The Alphas Sister (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Beneath the Pines

We passed a few more doors—steel, keypad-locked, their frosted panels smudged with fingerprints—before Jacob paused at one on the left. It looked like the rest, but when he swiped his keycard—beep, clank—it swung open to an office: cedar bookshelves sagging with leather-bound tomes, a broad desk cluttered with maps and a flickering lamp, two worn leather chairs facing it. A narrow window slit high on the wall leaked grey daylight, pine tops swaying outside.

Jacob settled into the chair behind the desk, gesturing with a small smile. "Take a seat." I eased into one—leg twinging faintly, wrapped hand flexing stiffly—while Electra stepped toward the other. I growled low, possessive, and tugged her onto my lap instead. No way I'd let her drift after that cell scare. She nestled against me, tingles sparking warm, her wildflower scent chasing the sedative's lingering haze.

Jacob leaned back, exhaling slow, his green eyes—sharp like hers but shadowed—meeting mine. "Guess you're wondering what the hell's going on, huh?"

I nodded, arm tightening around her waist. "Yeah."

He chuckled faintly, rubbing his jaw. "Fair enough. Let's ease into it—how Electra's my sister." He paused, gaze drifting to the window, voice softening. "Seventeen years ago, our little family pack got hit hard—savage rogues attacked, tearing through everything. I can still see it, clear as day."

Electra shifted, her breath catching. I brushed my lips against her head, tingles humming between us.

"We barely got out," Jacob went on, hands clasping on the desk. "Mum, Electra, me—Dad was covering our backs until he couldn't anymore. We ran into the woods, no plan, just panic. We wandered a full day—got hungry, lost—until we stumbled on this shack. It's rotting walls, moss choking the roof, one room with a dirt floor. Mum pulled us close, crying, hugging us like she'd never let go—I was only seven, Electra was so tiny."

A soft sob escaped Electra, her fingers curling into my shirt. I held her tighter, wildflowers steadying me too.

Jacob swallowed, eyes glistening. "We felt safe for a minute—then a rogue tracked us. Mum... she lured it away, bolted into the trees, told me to watch Electra. She didn't come back that night. Electra's formula ran dry—she was crying, weak—and I was clueless. I had to find Mum."

He paused, voice rougher. "I wasn't ready—my senses were half-baked. I got lost out there, staggering through pines for three days 'til Forest Pack scouts hauled me in—half-dead, babbling. They took me back to the shack that day, but Electra was gone, the scents faded. Later, I heard Mum was buried nearby, I didn't know by who but I figured rogues had got you too."

I frowned, scepticism tugging. "So you didn't even look for her?"

Jacob met my gaze, exhaustion raw. "Kyan, I thought she was dead—I was a kid, barely holding it together. Forest Pack took me in, raised me. If I'd had a whisper she was alive, I'd have clawed through those woods until I found her."

Electra's hand squeezed mine, trust radiating. I softened—for her sake. "Alright," I murmured. "I'll buy it."

He gave a small, grateful nod, then leaned forward. "Now, this place—you're probably curious."

"Damn right," I said, shifting Electra closer—her warmth countering the chill creeping up my spine.

Jacob smiled faintly, gesturing around. "It took five years to build—dug into no-man's-land bedrock. Twenty cells down those halls—steel, iron-laced to help block shifts. There's labs below, med bays, all funded by packs who want rogues handled quiet."

I tilted my head, not fully there yet. "Handled how?"

He cleared his throat, voice steadying. "We catch rogues—hold them, force them human again." he pauses "With sedatives, suppressants to break their wolf, iron cuffs to lock the shift down. We rehab them if they come around—teach them to live human. After what those bastards did to us, I wanted them gone—cleanly, not just dead."

A spark hit—rogues swarming our lands last fall, worse by spring. "Wait—you're why we're drowning in them, aren't you?"

Jacob winced, nodding. "Yeah, six months back, we started rounding them up—we got twenty of them. They caught wind and the rest bolted. Your borders took the brunt—we didn't mean for that, Kyan."

I leaned back, piecing it together—underground labs, rogue rehab, hush-hush. Packs like ours would've slit throats, not played scientist. It explained Shane washing up here too, post-exile for beating Diana, they took in rogues. "So, are we stuck here?" I asked, glancing at my unchained hands—freedom felt shaky.

He laughed, light and easy. "Nah, you're not prisoners. We locked you up to cool off after that meeting in the forest—you're all free to go anytime. Your buddies, Matt and Riley, they're down the hall in a holding cell, I figured we'd talk to you first."

I eased Electra to her feet—legs steadier now, tingles fading the sedative's edge and took her hand. "Good—well need to get to the shack, then get back to our pack."

Jacob stood, voice dropping. "Wait... the shack's gone. It burnt eight years ago when a big fire torched this stretch of forest. Nothings left but ash and stumps."

Electra's gaze fell, shoulders slumping—I pulled her into me, her sob muffled against my chest. "Mum's grave?" she whispered, voice trembling.

He sighed, heavy with regret. "It was lost too, the fire scrambled it all. I couldn't find it after."

She pressed closer; I met Jacob's eyes over her head. "I'll talk to our pack to see if they'll pitch in. You could use the backup, right?"

His face lit, relieved. "I wouldn't say no, I'd appreciate it." He scribbled on a paper scrap, sliding it over. "Our phone number, the line doesn't work all the time, but I look forward to getting a phone call sometime." He softened, looking at Electra. "Visit sometime, yeah?."

She nodded, quiet, clinging to me. We turned—Matt and Riley stood by the exit, packs slung over shoulders. Matt's tawny hair was a mess, hazel eyes flicking warily; Riley's dark gaze swept the hall, lean frame coiled. "You two holding up?" I asked, beta tone creeping in.

Matt grinned, crooked. "Cells were cosy—heard you went full beast mode, though."

"I had to," I said, smirking faintly. "Shane, he was trying to convince me that they were doing things to Electra...."

Electra looked up at me "What?"

I squeezed her "Don't worry about it, you're fine so it didn't matter and I hurt him to make sure he'd never think of doing it again" 

Riley snorted, low. "Alright, this place gives me the creeps, let's go."

Jacob jogged up, stopping us short. "Electra, hang on." He held out a small pink blanket—frayed, stitched with tiny stars. "It's yours—from the shack. I grabbed it when Forest Pack took me back."

Her eyes brightened, a shaky smile breaking through. "Thank you," she murmured, clutching it—wildflowers faint on the threads.

Jacob waved as we hit the exit—steel doors hissing open to pine-scented air, daylight slipping fast. Matt scouted ahead, Riley trailed, steady shadows. I glanced at Electra, her eyes lingering on the entrance. "Let's get home—your parents will freak otherwise." She looked back, pensive. "We'll see him again, I promise."

She nodded, blanket pressed to her chest, and we started the trek—my hand in hers, Matt and Riley close, the forest swallowing us whole.