Alphas War

Chapter 10

The next morning, I rolled over to find the bed empty and frowned. Although the covers were wrapped tightly around my body, cocooning me in the warmth, I felt a chill run down my spine.

With a sigh, I sunk further into the bed and closed my eyes. It felt as though I had hardly slept since the day Zach left to search for Chris. With expanding the pack and dealing with attacks, I was constantly overwhelmed.

I sighed and rolled out of the bed, needing my fiancés warm arms curled around me to truly relax. "Zach?" I called, trudging down the stairs.

"He went for a run," Chris's voice called from the kitchen and I entered to see him sat at the table, a mug in front of him and his shirt nowhere in sight.

"Where's Liam?" I asked him, forcing myself not to take a small peek at his shirtless body.

He grinned. "He went with him."

My eyebrows shot up. "They left you alone with me?" I asked incredulously and he chuckled.

"Yep... but I was threatened by both of them and your dad is going to call soon to check in on you so its not really progress," he said, shaking his head.

I dropped into the seat opposite him and laughed. "Zach left you in the house alone with me with the nearest person in the building next door... trust me it's progress," I said shaking my head.

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders as I moved to make myself a drink. "When did they go?" I asked him, glancing over to see his eyes downcast on his phone.

"About an hour ago," he said, flitting his gaze up to send me a quick smile.

I rolled my eyes and with a sigh, leant backwards against the counter. "Zach must be freaking out after yesterday. He seems to think the more he trains, the more likely it will be that he can fight off anyone that comes near me."

Chris placed his phone on the table and turned to me. "He isn't wrong. If he trains, he will be stronger and faster than other wolves."

"I know," I said with a nod, "but he is going to kill himself trying to protect me."

Chris smiled softly, keeping quiet. The two of us drank our drinks, chatting occasionally but mostly remaining in companionable silence.

When I finished my drink, I placed it down and rose from my seat. "I'm going to jump in the shower before Zach gets back," I told Chris.

He nodded in response and I hurried up to the bathroom, wanting to be quick so Zach could wash as soon as he got home. I stepped beneath the warm water and sighed contently.

After a quarter of an hour, I jumped out and wrapped a towel around my body before stepping into my bedroom. I expected to see Zach impatiently waiting to use the bathroom but the room was empty.

I frowned and quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before making my way downstairs. "Are they back?" I asked Chris who had emigrated to the couch.

He turned to me and shook his head. "Not yet."

I frowned. "That's weird, Zach never runs for this long. He must still be pissed off from yesterday," I muttered, feeling a pit form in my stomach.

It was completely plausible that Zach and Liam were just letting off some steam or they got distracted and yet, something felt wrong to me as I waited for the front door to burst open.

"They've been gone for a really long time, I'm starting to worry," I said, dropping onto the sofa beside Chris.

"You think something has happened?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I frowned.

"I don't know, I think I am going to go and look for them." I rose from my seat and took a step before I was hauled backwards.

"Not without me. You had your throat slit only yesterday, I doubt its a good idea to go alone," Chris said with a frown. I sighed and nodded in agreement. "Lets go."

I followed him out the front door, immediately noting that the territory was still bustling with people and cubs chasing each other. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled Tyler, asking if there had been any unusual activity at the borders.

"Its been a bit quiet around by the old ruins," he told me, "they haven't sent in a report for a few hours."

"Thats where Zach runs," I muttered, ending the call and turning to go around the back of my house and upwards slightly. "We centre most of our protection towards the front of the territory because anyone who attacks would come from that direction but if someone was to go wide and attack near the back where the defence is sparse, they could've gotten in," I explained to Chris.

"So you think someone got to Zach and Liam on their run?" He asked.

"I have no idea, but he never runs for this long and I have a really bad feeling so yeah, possibly."

Chris frowned. "How the hell would anyone be able to fight against those two?"

I raised a brow at him. "If it was a large group then the strength in numbers would easily overthrow the two of them."

"Do you think its your uncle?"

"Maybe, but he isn't after them, he is after me so I don't know why he would be lurking around at the borders. It's not really his style," I said.

"Then who?"

"I don't know... humans maybe but they would need weapons," I muttered, ploughing ahead of him to scout about as soon as the ruins came into sight.

It was difficult to call them ruins now, really it was just a clump of rocks and stone remaining from the cluster of huts that were here years before our pack claimed the territory.

I scanned the area for any sign of fight or trouble but besides a few scuffs in the dirt and some snapped twigs, there was nothing and that was hardly enough to go on.

I ventured a little further, entering the woods and scanning the area for something. "Ella?" Chris called from behind me, an edge to his voice.

I turned and jogged back to where he was standing to see a slip of paper in his hand and frowned. "What is it?" I asked him, moving over to stand by his side.

He handed it to me and immediately, the stench of blood hit me. A small drop of red stained the upper left corner of the otherwise pure white sheet of paper and I recognised the scent as Zach's.

In the centre of the page was one word, scrawled neatly in black ink. Rick.