In the Alpha’s Arms

Foundations Crumble

Lita tracked her eyes across the dark of the sky that crested into dawn. From the main compound doorway, she

could see to the pits. It was chilly, dampness in the air that hung fog like a film over the world. This kind of

morning always had her feeling uneasy. For as long as she could remember, days like this spelled disaster. And

for once, she hoped the disaster had already cand gone. The battle was over. Maxim wasn’t coming back for

any more dinner talk. Or torture. The men had been hurying bodies for hours. That was a side effect of conflict,

Lita had never considered People, other than Maxim, dying. But they had. And the losses were from both sides.

Cole admitted that they'd lost pack members too but that each of them knew what they were fighting for. Cole

had always taken on people that no one else. Wolves that needed a pack and a place to belong. And those

people were willing to put their lives on the line for him. She hadn’t recognised the names he listed. And while it

wasn’t long, even one nwas too many. Her heart already wrenched for the families. Even though they may

have been loners, even they had family somewhere. People who might miss them.

And then her mind turned to more practical things. How would they explain the deaths? Would there be a human

investigation? Would they have to lake a story? Or would they simply be brushed aside as missing people buried

in unmarked graves?

Her

gut tightened as she considered the loyalty that her pack had shown. Most of them didn’t even know her, had

never even met her, and still, they came. And fought and sdied so she could be free. There would never be

enough gratitude she could show to balance that. But she would try. Far against the horizon, she could see the

bleeding of colors from deep blue to orange. The breeze kicked up, whipping through the doorway and she

shivered, pretending not to limp as she turned back into the foyer.

She and Cole hadn't yet stepped out into the main drive of the compound where Maxim's pack had been lined

up and brought to their knees. It bothered her to see it, spart of her recognizing that begging position. The

months that felt like years spent begging not to be hit. She recognized the defeat in their eyes and it twisted her

heart. Many among them were innocent, she was sure. Bullied or abused into serving Maxims will. Many were

probably born under his thumb. How many among them were ever given a choice? She assumed none had that

choice if his son had to flee.

At this hour, and in her current state, she couldn't tell her pack apart from Rat’s so she bit her tongue about the

situation and waited for Cole to return. He'd gone with Alex and Andres to investigate the cells below the house.

And likely raid any security information they could find now that the building had been cleared.

It wasn’t supposed to take long, but that had been an hour ago now.

1. w. Lita didn’t think she could stand and watch people kneel for another minute. She needed to find him. No

one innocent would be hurt, she told herself. That was the hill she would stand on, Hurting innocent people

was not what she was about and it wouldn't be something she would become. Or else, they were no different

than the monsters they were fighting

Are bounded into the entryway. He scanned the area like he was searching for something. His face: strained and

paling, turned surprised as he saw her and he cto a stop right in front of her.

“What's WT-

“Have you seen Jax?” he blurted, a pulse of hysteria threading into his voice. Before she could finish asking what

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was wrong or answer him, he'd already started looking inside the rooms just off the entryway, “Jaz?!”

“Why would Jaz be here, Ace? This isn’t the place for...”

“I know,” he ground his teeth and tugged at his collar, “And | promised Cole | wouldn't bring her but... | mean

you've seen how pushy she can be when she wants something! Plus she didn’t want to stay behind alone. Hell, |

didn’t want her to stay behind alone either

“What about all the other humans in the pack? She wouldn't have been alone, Ace,” Lita could already feel

herself scolding him. It was irresponsible to bring a defenseless person knowing there would be a battle.

“If I'm not with her, she’s alone, Lita,” his voice turned hard and for a second she could see the strange

desperation in his eyes. She was starting to think she’d either missed a lot over the last week or jaz and Ace had

been fooling everyone into thinking they were just casul..

“I know | shouldn't have brought her. | really do, Lita. But | did so it's done now. I-I told her to stay with the

vehicles but... she'd never seen him so serious.

“But what?”

But she’s not there and | don’t

“You checked all the vehicles? Lita felt her own bead of hysteria building, “Did you ask the other wolves?”

“Of course | did! But no one saw her. | mean literally, no one even knew a human was waiting out there. That

was the idea at first but now... | mean. what if we missed one of Maxim's men? What if she’s trapped

somewhere? And where the hell is everybody? | can’t find Cole or Alex on

“Ace,” she showed him her palms, slowly lowering them to urge him to calm despite her raging pulse, “Calm

down. | don’t know about fan but

Foundations Crumble

Brody, and Mark are outside with Maxim's pack.”

Lita grabbed

grabbed his arm, pulling him in the direction Cole and the others went, “And the rest are through here. | think

they were headed to the cells. Or... they might be in the offices by now.”

“Lita stay here; you're still injured. Cole would killif you got even more hurt. He just got you back”

“Don’t think for a second I’m going to wait around like a fool while my friend is missing in a place like this? Move

your ass

Adrenaline began to ripple back through her as they walked and she lost her limp. She wasn’t going to admit

that Ace might have been right about her injury because she could feel the hot trickle of blood down her leg. But

it didn’t matter until they could find J. Each room they passed, was searched Calling her nbeca

rhythmic exercise as it echoed through the halls.

“You're bleeding,” Ace tumed back, eying the stain building through her pants,

“I'm fine,” she swatted her hand, brushing past him towards the sound of raised voices. As they got closer, their

werewolf hearing kicked in and they could hear Cole arguing with someone. Her father, Rafi? Or was it someone

else?

