Page 21 of Cruel Alpha Beast (Roseville Alphas #1)

I wake to the sun rising outside the window, its rays beaming through the thin curtain of our bedroom.

My arm rests over Lacey’s middle, the skin of her back pressed against my chest. Everything is so warm, so delightful.

It feels great to be here with her like this.

To pretend for another simple moment that everything is okay.

Ignoring the truth of the world we live in, I actively imagine us lying here for another hour, before the door to our room opens and Shea rushes across the carpet and leaps into bed, cozying up between us.

I imagine bringing her downstairs so we can allow her mother some more time to rest. Shea keeps me company while I strike up the stove and cook a massive breakfast for all three of us. I promise to make her whatever she wants the most, and she tells me how much she loves me.

It’s a happy little existence. One I hope comes true in the future.

But in order for that to happen, I have to figure out how to save my family first.

My pack.

My valley.

Sadly, I return to this reality, where my daughter is staying with my father, and I’m so worried about the future that the idea of eating breakfast right now is actively making me feel sick.

Careful not to wake the steadily breathing Lacey, I slowly retract my arm and slide out of bed. It’s no use, though, because as soon as she doesn’t feel my presence, Lacey rolls onto her back and finds me throwing some pajama pants on.

She eventually follows me downstairs, where the boys are still sleeping in the living room.

Lacey and I tiptoe into the kitchen, both suppressing a laugh when Jasper lets out the loudest snore I think I’ve ever heard in my entire life.

The snore wakes Greg, who lets out a frustrated groan, then he joins us in the kitchen.

The three of us start working on breakfast, and I feel my appetite return.

Greg breaks the eggs and beats them, then hands them off to me at the stovetop, while Lacey starts to mix up some pancake batter.

We’re a well-oiled breakfast machine, and the smell of cooking food soon rouses Ellis and Jasper.

Lacey hands out plates and silverware, then stands at the counter to eat her own breakfast, as we don’t have enough chairs for the five of us.

I offer her mine a million times, but she refuses every single time.

It all seems well and good until suddenly I hear her silverware coming crashing to the floor, and a loud thump along with it.

Whipping around, I see Lacey on the floor not far from where her knife and fork fell, egg bits scattered across the tiles. Her eyes are unfocused and she’s barely propped up by the lower kitchen cabinets.

“What the fuck is happening?” Jasper says under his breath.

“She’s having a vision,” Greg tells him, climbing out of his chair only slightly faster than I do. He goes to sit in front of her, grabbing her hand gently and murmuring quietly in her ear. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

When she finally comes out of it, Lacey finds me on the other side of Greg. She leans forward, tearfully, and throws her arms around my waiting neck.

“I-I saw the whole valley on fire!” she bursts out. “The tree started it! The willow tree!”

“What else did you see?” I ask her.

“The fire—it was burning down houses all over the place! And that woman… I had a dream about a woman who was covered in flames. She was walking through the valley, a-and she was stepping over all of these bodies in the street! They were covered in blood—all of them. And, Sawyer… You and I were two of those bodies!”

My blood runs cold at this. I have no intention of dying by whoever this woman is, nor do I intend to lose Lacey to her either.

I turn to Greg beside me, who has a deep look of concern on his face. Behind me, Ellis and Jasper are staring like this is a horror movie they’re watching instead of our real life.

“She wasn’t kidding; she really does have visions,” Ellis mutters.

Annoyed, I scoff at him. “Of course she does. Why would she make that up?”

Ellis shrugs, then takes another bite of his pancakes.

“Okay, I just had a strange idea,” Jasper pipes up as Greg and I lift Lacey from the floor. “Do you think these visions might have something to do with her not being able to shift?”

We set Lacey down in what was previously my chair. She stares at Jasper thoughtfully, cocking her head to the side. “I can’t say it’s never occurred to me before…”

Before we can theorize any longer about her clairvoyance, Lacey’s phone rings from the counter. Greg hurries to pick it up and reports that Monroe is calling.

“Hand me the phone?” she asks, outstretching arm.

Greg gives her the phone, and she answers the call, putting it right to her ear. I can’t hear what’s being said, but with every second that passes, her face gets paler and paler. I’m very glad she’s already sitting because she would really hurt herself if she fell over while she was standing again.

Without even saying a word, Lacey sets her phone down ahead of her plate and looks at no one in particular.

“Monroe…” she starts slowly. “She said that Violet has already begun to start an uprising. She’s been trying to take over the coven while Penelope is recovering. And she’s strong. She’s so strong she almost ripped a whole tree out of the ground with her mind.”

My mouth goes dry at the thought of all of this. But even then, Lacey is still not finished telling us what happened.

“There’s a small resistance, including Penelope, hiding out in the woods right now,” Lacey continues.

“They’re doing their best, but they don’t think they’re strong enough to take her on alone.

Even with Penelope on their side. She used way too much power that night at the thicket. It’s taking a long time to come back.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Greg asks.

Lacey merely shrugs her shoulders.

A heavy silence falls over the kitchen. I look at Lacey, and I can see that my wife needs the pick-me-up of a lifetime. I look at Greg, who’s worriedly eyeing his sister, then Jasper and Ellis, who are still trying to make sense of what’s going on.

