Filed to story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
“I just know that mates are really important and I’m afraid of what might happen if I get attached to anyone and they don’t turn out to be my mate. How devastating would that be? For either person. It’s just really confusing. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be all hot and cold with you, I really just don’t know what to do.”
Our food arrives at that point and he is saved from having to answer me. The homestyle meal is amazing. Pancakes, bacon, biscuits with sausage gravy, a side of fruit and coffee and juice. It makes me think of home and Gretchen cooking for me when I was by myself all the time. I would just sit at the island eating and watching her bustle around the kitchen. It was always a quiet peace, lonely, but peaceful.
I close my eyes and savor every bite, lost in the memory for a second.
“Why is that so hot? You really enjoy your food don’t you?”
I actually forgot I was alone. My eyes snap open to see Tyler watching me.
I swallow slowly making sure I don’t choke while he just stares. “What person doesn’t enjoy food after basically torturing themselves in the gym?
“I know a lot of girls who don’t eat much, period.”
He lowers his voice so only I can hear him. “Human girls are the worst about it, but she-wolves aren’t much better. Most think it will mess up their figure, but if they actually worked out their wolf the way you’re supposed to be, burning calories shouldn’t be a problem.
“I just eat what I want and when I’m hungry, it’s really not that big of a deal.”
I try to shrug it off.
“Well, the sounds you make when you enjoy your food are making it a very big deal.”
He shifts slightly in his seat.
Did he just…? Oh man. I need to change the topic, we keep venturing towards s*x and I need information, not for him to want to jump me.
I set my fork down because apparently eating turns him on. “
You said you had’ a sister. Past tense. What happened to her?”
His face goes dark and I feel bad for prying, but we need to know if it was the Rogue King who attacked his pack and if Tyler and his friends joined up. I have to keep reminding myself I am ona mission.
“When my pack was attacked, it was chaos. We had no idea it was coming, we weren’t at war or even in a disagreement with any other pack that I’m aware of. My dad and mom worked in the packhouse so we usually knew what was going on just from them being around the leaders. The wolves were organized and had a clear plan of attack, it was not random. They knew where to go and who to go after first. I don’t know when it happened, but I found my sister later on our front lawn.”
He stopped to take a breath and I let him have the moment.
Reliving that kind of trauma in your head sucks, I know. I reach out and touch his hand lightly, not sure if that’s what he needs right now or not. He gives me a small smile and squeezes my hand back.
“You said you were stuck. Why didn’t you just leave or choose another Alpha and rebuild? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be nosey, I just don’t understand.”
“We weren’t allowed to leave. Their Alpha took over. Said it was by order of the Alpha King, so no one was coming for us, our pack was found lacking and needed a change.”
He still has this dark haunted look in his eyes, but something else is there and I can’t describe it but, I am genuinely scared of this look.
“What about your elders? Don’t they have direct access to the Alpha King, they should have called for help.
Tyler huffs a laugh. “Those idiots were more concerned with their titles and being in the Alpha King’s presence than actually doing their job. They spent almost no time in our pack or with pack members. Our Alpha was kind of a joke. He wasn’t a bad guy, but he was mated to the former Alpha’s only daughter and took the title. He wasn’t made to be an Alpha. I’m sure the Elders chose him for her. I think they actually ran the pack through the Alpha and Luna. The leaders were very concerned with making the pack bigger and more prominent. I was little when the Luna’s father died, so I don’t know if he was the same way or if it got bad after my alpha was chosen as the Luna’s mate.
He stops to take a breath. If he is acting, he is really good at this. I really feel bad for him and his pack.
“From what I heard, the Elders fled the minute the attack happened, leaving the Alpha and Luna to defend themselves, which of course they couldn’t, and are holed up with the Alpha King now. For all we know they are the reason our pack was attacked or they planned the attack themselves to try and get the Alpha King’s attention. Who knows. Either way a lot of innocent people died or were captured or worse and no one did a thing about it.”
That scary angry look is back. He is out for vengeance, I just wonder if he is aware or not.
“What was the name of your pack?”
I’m kind of afraid of what his answer is going to be.
“Former name, Midnight sun. Currently, they are part of the Shadow Pack.”
My heart stops.
A loud growl and string of curses go off in my head from Osiston and Nickolas who have been listening in. It takes everything in me to stay present with Tyler while they are shouting instructions to the whole team and the warriors back home. The noise is giving me a headache, but I can’t shut them out. They need this information first hand, right now.
“I’m so sorry that happened to your pack. Is the whole group we ran with last night from your old pack?
“Nah, Mike, Robbie and I left as soon as we could. The new Alpha is ruthless and cruel. He stopped all contact with the outside and his warriors use corporal punishment if you don’t fall in line. All the men were forced into an army. Any women that were left were taken somewhere else. I never saw any of them again. We had to get out, but no pack wanted a bunch of deserters, we tried, so we are here on our own.”