Page 21 of Brutal Alpha Beast (Roseville Alphas #2)

“Tightening around your heart,” I repeat. “Hmm.”

I’m waiting for Danielle to get ready; she’s in the bathroom, and I’m leaning against the wall nearby.

We’re strangely domestic, comfortable like old times.

“Yeah,” she responds. “It was weird, I’ve never felt that before. Like strings pulling around them, or vines.”

Vines .

“And it happened a little after the shadow monsters came, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it was because of them.”

“No,” I say. It has to be related to the vines, right? In the second image on the tapestry, the vines are supposed to be leading somewhere.

Something clicks. What if that, somewhere, relates to Danielle. To her heart?

“You sound like you’ve thought of something?” Her voice questions. Although I can’t see her, I know how she looks.

That cute, suspicious face she makes when she thinks something is wrong.

“Well,” I say. “Maybe we’re taking the vine thing too literally. Maybe it’s metaphorical, like the vines are leading to your heart or something.”

“ My heart?”

“Well, all the signs keep coming to you. Right? There seems to be a theme.”

She’s moving some things around. The question crosses my mind: Did it always take Danielle this long to get ready?

We’re hosting an allied pack party tonight, and at this point, we’re going to be late.

“That’s true,” she says after a little while. “But I don’t see why it would lead to my heart. What could be wrong with it? Why would it be related?”

“Did you have a vision after the pain?” I ask her.

I was walking ahead. I didn’t notice she was down until I heard her scream.

Usually, a dramatic reaction like that is accompanied by a vision as of late, but I didn’t want to press her.

“No,” she says. “I’ve just been feeling a strange energy inside me, that's all.”

“Crap,” I mutter without thinking.

“What?”

I don’t want to panic her, but a strange energy near confirms the theory that’s been brewing in the back of my mind.

“Do you remember when Willow corrupted Violet last time? Maybe that strange energy might be the start of Willow corrupting you.”

“No,” she says. She pauses. “Do you think she’s taking hold of my heart?”

I grit my teeth, feeling a sensation I’m not used to feeling.

Fear.

Since it comes so infrequently, when it’s there, I know it’s for a good reason.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I hope not.”

I really hope not. I don’t see the packs reacting well. And even if they want to protect her, we all know what happened to Violet.

The door swings open, and Danielle holds my gaze with an anxious look. But momentarily, I forgot all that we were talking about.

She looks epic.

Long, luscious curls, a dark dress that complements her skin and her curves. She looks like a Goddess. Smells like one, too. Danielle has always known how to dress for a party, and I take a second to marvel. I can’t help it—even if we’re gonna be late.

Her chest rises as she takes in a deep breath. “I think I made good time, no?”

I smile. “Yeah, I’m sure you do.”

***

Once we arrive, the party is already in full swing. Sawyer and Jasper’s packs are here, scattered around the place, tucking into the varying dishes of our potluck.

You’d think that three times the food would leave us with some leftovers, but I know that once everyone gets drunk, they’ll be right back at the food table.

We’ve needed this.

Our allied parties are always good for morale.

The witches, as our latest allies, were invited too, of course, but they turned us down, said they had other plans.

Whether that’s true or not, I can’t say I blame them for not wanting to dance the night away with a bunch of sweaty wolves.

As we greet everyone, I notice that some shifters in other packs are giving Danielle strange looks.

I brush it off at first as them still getting used to her being a witch.

Once Danielle has gone to grab herself a plate of food, I approach a shifter from Sawyer’s pack.

“Hey, Moira. Have you seen Lacey or Sawyer anywhere?” I ask.

The reason I’m asking is that we couldn’t find Lacey, and I know Danielle will be more comfortable once we do.

“They’re coming back,” Moira says. “Shea left something at home, and so they both went to take her.”

“Got it,” I respond.

Then she darts that same suspicious look over at Danielle, who’s over by the food table.

“Is there a problem?” I ask her.

Due to the tone in my voice, I expect her to change the way she’s looking, but she doesn’t.

I think I know what’s going on.

“How’s Danielle doing?” She asks. “You gotta make sure you keep your eye on her, you know.”

I frown. “What have you heard?”

She looks angry, still not afraid of being questioned by an Alpha.

“That she has a foreign energy inside her.” She hesitates. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but we all know what happened with Violet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Enjoy your evening. Danielle is doing just fine.”

As I head toward her, I notice that she’s standing chatting with our pack mates. She looks happy, and that immediately makes me smile.

“Ellis,” she says. “Is it true that Danny makes blueberry pie?”