I clear my throat, putting my hand on Lacey’s shoulders. “Finish your breakfast at your own speed, but once you’re done, I think we should go our separate ways and do some brainstorming with fresh minds. We’ll meet later and discuss our thoughts, okay?”

With mouths full of food, the two other alphas nod vigorously. Greg gestures toward Lacey, as if asking if I’m good to still care for her. I nod my head and lean down to kiss the top of her hair.

Once Jasper, Ellis, and Greg finish their breakfasts, they clear their plates and set them in our sink, then all venture into the living room to pack up their overnight bags.

Greg is the last to leave, insisting on folding all of the blankets used and putting them away.

He also makes a great big production of washing the dishes, claiming their parents raised him to be a good houseguest, but I’m sure this is just so he can keep an eye on his sister for a little while longer.

Lacey and I stand in the doorway to see Greg out, then we shut the door behind him as he makes his way home.

“How long is your dad comfortable keeping Shea?” Lacey asks, sinking onto the living room couch.

“I called him yesterday and he said he would take her for as long as we need,” I tell her.

“Good,” she says, leaning forward to reach for the large tome Monroe gave her. “I’ll need lots of time to pore over this book and figure out what we’re up against.”

But just as she pulls the heavy cover open, I step over and close the book on her, careful not to touch her fingers. She looks up at me with wide eyes, furrowing her brow.

“Lacey, you still don’t have a bit of color in your face,” I tell her. “What’s left of your coven will be fine. Let’s do something fun, just the two of us.”

“But—” she protests.

“No,” I interrupt, pulling the book away from her.

“I know you want to help your friends out, and I understand. But you are not going to be any help to them if you keep running yourself ragged. You need a moment of distraction. Let’s give that brain of yours a little break.

It’s been through enough today, already. ”

Lacey opens her mouth, but whatever her counterargument was going to be, it stays within her mind.

I reach a hand down to her and lift her to her feet.

I find a small remote I keep in a drawer nearby that controls my entertainment system.

I turn on some music and gently sway Lacey around in a circle.

Tired, Lacey leans against my chest, melting into me as we slow dance to a song that always used to make me think of her. All of the love songs do, to be completely honest.

***

After a long, yet incredibly speedy day of the two of us just spending quality time together in the house, we stand in the kitchen together, trying to make each other laugh as we cook a meal together.

It’s pretty much just seasoned chicken and roasted vegetables, but we’ve found a way to make cooking that fun.

And by fun, I mean we’ve been kissing. A lot.

It’s amazing how, when you’re a young man, the idea of being “intimate” couldn’t get any better than just mating under the pale moonlight with the girl whose pheromones have been speaking out to you.

It’s hard to imagine a world where anything could be any better than merely sinking into each other and becoming one for a night.

But I’m here to say that just holding the person you love close to you, your hand on the curve of their neck, the other on their waist, while you explore their lips with your own—and adding onto that, the sensual act of cooking a meal at each other’s side—it’s a different beast altogether.

Better than sex, as they say.

We light some candles and bring out some wine that I’ve never opened before. We sit across from each other at my kitchen table, eating silently. Still, our eyes never stop scanning every inch we can see of the other.

I’ve always known that I cared for Lacey, even if I never knew how to show it properly. And while I was purposefully mean to her all of those years, I never really wanted to make her upset. It killed me to watch her run off crying, lying to Greg about what or who had bothered her so much.

And when she was gone, living in that coven without anyone but Greg in the know, I was more upset than ever before.

I wanted to tell her how I truly felt. I made plans to let her know as soon as she walked back into town, when I thought she would be back in a week.

But then a week became a month, and a month became a year.

It took five of those for her to eventually come back, and even then, even after marrying her, even after mating with her, I still couldn’t bring myself to express my growing feelings for her.

A lot has happened since I, spur of the moment, forced her to marry me. There haven't been many days between now and then, but so many circumstances have arisen, it almost feels like it’s been a lifetime.

I know I’ve proven myself enough for her to even consider mating with me… But what if it isn’t enough?

What if it’s never enough?

We’ve been together carnally a couple of times since that night by the lake. But a lot of that was driven by pure lust. Pure passion. Intimacy of the highest order.

I love her, though. I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone before.

When dinner is finished, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, me washing dishes, her drying them off, and putting them away. I could say it at any point, but I don’t. I want it to be more special than just happening while we do chores.

Instead, I merely pull her into the umpteenth kiss that night and savor the taste of her lips against mine.

When the dishes and cleaning are all done, I grab her by the hand and pull her into the living room with me.

I lie down lengthways on the couch, gesturing for her to lie down with me.

It’s a pretty deep couch. There’s just enough room for the two of us, but we really have to be snuggled up close together.

Fine by me. I could stay like this for the rest of my life.

“Hey?” she whispers, leaning her head over to look at me.

“Yes, Lacey?” I reply.

My nerves are firing in my stomach. This could be the moment. Maybe she’ll say it first.

“I’ve had a lot of fun with you today, Sawyer,” she says instead.

My stomach drops a little. There’s a big part of me that’s disappointed. But hey, it’s something, at least.

I’ll take it.