“Beta? You’re the alpha, right? So the beta is your second-in-command?”
“Yes, that’s right,” he says quietly with a gentle nod. “Alistair was my second-in-command. He died nearly three years ago, when the demons first attacked the valley. He died protecting me, because it was his duty, and because he was my best friend in the whole world.”
I frown as I watch him lift his fork carefully, eyes sullen as he stares at his plate now. I recall how things were at the office at the time, how ruthless he’d been—even more than usual—and how he’d been away for a full week, something he never did.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and Heinrich shakes his head again.
“You don’t have to be, Annika. It was a painful loss, and it gave me more reason to do whatever I can to protect my people. I can’t go through that kind of loss again. Especially now. To a wolf, losing one’s beta is one thing, but losing one’s mate…” Hisvoice tapers off, and he meets my eyes, and I’m already staring at him with realization.
I blink fervently, breaking the connection between our gazes because it feels like it’s too much to bear. Already, awareness thrums between my thighs, forcing me to press them together firmly, gulping as I return to my food.
Damn…what was that?
And why is everything inside me tingling as if I’m responding to his claim, to his thought that he couldn’t handle losing me?
The rest of breakfast is silent, and I keep my thoughts to myself, even though I’m usually inquisitive and extremely curious right now. I have so many questions, but I don’t want to risk feeling like I should be the one comforting him when he opens up and becomes vulnerable.
It feels insane, while it feels like it’s the right thing to do. It must be this fated mate bond thing that has me feeling things I wish I didn’t.
I even feel sympathetic toward Heinrich—the last person on Earth I thought I’d feel sympathy toward. But here I am, sitting across from him as we eat breakfast in silence, wondering just how much horror he’s seen in the world.
Losing of one’s loved ones on its own is tough to overcome, and I hate to admit it, but it seems we share that knowing, that feeling, of losing the ones closest to us. For me, my mother’s death was something I’ve barely given myself time to grieve, having to look after my little sister and push aside my own feelings.
It’s the same for him, pushing aside his grieving process to take care of the werewolves he leads. He’s also been doing that while he takes care of a pharmaceutical company in the city.
Instead of wallowing in my sorrows and becoming sad if I think about my sister, I decide to pry a little more, just to make the awkward silence between us less uncomfortable. Maybe if I do, and get him to open up a little more, I could tell him about Lila and ask if I could go back to see her. I’m still undecided if I want to stay here, in the valley, but it’s like there’s a force field around us that keeps me bound to the place.
Right…the fated mate bond….
“You said Anastasia is the pack’s healer. What does that mean?”
Heinrich sets his fork down, then dabs the corners of his lips with a paper towel.
“The pack healer is almost like a doctor, but she uses natural medicines to cure the werewolves. Anastasia has been the pack doctor for many years, but she’s also an extraordinary herbalist. Which is why Alpha Pharmaceuticals exists at all.”
“She’s the silent partner?”
Heinrich nods with a faint grin on his face. “Yes. She’s the silent partner and the silent head researcher. It was actually Alistair’s idea to do more than just cure the werewolves and to take our medication to the human world, with his sister’s research and skills. I made some friends who still think I’m human, and we started the company together.”
“Alpha has made a ton of difference in the world of modern-day medicine,” I say, nodding gently, perhaps, for the first time, realizing that the werewolves aren’t so bad after all.
“Maybe I was wrong about everything, about him especially.
“That was Alistair’s vision,” he replies with a sigh. “I’ll be away for a while. I need to take care of some things within the pack, and also at the office.”
“About the office…” I begin in a hopeful tone. “What about my job, my responsibilities?”
“You won’t need to worry about those things anymore, Annika. I’ve arranged for your replacement, and I’ve told everyone at the office that you’ve found another job.”
My eyes go wide as I realize there’s a lot of logistics that I didn’t even think about. He’s obviously taken care of everything, but there are some things he hasn’t done. “What about my sister? She will be worried about me, concerned. She was supposed to come see me this week.”
Heinrich hesitates with a gulp before he says, “I went ahead and emailed your sister, telling her that you had to go overseas with me for a little while. She won’t be suspicious for now.”
“For now? What about a week from now? A month? What if she decides I’m missing when she doesn’t hear my voice, and reports it?”
“We’ll figure it out, I promise,” he sighs. “I’m not keeping you a prisoner here, Annika, but I’m keeping you here for your own safety. We don’t know how much the demons are capable of, and if they’ve infiltrated our signal lines. They’re smart, always one step ahead of us, and my priority is to keep you safe.”
“No!” I snap, standing up and slamming a hand on the table. “I’m not here because you’re keeping me safe! My lifewasn’t in danger before you, and your pack decided thatyouneededme!”
