one but Nick and River were awake.

"Alpha." They said respectfully.

"You were guarding last night?" She asked them.

They both nodded. She went to the fridge and poured milk for herself. She put it on the counter and sat down. Breakfast was Cain's turn today. She drank her milk and went to her office. She had worked for maybe a few minutes, when Axe called her.

"You awake, alpha?"

"Yes. In the office." She replied as she went over the papers regarding her pack's possessions.

"Breakfast?"

"Be there in a minute." She replied and finished the paper she was reading and then walked to the kitchen. The pack was enjoying and eating, laughing. When she went in, silence fell and there was a chorus of greetings from them.

"Hey, guys." She said and walked to her seat and ate the bacon and eggs. They were laughing and talking in no time. She took her coffee and sat back looking at the floor, doing her best to hide the emotions swirling consider of her from showing on her face. It really was hard and she failed. River had put her on a strict diet to be healthy and was keeping a very close on her progress. But she had yet to tell anyone that had started getting small glimpses into the mind-link. She had no control over them, on when they happened or for how long. It was, however, progress and she knew her wolf was slowly giving her some of the abilities she used to have.

She still didn't know if she'd come back or not though.

"Alpha Ariel?" Axel asked in an insistent voice. She pulled out of her thoughts and looked at the guys who were looking at her concerned. "Are you okay?"

She merely nodded, not trusting her voice.

"You told us to come to you with our problems, Alpha. Please know we are a family, your family. You can confide us." Tobias said. She looked at all their faces and knew they were telling the truth.

She couldn't really let her guard down. Not because she didn't trust them, she trusted them with her life. But because as their alpha, it was her duty to assure them, to keep their thoughts worry free. If she showed her weaknesses, they will feel weak. But they were family.

"It's nothing big." She shrugged.

"But...?" Cain prompted.

"But the emotions are sometimes overwhelming. I told you I am unstable, guys. I always will be. But I will be fine. It's rather like being on my time of the month all the time." She joked.

They made disgusted faces.

"Not cool." Axel told her shuddering. "Not cool."

She chuckled. Putting her cup in the washer, she looked at them. "Work calls." With that, she gave a nod and barricaded herself in the office.

She walked to the front door of the pack house, praying that no one intercepted her. Of course it was impossible without her wolf senses to sneak away from the wolves.

"Headed somewhere, alpha?" Cain asked. She looked at him.

"Yeah." She wasn't going to act like a teenager trying to sneak out late at night.

"Where?"

"Out." She replied. He shook his head.

"Are you taking your guard?"