Page 17 of Brutal Alpha Beast (Roseville Alphas #2)

After I do a border patrol with Aaron, I check in on my dad.

I’ve been avoiding him a little over the past few weeks, and I realize it’s because I’ve been feeling like a failure.

The issue with our valley’s land is spiraling. No matter how much we work with the witches to try to eliminate the damage, more and more keep popping up.

For example, the other day, I noticed that a section of one of our lakes had dried up so much that there were a couple of dead fish lying lifelessly on the grass with their mouths open.

I was horrified, and I enlisted the help of a couple of witches to cast a spell that would fill the water, but it was only temporary. And there’s no way of predicting when and where it’ll happen again.

Everyone has been told to be on nature watch.

Then there’s the whole thing with Danielle. I don’t want to tell anyone about that, especially not my dad, but it’s eating me up inside.

Without knowing the whole truth, it's hard to defend Danielle or her coven from the rest of my pack. So I’m stuck. Even so, it’s been a while, and I miss my dad.

“Son,” he says, greeting me at the door. He gives me a nod, and I nod back—we’re not exactly the hugging type. “It’s been weeks!”

I chuckle. He’s being comically dramatic.

“It hasn’t been weeks, Dad.”

He heads to his fridge and whips out two ice-cold beers. I raise my eyebrows. “At this hour?”

“You need it,” he says.

He’s not wrong.

After we catch up a little and inevitably have to discuss the issues with the valley, the conversation eventually leads to the witches and then Danielle.

“So,” he says. “What’s been going on?”

I take a swig and lean back in the lawn chair. “Nothing’s going on. It’s a marriage out of convenience, nothing more.”

“Well, do you like her?” He asks.

I shift uncomfortably in the chair. I don’t think anyone has actually asked me if I like her. Do I? If she wasn’t lying to me and messing with my brain, then maybe I would.

“It’s not like that,” I tell him. “That’s not important.”

My dad chuckles. “You’re not a good liar, you know.”

I exhale and look out at the trees. I wish I could tell him what’s been going on, but I know he’ll only question my competency as a leader and the alliance. I don’t need those problems, and actually, the witches have been pretty good.

We need them.

“It’s complicated,” I mutter. “That’s all I’ll say on that.”

“Okay, okay,” he says, raising his hands. “I understand it’s personal. But if you like her, I don’t want you to push her away just because of your mother and me.”

I freeze. My chest feels tight, my jaw clenches. He never talks about her.

“I won’t ever forgive Mom for what she did to us,” I mutter.

Dad shrugs. “Your mother is a complicated woman. She was dealing with more problems than you know. Despite everything, I wouldn’t take a second of loving her back.”

I glance at him, surprised by the softness in his voice. Then I look back down at my bottle of beer that’s sweating beneath the heat.

“Anyway,” he continues. “I’m gonna get another one of these, you want?”

I shake my head. “No, Dad, thank you.”

***

When I return home, I’m shocked to find Danielle there, waiting.

“Ellis,” she says, quickly standing up.

I don’t know how to react, especially since I haven't seen her for so long. I realize I’m no longer exactly angry, just confused.

“Sorry,” she says. “Is this a bad time? I thought maybe you would be available now. But if not, we can talk later.”

Given that we’ve both been so skilled at avoiding one another, I should expect her to know my schedule. But still, her knowing that now is when I’d be at home and available is a strange thought.

I don’t like the idea of her watching me as much as I’ve been watching her.

The watching, which I’ve still been doing, admittedly has been out of concern. Despite everything, I can’t help that nagging feeling of needing to know whether she’s okay.

Is it the same the other way around? How could it be when she’s been lying to me all this time?

“Now is fine,” I say. “I’ve been waiting patiently for an explanation, as you know.”

“Yes,” she says, walking toward me. As she does, I notice how the light reflects off her body and face. Her skin is glowing, and her eyes look as though they’re sparkling emerald green.

How can someone so beautiful be so …dangerous? That’s the word that comes to mind, though I hate thinking it.

Because it doesn’t feel right. Not when she’s standing in front of me like this—calm, unarmed, her expression unreadable but not hostile. Not when my chest tightens at the sight of her, the way it always does.

“I’m sorry about the way that everything has happened,” she murmurs softly, “I know it seems purposeful, but trust me, I never meant to hurt or confuse you. This isn’t the way things were supposed to go.”

That makes me wonder how Danielle had envisioned things going. If I hadn’t realized anything about her, would she have continued lying to me this whole time?

I don’t ask her. I don’t want to interrupt.

“There is a spell that’s been put on you. It’s made you forget me. And the only way to explain everything is if I lift it, which, with your permission, is what I plan on doing.”

“But who are you?”

“As I said,” she continues. “I can only show you if you come with me.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere with you. How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

Danielle’s eyes flicker with something—hurt, maybe. Or guilt. I can tell she understands how I’m feeling, but Danielle is stubborn, and I know that she’ll keep fighting for her way.

“I understand,” she says. “Why you’d feel that way. But you have to believe me, Ellis, I don’t want to hurt you.”

A little late for that. But again, I don’t speak. I tense my jaw and stare at her, unmoving. My heart is hammering against my ribs, and I hate that despite my anger, I still care. I’m still bothered by much more than just a witch putting me under a spell.

“Look, Ellis, if you don’t let me do this, if you don’t trust me a little, then I can’t make this right.

