Page 51 of A Chance at Redemption for the Alpha

With Benjamin, Micah and Lucian planning everything for the arrival of our new pack and coven members, Silas and I can focus on meeting with Juniper. We decide it’s best to have Durant meet with her. They are both officially still working for Aloysius, so it’s safer for them to meet instead of accidentally being spotted with us. We make sure to set Durant up with a bugging device so we can listen in to what’s being said.

They meet in a small, secluded coffee shop, while Silas and I decide to hide where the most people are: in a mall. We are probably going to attract the least attention there, instead of acting totally ‘innocent’ by sitting in a car. There is nothing more suspicious than two shady guys creeping around in a car. I toldthat to Silas, and while he agrees with my reasoning, he wasn’t quite on board with being called shady.

“While we are already here,” Silas says to me as we step into the mall. “We may as well do some shopping. I want to prepare a special meal for our new pack and coven members.”

“Didn’t Sheila put together a regular kitchen team by now?” I ask. “She said she did.”

“Yes, and they are cooking the main dish, but I want to make some dessert,” he says.

“Whatever makes you happy. I won’t complain. I love any dessert,” I try to make the last part sound as dirty as possible, grinning when Silas just rolls his eyes at me.

“That’s what I get for having a young boyfriend,” he grumbles.

“At least I have stamina,” I state.

“Goodness,” Silas groans. “Let’s go and buy the groceries I need, before I change my mind and smack you back all the way to our car.”

For a moment, I contemplate joking about my hot old boyfriend wanting to wrestle with me, but then decide against it. We still have a mission to accomplish. And while Juniper and Durant are safe and it’s just a small exchange, it’s always better to be on alert.

Through our earpieces, we will be able to follow their exchange while we go shopping for Silas’s new cooking project. I am not sure what exactly he is going to bake, but I’m still slightly surprised by how many ingredients he buys. We even have to hit a special baking store for some unique supplies.

I am about to ask him what he is planning when I feel the hairs on my arms standing up slightly. What is that weird feeling? It’s like my skin is starting to crawl. Are we being attacked? Is someone following us?

He is here!Amos alerts me without further ado.

There is the hint of a well-known scent in the air. Amos doesn’t need to explain who it is; I immediately know by the scent.

Mask our scent!I blurt out, before I grab Silas by his arm and push him through the next best door I can find. It’s a storage room for the cleaning personnel working here. The space is tiny, and Silas frowns while we try to disentangle our limbs and try not to squish each other. “I hope you have a good explanation for this!” he huffs while brushing a cobweb off his hair.

“I… I felt Eugene,” I admit.

Silas gazes at me. “Your brother is here?”

“Yes, I am not sure what he is doing here,” I admit. “It’s not close to my old pack.” I open the door slightly, peeking outside. As if in cue, I spot my brother walking past me. He is accompanied by a warrior, who looks familiar. Once I see his profile, I recognize him as Elliot, my old friend!

Can you sense Elliot’s power?I ask Amos.

Yes, he is definitely a ranked member. Probably beta.

Eugene made Elliot his beta? That’s something I never expected. I thought he would choose one of his own friends. Elliot was always a very smart and talented warrior, and I had my eyes on him as a future ranked member as well. Eugene was against it, though, saying he was juvenile and a bit too laidback for the job.

Yet, he picked him for it!

They seem to talk briefly, and Elliot nods. Other than that, they don’t seem overly friendly with each other.

A bit weird, isn’t it?I ask Amos.

They were never close,Amos says.I am not surprised.

But he chose him as his beta.

That’s true,Amos mutters.Maybe he changed his mind and finally acknowledged Elliot’s talent.

I am not sure if I am convinced by that explanation. Maybe it was Dad and Floyd making a choice. I can only assume thatEugene suddenly being the only heir to the rank, and then me disappearing, put the pack into a crisis, and Elliot was a very well-liked pack member back then.

Eugene looks slightly confused when he walks past me, but fortunately he doesn’t notice me. Amos can cloak our scent and even change it if he wants to. It’s one of my gifts, and something that truly helped me during my time as a rogue. I gaze at my brother, noticing that he’s grown a bit. His shoulders are broader now, and his face more serious. His hair is a bit shorter than it was when he was younger, but still slightly curly.

Seeing him makes my chest stitch. I have shoved my memories of him away as much as I could. I tried not to think of him. While I know now that our bond wasn’t strong enough to survive the test the goddess put on us, and that I gave more to our relationship than he did, he was still my best and closest friend ever since I was born.