Danny is laughing, taking a hearty swig from his beer. “Ellis knows, tell her. I got into baking a few years ago, and now I make it for the potlucks every year.”

“Yeah, it’s true,” I say. “Danny’s the pie guy.”

Danielle is looking at us both with shock. “I never would have taken him for a pie guy!”

The group is laughing, and I smile, but I can’t help but notice every single shifter who’s looking at her strangely.

It pisses me off.

“Hey,” I whisper. “You didn’t tell anyone about that strange energy you’ve been feeling, have you?”

Her eyes soften. “No. Well, just my coven sisters and one or two pack mates, why?”

Shit. News really does travel fast in this valley.

“No reason,” I say. “But it’s probably better to keep information like that to yourself.”

“You think it’s that bad?”

We’re cut off when Lacey and Sawyer arrive.

“Lacey!” Danielle yells. “Finally, girl.”

***

The rest of the night continues somewhat peacefully. Although people are muttering and staring, no one says anything, at least not until toward the end of the night.

Moira approaches me, Danielle, and some of our pack mates as a whole group. I notice some of them are from Jasper’s pack, too.

We’re sitting around a small table, engaged in a debate about whether rabbits or foxes are easier to hunt.

“Obviously, it’s rabbits,” Danny says.

When I see the group coming, my blood turns cold.

“Hey, Moira, what do you think is easier to hunt, rabbits or foxes? Rabbits, right?” Danny asks her.

“Rabbits,” she says, looking coldly at Danielle.

Then she looks at me.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but you didn’t mention anything about it tonight, and there’s obviously a lot of us concerned with how Danielle’s been feeling.”

“Moira, leave it,” I command.

I don’t want to have to tell her I’ll report this to Sawyer—I don’t like to lead that way, but I will if she doesn’t stop.

“It’s fine,” Danielle says. “I appreciate the concern, but I assure you I’m monitoring myself carefully.”

“But how can you be, if we weren’t even officially told? I thought we were supposed to be on guard.” Another shifter says.

I get it, but just as I’m about to speak, Danny speaks for me.

“She rejects the curse just as much as we do,” he says.

We both glance at him, Danielle and I, completely shocked.

“But how will we know what to do?” One of Jasper’s shifters asks. “When we have no idea what’s going on. What if she threatens our safety?”

“She’s as much a part of this pack as any other shifter is,” I say. “And we’ll deal with it as we would if she were a wolf.”

We’re standing now, my pack mates and I, shielding Danielle as our allies shoot daggers with their eyes.

Noticing the commotion, more and more pack mates come to stand by our side.

I can’t help but feel proud. It means that Danielle and the pack, unknowingly, are already starting to make amends.

Soon, Sawyer and Jasper are there, clearing their throats, arms folded across their chest. Our group of allies looks sheepish. Looking Danielle up and down before slinking off.

If Jasper, Sawyer, and I don’t keep a watchful enough eye over these parties, too often, they can end up in brawls.

Curse or not, we’re hot-headed wolves.

***

“So, you’re telling me you don’t have to hold the pack’s hands, but you had to hold mine?”

Danielle laughs. “You just don’t get how magic works, do you?”

I smile.

“I also didn’t hold your hand. It just ended up like that.”

“Okay,” I mock.

She closes her eyes. “Okay, shh.”

Despite the pack standing up for her, I can tell that our allies’ concern has gotten to her.

At least, it’s time for a distraction. And aside from that, we both agreed that it was finally time she lifted the spell for the pack.

Now they’ve grown closer, it only makes sense they should know.

After a comparatively undramatic few minutes, Danielle opens her eyes.

“It’s done,” she whispers.

We return to the pack, where I call a last-minute meeting in one of our courtyards.

The place is brimming with murmurs and confused faces.

“Now I know everyone must be feeling disorientated.”

Danielle rests a gentle hand on my forearm. “I think I should speak.”

I nod.

She takes a breath and steps forward. “I know that all of you must be feeling confused or a little hazy. I’ll just cut to the chase. I’m sorry for making you all forget me. It was childish and immature, and I see now why it was wrong.”

The murmurs have quietened, and my pack mates, at least those whose faces I can make out, look moved.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to forgive me, or even talk to me again. It came from a place of pain, and I’m sorry for any hurt I’ve caused.”

My packmates are silent. We were expecting anger, but silence is somehow worse. Danielle begins to walk off; I see tears forming in her eyes.

“Danielle, wait,” I whisper.

She shakes her head. “It’s fine.”

“We’re sorry,” a familiar voice says. Everyone turns.