You’ll keep walking around without knowing the truth, and we’ll keep going on, not trusting each other when I could have done something.

I know that I should have done this a long time ago, but I’m coming to you, openly, now. ”

I want to believe her, but something inside me still stops.

“How do I know that you’re not manipulating me?” I ask. “How do I know that this spell even exists?”

She shrugs. “You don’t. You can’t know until you try.”

“I don’t know Danielle,” I mutter.

Danielle exhales slowly. She sits back down on the chair by the table behind her, and her shoulders fall slack. She looks tired, regretful—human.

The way her eyes look tugs at my heartstrings, and it takes the weight of a mountain to stop me from comforting her.

“I should have never come here,” she says, a defeated look spreading across her eyes.

“I should have told Penelope the full story, and that I couldn’t face being with you, but even if she had chosen someone else, I think you still would have found your way to the truth.

It’s wrong to put someone under a memory spell, even if you think it’s better for both of you. I know that now.”

She continues, the ache in her voice pulling at my heartstrings. I want to remember everything without needing to trust her, but when it comes to our past, my mind is still blank.

“I’m sorry, Ellis, I really am. I wish I had the words to express how much regret I feel, regret about everything. If you want me to go, just say it, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

She swipes at her cheek roughly and lets out a shaky laugh. “And look at me now. I came here hoping to fix everything, but the truth is… maybe I just made it worse.”

“Danielle,” I murmur.

Her name feels strange on my tongue. Is she someone I care for, or is she my enemy? Should I agree and send her away?

I’ve been going back and forth about whether I can trust her, and at first, I decided I’d speak with Penelope and my council in order to make a rational and balanced decision.

But that look in her eyes is killing me.

She looks up, her beautiful face so distraught, and yet hanging on with just a glimmer of hope.

“I’m not going to send you away,” I say. “And I definitely don’t trust you, but I know that I need to learn the truth. So... fine, I want you to lift the spell.”

Danielle blinks, like she wasn’t expecting that answer. Her lips part, her breath hitching just slightly, and then she nods.

“Okay,” she says. “Let’s go.”

As she stands, I look at her suspiciously.

“We can’t do it in here?”

“It’ll be better if we’re in nature,” she says. “It’s helpful for the spell.”

I exhale. “Sure, whatever, fine. You lead the way, Danielle. Let’s go.”

A much-needed lighter air settles upon us as she leads me out of the cabin, but I feel like I’m jumping off into the deep end.

I’m nervous. I have no idea what to expect.

***

“Here,” she says, looking around an isolated area of forest. “This will work. I think.”

Maybe it should be concerning that we’re out of pack bounds, in an area completely hidden from sight. No one from my pack knows we’re here—Danielle could technically try anything.

But, for some deranged reason, I trust her.

She looks nervous and vulnerable, and that creates a strange feeling in my chest. I don’t want her to suffer. Even when I thought that she was here to trick me and to spy, I felt protective of her in a way that feels impossible to describe.

It’s just there. Existing.

“Looks fine to me,” I respond, “Is there anything you need in particular?”

She shakes her head. “Just being outside in the forest is good, and away from any other energies that may intercept.”

“Okay,” I nod.

Although I’ve been learning more about how magic works over these past few weeks, I truly understand it so little—Danielle could say anything about it, and I’d just nod my head and agree.

“Let’s sit,” she says, and we both settle cross-legged opposite each other on the cool forest floor.

I remember the last time we were in the forest together, on the floor. I have the urge to reach out and touch her, to tell her that everything will be okay.

She has a glassy look in her eyes—an air of insecurity about her as she smooths the edges of her dress.

Have I made her feel this way?

Danielle is a badass witch; she’s powerful as hell.

I feel a pang of guilt.

“It’ll be fine,” I tell her, looking directly into her sad eyes.

I don’t know what compels me to say this, because I have no idea if it will be fine for either of us.

She repositions herself.

“Open up your palms,” she commands.

I open them, pointing to the sky.

She opens her palms, closes her eyes, and instructs me to do the same.

Then she murmurs witchy, unintelligible words. I hold my breath a little, waiting to feel something undoubtedly strange.

A stronger wind picks up around us, whipping and slapping at my sides. It’s howling, like a violent storm, crashing against my ears.

But I stay steady. I don’t feel anything changing internally yet.

Then I feel two hands slap against mine.

I open my eyes. Danielle is hunched over, her hands on top of mine, her knees on the floor as she chants the same words.

Her face is contorted with strain. I almost want to tell her to stop, but I know now that this is how the witches’ spells usually go.

She’s squeezing my hands, and I do my best to support her weight.

Around us wraps her magical glow.

“That’s it,” I encourage. “You can do this.”

She continues, chanting louder, with more emphasis. Her voice echoes through the forest—she sounds strong.

She’s almost screaming. I’m holding onto her tightly, supporting her.

And then she stops.

The magic dwindles around us. She takes a long breath, and then she opens her eyes.

I feel dizzy, suddenly extremely discombobulated. Where am I?

She’s watching me expectantly.

But who is she?

Then, it all comes rushing through my mind. The moon-gazing activity after school, our secret spot, running away from my house into the forest, her birthday—our first time.

All that suffering.

I wince as my body recalls the pain. My ignorance is the reason she was sent away. But she lied to me.

I can’t speak. I can’t even think.

I’m here with Danielle. I know exactly who she is.