The Alphas Sister (Complete)

Chapter Twelve: Tangled Trails and Tangled Tails

The Midnight Pack was the last damn place I wanted to be, but Cade's orders were ironclad, beta duty, no arguing. Tuesday blurred into a haze of packing, shoving jeans, a couple shirts, a tent, and two blow-up beds into my beat-up SUV, the rusty trunk creaking as I slammed it shut, tires sagging under the weight. 

That old rig had been my parents' once, handed down after they died, but I barely drove it, other pack mates kept it running, tinkering with it when I'd rather run on four legs than four wheels.

 Wednesday morning rolled around too fast, and there I was, sliding behind the wheel, Electra climbing in beside me. Her green eyes stayed glued out the window, long light brown hair spilling over a cream sweater that caught the corner of my vision like a soft taunt. She hadn't said much since Cade dropped the trip on us, probably because I'd been dodging her for days, and she'd likely caught on, her silence a mirror to mine. 

Now the three-hour drive stretched out like a sentence, the engine's hum and her occasional rustle against the grey upholstery the only breaks in the quiet. I gripped the wheel, knuckles whitening, her wildflower scent seeping into the cab, curling around me like smoke I couldn't shake. That shy kiss from days ago clung to my skull, and here she was, inches away, a wall of tension between us I didn't know how to crack.

The second the SUV rolled to a stop on Midnight's turf, a sprawling compound of pine-framed cabins hugging a dense forest, she was gone, door slamming as she bolted toward the pack house without so much as a glance back. 

Her ponytail bounced with every quick, purposeful step, probably off to find old faces from her academy days or those childhood visits with Cade's family. I sighed, the air crisp with pine and a faint whiff of smoke, and popped the trunk, hauling out our gear, my worn duffel, her sleek black backpack, slinging them over my shoulder as I headed for the open fields past the cabins.

Visiting packs camped here, tents sprouting across the grass like colourful weeds, while the pack house glowed warm and exclusive for Midnight's own, its porch lights casting long shadows.

"Hey, Kyan," a voice purred from my left, lilting and too familiar. I turned, spotting Amelia, a Midnight wolf from a mate party months back, her dark eyes glinting under the afternoon sun, chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders in loose waves, a leather jacket hugging her frame.

I flashed a smile, winking as I adjusted the bags. "Hey, Amelia."

She bit her lip, twirling a strand of hair, her gaze sliding over me slow and deliberate, like she was sizing up a meal. "Maybe I'll see you again later?" Her voice teased, hips swaying as she edged closer, boots scuffing the dirt.

I smirked, leaning into it. "Sure thing." At least there was one upside to this trip, the women who didn't come with baggage.

She spun back to her giggling friends, a trio whispering behind their hands, and I trudged on, finding a clear patch of grass near the forest's edge, close enough to hear the pack house, far enough to breathe. 

The tent went up in ten minutes, poles clicking, green fabric rustling as I hammered stakes into the soft earth, a spacious two-room setup, plenty of room for me and Electra to stretch out, the divider swaying as I moved. I pumped up the blow-up beds, the hand pump's hiss cutting through the quiet, sweat beading down my spine and sticking my shirt to my back by the time I finished. 

Wiping my brow, I stood, the late sun dipping low, and steeled myself for the next chore, greeting the Alpha and Luna. Cade would skin me if I skipped it, protocol mattered, even if I'd rather be anywhere else.

The pack house loomed ahead, cedar walls warm in the fading light, voices spilling out as I stepped inside, the air thick with woodsmoke and pack scent. Torin, the Alpha, barrel-chested, greying black hair, sharp brown eyes, stood by the hearth, his Luna, Seline, beside him, silver hair braided tight, blue eyes warm but piercing. I nodded to them, forcing a grin that felt half-real. "Hello, Alpha, Luna."