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“Well, my door is always open.”
As he turned away, I considered the words on the clipboard, the scribbles and checkmarks I had made in various places for my usual round of examinations. I twirled the pen in my hand and glanced at the walls, the bare wood that would soon house drywall, and then after that, would house chairs, tables, games, toys.
Hope lived here. Inside these spaces was space for life to thrive. Given where we had come from, this was a great testament. Our alphas had taken the broken pieces of our packs and sewn them back together. Even shifters like Gertie who had experienced great pain at the hands of the Myrtles were afforded a new life. And with that came hope.
Much like now, the way I felt that same hope permeating my spirit. “Alpha, wait.”
Troy paused in the unfinished doorway wearing an expectant smile.
“I, uh…” I scratched my neck with the pen. “Do you think Virginia will be okay with her kids? The people at the meeting were pretty…”
“Angry?”
I nodded. “Yeah, well…”
“Well?”
His tone was charming, playful, light. He wanted me to spit it out. And I knew it would be better to lie, yet my body refused to allow me to lie. He was my alpha, after all. While it shocked me to feel such a strong allegiance to him, it was also a welcome feeling after experiencing such disillusion over ten years ago.
“I’d like to make sure she doesn’t get harassed,” I offered. “I walked her and her kids to school today. I just didn’t like how those parents were looking at her.”
He retained his smile while squinting slightly. “Are you volunteering to protect her?”
“Well, yes. I think it would be better for now. Just in case. I mean, nothing bad happened. Someone called her a deceiver.”
He nodded. “Do you think she’s deceptive?”
“I mean…” I looked away. How could I explain to Troy that I had once loved Virginia by another name? “I don’t know, Alpha.”
“But you think she’s worth protecting.”
I shoved the clipboard under my armpit and sighed. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t trust her, but I feel compelled to protect her. Those kids don’t deserve to be treated poorly because of actions made by their elders.”
“I share that sentiment, Slater. I commend you for reminding me of that.”
“Yeah, well…”
His grin grew. “Well, I think Blake would appreciate such forward action from one of his own. You have my blessing to make sure the Dentons aren’t harassed. I expect a report in a week.”
I saluted him stiffly. “Yes, sir. I mean, Alpha. I mean—”
“At ease, Slater.”
“Sure.”
He nodded as he turned. “We’ll keep you updated on the situation with Bentley. And we’ll be in touch with Virginia.” He paused once more to add, “Let Virginia know she’s safe with us, will you?”
“Of course.”
And then he left.
I stood at the edge of the structure with my heart in my mouth and my ears splitting open. Tinnitus came swiftly. I rubbed underneath my ears to clear it up, to no avail, feeling like I was about to lose my mind or explode. Or maybe both. Virginia wasn’t worth protecting after what her family did to me. But seeing the way she handled her children—how sheprotectedthem—inspired me to do the same thing.
But they weren’t my kids. She wasn’t my mate. Why did I care?
Chapter 6 - Virginia
Grief joined me in the foyer when I closed the front door. Funny how that feeling came along so abruptly. Even during great moments, happy moments,laughingmoments, grief had a way of creeping into a place and rooting itself in an empty corner. Maybe that was why I tried to keep myself busy as many nights a week as I could atJester. Because I didn’t want to think about things.
