Filed to story: The Alphas Contract Novel by Taylor West
I follow her up the wooden stairs and through to the dining room. She gestures to a chair next to my youngest brother. He hadn’t met me yet and he drops a spoon into his bowl to stare at me with dazzling blue eyes. He was a miniature Ryken but with blonde ringlets just like Kade. Ryken must have been blonde before he went bald.
“Calihan.” Mum speaks to him. “This is your sister, Blair. She’s going to be staying with us.”
He gives me the biggest smile, showing me all his teeth. “Hi. You are my big sister?”
“Hey, yes, I guess I am” I smile back as mum gestures to the boxes of cereal and tells me to help myself.
Kade appears at the table and sits opposite me. He spends the whole time watching me as he eats but doesn’t say anything while Calihan talks to me about school completely oblivious of his brother.
“Your dad has just told me that there is no school today.” Mum announces as she brings in some jugs of juice. It was like she was preparing to feed the five thousand not four of us and a baby.
Calihan does a small fist pump when he hears the news while Kade demands to know why. Something else unusual about him. Every kid his age should be happy they don’t have to go to school for the day.
“Alpha Dane is changing a few things around. Due to the amount of children he is splitting the class so everyone gets more attention. So Kade, from Monday, you will attend in the morning and Calihan, you will go in the afternoon.”
“That’s not fair!” Kade slams his fist on the table.
“It’s the rules and what do we do when it comes to rules?” Mum glares at him and Kade retreats a little.
What was that about?
“We follow them.” Calihan states proudly.
“Yes we do, especially if we want to be happy here.”
Calihan bobs his head in agreement and slurps the milk from his bowl. The boys were so different, but it was also more than that. Even without my Lycan abilities I knew there was some problem with Kade.
Calihan goes right back to telling me about his friends at school as Kade continues to watch me. He wasn’t anything like the boy I had seen running around in the front garden that day.
“It’s Kades birthday soon.” Calihan tells me. “He is going to be eight.” Calihan holds his fingers up proudly. “Two more sleeps.”
“Are you excited?” I ask Kade as mum leaves the room to get Braelyn.
He rolls his eyes at me and takes his empty bowl to the sink.
“He’s just being silly.” Calihan tells me.
“Maybe he is too excited and it’s made him tired.” I lie to my little brother. “It happens sometimes.”
Mum appears with Braelyn. She was so much bigger than the first time I had laid eyes on her. Mum slips her into the high chair and puts a bottle of milk in front of her. She was a miniature version of mum. Deep brown eyes and a shock of jet black hair. Oblivious to anything but her bottle of milk.
“Do you think you could get used to this?” Mum asks me
I had never had this in any shape or form. A tear creeps out and Calihan throws his little arms around my waist. “Don’t cry.”
I nod at mum. “I’m sorry.”
She smiles at me. “I know, it’s just taken you a long time to find your way home.”
****
“Dad. It’s not fair.” Kade is stomping around, following Ryken while I tie the laces o0f my boots
“It’s what needs to be done. You won’t be in the class with the Hunter kid. So there will be no more trouble.”
“There was no trouble. I just asked her for a damn pencil!”
I watch Ryken spin around and glare at Kade Kade immediately f and his head sinks lower and lower until his face couldn’t be seen.
“Watch your language and do not speak to me like that again!”
“Yes Dad.” It was a completely different tone to how he had been speaking earlier. “Now go to your room until I return.”
Kade bobs his head and runs off to the staircase. His feet move quickly and seconds later a door slams and I watch Ryken groan. He looks at me Are you ready? Because your escort is here.”
“My escort?”
“He wants to keep a specific eye on you. Not my choice, but I do not get a say in the matter.”
“Who?” I ask quietly, already fearing the answer.
“The Hunter. So I suggest…”
“I do everything he asks and answer his questions.” I answer quickly
He nods. “You will be over in the gardens today, checking the fruits and veg and doing some weeding.”
“I can do that.” Though I wasn’t quite sure how I will feel with Abraxas breathing down my neck.
“Here,” Mum holds out a paper bag for me. “I made you some lunch.”
“You didn’t….”
“I know. I will see you later.”
A new feeling was bubbling up inside of me and I was certain I was going to cry again but not from anger or sadness. From something else entirely “Thanks.” I whisper, but she had already turned away.
I open the door to see Abraxas rubbing his temples. “So you didn’t try to run then? I was counting on it.”
“So you would have another reason to kill me?” I ask
“Maybe. Though it does seem like you are catching on. Let’s go. I hope you have green fingers.”
I follow him to the gardens, rows and rows of different plants that multiple people were working on. They all look up and glare at me. Abraxas nods to a woman with long red wavy hair. She slowly makes her way towards me with a bucket of small tools.
Pulling off a glove she holds her hand out to me. “I’m Maddie.”
“You’re the woman they talked about. The one that was stripped of her abilities?”
“Yes. Shall we get to work.”
Surprisingly, Abraxas doesn’t follow me though the crops. He s the end, watching me from made me even more at but
“You don’t have to keep looking at him.” Maddie mutters from my side. “He is just here to keep an eye, that’s all.”
“It’s just, I messed up his life and I know he wants to kill me. But I’m trying.”
“I know. Just the fact that you are even here means you are trying.” She winces as she bends over.
“Are you okay?”
“He thinks it’s too early for me to be doing this, but I had to. I can’t stay inside all day.”
“Too early?”
She lifts her shirt high enough to show me bruised ribs.
“Did he do that to you?” I scoff
“No, not a chance. I’m still healing from Cooper.”
“I hope he gets what’s coming to him. To do this and take away who we are, it’s worse than death.” I sigh.
“I’m sure they will find a way to deal with him. Neah is pretty smart and so is Dane. They always win.” She gives me a big smile.
“I really hope that they win this one.” I was still so unsure.
I work for hours, letting Maddie show me how to do certain things. Not once did Abraxas stand over me, but he always stayed where he could see me.
He walks me to my new home in silence. I wanted to say something, anything, but ultimately decide to keep my mouth shut.
He knocks on the door and waits for
Ryken to answer. As soon as he does, Abraxas walks away without a single word and that’s worse than when he does speak.
Abraxas
“Told you she would be afraid of me!”
“But you used Maddie?” Dane cocks a brow at me, though I could see he was annoyed with my actions.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?