An Alpha's Revenge

Secret

J

She could barely look Elenor in the eye.

"Nobody knows."

"Not even Logan?"

J shook her head and loosened the scarf around her neck. "I couldn't tell him. I was worried what his wolf would do."

"What? He'd never hurt you J, I-" her words died in her throat as J removed the scarf to reveal the bruises that although fading showed the violence she'd seen.

Elenor stepped forwards wordlessly and J flinched as her hands raised towards the bruises. "Let me heal them." She said breathlessly, desperately.

J shook her head and caught Elenor's hands. "No, I need you to save your strength for Logan. He needs your help Elenor."

Elenor shook her head in disbelief. "No. No. You need to be healed. J-" the pain in the she-wolf's voice caught J off guard and she was reminded of the violence that Elenor had suffered at the hands of Caine's men. Reminded that she had no real idea of what they may or may not have done to the she-wolf.

"I'm fine." She lied, standing up and pacing around the room to give her something to look at other than Elenor's agony. "It's Logan who needs help. I-I can't make him better. I thought I could. I thought I would be enough, that our mating bond would be enough but-"

"We have no idea what they did to him, J. The mating bond can't heal everything, but it will help him to heal quicker." Elenor said, her voice returning to normal. "Where is he? I'll go and see him now."

J shrugged and slowly turned back to Elenor, hopeful that some of the inescapable pain would be gone from her expression. "He's around. I can sometimes sense him. If we go to the perimeter of the packlands then I'm pretty sure he'll turn up."

J didn't wait for her to speak and instead headed back out into the sunshine, leaving Elenor to follow.

*

The walk to the perimeter felt so much longer that it was. Somewhere a small voice reminded J that this could be Logan's last hope – that she was relying on Elenor, of all people, to heal him – and if she couldn't, then Logan wouldn't survive like this. And if he died...

J placed an arm across her stomach, stroking her thumb against it. Inside her grew a tiny, innocent cub. What would happen to her if J went through Mate Separation again. If J died, if Logan was gone, who would protect their cub?

A warmth swept through J's body. She slammed to a stop nearly causing Elenor, who J realised had been talking to her during the walk, not that she'd heard a word, to walk into her.

"J?" the she-wolf asked gently as she stepped around her, spying the hand against her stomach. "Everything OK?"

J's mind was working overtime and she could barely keep a coherent thought. She slowly raised her eyesight from her stomach to the wolf in front of her, her eyes watery. "I'm having a girl. I'm having a daughter."

She'd heard about 'mother's knowing'. Cassidy had been sure it was going to have a daughter when she was pregnant with Uma. But J just thought it had been a good guess – it was a 50/50 chance anyway. But now she understood. It was a knowing. J knew, without a shadow of a doubt that she would have a girl.

She also knew that she needed to make a very important phone call.

"J! That's so exciting – I'm really happy for you." Elenor threw herself at J and she was so very lucky that J had not been paying attention. If she had, she may have riped the she-wolf's face off.

As it was, distracted by the knowledge that soon there would be a little girl just as she'd imagined, she could do nothing but hug the she-wolf back.

By the time they were at the perimeter, J had managed to get hold of her emotions – and had avoided the second hug that Elenor went in for. They paused near the edge and Elenor went to speak but J held up one finger to silence her.

The wind rustled through the trees, the forest floor was littered with dried leaves and that was perhaps the only reason that she heard him. It was clear Elenor hadn't as when he appeared, she jumped.

J laughed at her softly before facing Logan and addressing him for the first time in a while. "Elenor is going to try and heal you. Try not to kill her."

"Is that all you're going to say?" Elenor squeaked before shouting after J's retreating form: "a hand would have been nice!"

Ignoring the woman's protests, J slid her phone from her pocket and dialled two numbers. The first conversation lasted no more than a minute but the second, well, it was going to take a little longer.

*

A/N

I know it's been ages - I'm trying to get this finished!

If I really can't, then I may just post the outline of what was supposed to happen - we'll see!