They picked up their pace, subconsciously growing more frantic the closer they got to the offices. Something was

wrong. They could tell even as they didn’t know what it was.

“I didn’t have a choice! Lita and Ace froze midstep, blood freezing in their veins. It was laz and she sounded like

she was trying. What should have been a welcrelief felt sour, Why was Cole arguing with Jaz? She hoped it

wasn't because of Ace bringing her. If Cole had a problem with that, he should take it out on the guilty party.

“IT DOESN'T MATTER! THERE'S NO EXCUSE JASMINE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!” That tit

was Anders Lita had never heard Andres yell at anyone. Ever. Especially not a female. He was always the

gentleman, always the flirty protective one. Hearing how angry he was at Jaz sent more fear through her veins

than anything else,

“Who the fuck does Andres think he’s talking to?” Ace growled, rushing towards the room with renewed force.

Lita followed, reaching for him as if to stop the unstoppable thing that was about to happen. Because she could

already feel it building. The sense of foreboding. The question shed asked herself a hundred times until Cole told

her it was Brian. How did Maxi know where she was? How could anyone have tracked a phone number they

didn’t have? It had never made sense. She believed Brian would betray her to Maxim but even he couldn't share

what he didnt know

Ace burst through the office doors, forcing everyone into stunned silence and as Lita rounded his large body she

took in the scene. Cole was standing near the windows, eyes red, claws out. He took great heaving breaths as

Alex forced him back. Andres had far by the arm, a fistful of papers in his other hand, crumpling against his

anger

“What the hell are you doing? Ace growled, shoving Andres back until he released her, “Don’t you ever touch her

like that? Andres answering snarl traitor sent ripples through Cole and Alex as Jaz whimpered, collapsing to the

floor. Lita’s gut told her to run to her friend, to help her. To protect her. But that word... traitor. It unsettled her.

“You have to believe me, Lita. 1-1 didn’t tell him. | didn’t know, Jaz gasped, crawling, “H-he got toa I-long

tago. When | was young and my father got mixed up with the wolves. | had never even heard of a werewolf

before my father was murdered by one. | had two choices, Lita. Spy on Cole or meet the sfate as my d-dad.

And we all know how Maxim hated humans and females. Who knows what he would have done to me.but it it

wouldn't have been quick I'm sure.”

Lita cringed, eyes brimming with tears. She began to shake,

to take a step away.

Her eyes wide as saucers, lax scrambled to her feet, taking Lita’s hands in her own to stop her from running. You

have to believe me! | swear, PLEASE, believe me!

*GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER! Cole howled, wrangling two or three extra steps frots Ales. Andres skirted armund

Ace to help hold Cole hack. The entire room stood on a tightrope. One wrongand everything would fall. Such

a delicate balance.

“Somebody better explain something or I'm punching first and asking questions later,” Ace insisted, looking

between the men. His voice had lowered, shoulders locking in a defensive position and she was sure it had more

to do with shielding himself from whatever laz had to say, than anyone else. Lita fel az shudder.

She sold Lita out to Maxim! Cole spat, Spied on us until she could get her alone and VULNERABLE The venom in

his once clamped down on Litas Heart. She felt like she couldn't breathe,

| didnt | wear! | would never. | didn’t know he was tracking my phone. Is stopped reporting in after we became

friends, as eyes welled. ther nose

Foundations Crumble

“I wouldn't do that to you. B-but it is my fault he found you. He followed me. So you can blme for that BUT |

DIDN'T TELL HIM WHERE WE

WERE!

Lita’s mind began to race. If Brinn had told Maxim a general proximity... and Jaz’s phone tracking had done the

rest... but... she’d been spying on them all-

“How long?” Lita asked, surprised by how cold her voice could sound when she willed it to.

“pg »

With Cole? Years,” she dropped her

face in defent, knowing how it would

« . .

sound, “But with you, 1-1 only Spied

for a few weeks Aftér hat after

SBA you two were probably

mates...and you had developed a

] o q )

close friendship... I just couldn't keep

doing it, you know? So | stopped

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calling in. And he threatened to ruin

. . . ) ”

my life but | still didn't call.” The

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“Why'd you ask to cthen, Jaz? Ace asked quietly, his body language hiding any of his emotions, his eyes

hard, “Why'd you askto bring you

here?”

“I-It's not like that,” she sobbed, “But | knew he'd have stored my reports in his office. Things that would

incriminate me. | thought if | could just get to them first, no one would have to know!”

As Jaz fell into a chaotic sob, Lita

looked to the floor, to the crumpled

pages of transcripts. Her eyes

sharpened, Nyx pds 138!

oj aés { shift until she

could read the words. Her eyes

scanned the conversations Jaz had

relayed. Private conversations. About

an 0 q

Lita's abuse. About Brian. About her

family. All things Maxim hoped to use

to break her. All things he only knew

because her friend had told him. The

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the latest chapter there!

The room grew small and cold. Isolating. Her body felt like it was on fire. Humming and raging inside. Lita took a

breath, pulling in more air than she

new she could take. Then promptly turned to the side and vomited.

She had always wondered if there

was anything that would hurt worse

than her parents being complicit with

Brian. If there would be any betrayal

more amaging ae oe Mm

Becsusglofiow ch she loved

them and how much she depended

on them to keep her safe. And now

she knew the answer was yes. This

hurt worse. Because of how broken

she had been when she met Jaz. And

how far her life had come. Jaz was

part of her new foundation. and the

block was shifting, crumbling right

before her very eyes. And it risked

bringing her whole world down. The

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the latest chapter there! x