Page 23 of Her Bully Alpha (Honeycomb Valley Alphas #1)

I watched as Sam's eyes went hazel, and her body sagged against me. I quickly caught her, knowing she was having a vision. My entire body tensed up, wondering what she was seeing. I thought of her last one. She had told me just how terrified she was seeing all those people falling ill and some of them dying.

"Sam," I softly said her name, holding her tightly in my arms. I was grateful she saw these visions, but I could only imagine how they made her feel.

It was a moment before I watched the light flicker back into her eyes. Tears built up quickly and broke free, trailing down her face. She started to sob, and I cupped her face.

"What did you see?" I asked softly, wiping at her tears.

Her lower lip bobbed as she took a slow breath in. "Death."

I pulled her close, resting her head against my chest. I could feel the sorrow on her face, and whatever she saw hurt. I wished I could take her pain away, but there was little I could do.

"It's like I'm right there," she said as she pulled herself together. "I'm with them, but I can't do anything. I just stand there and watch as they suffer."

I rubbed her back as she wiped at her face. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together.

"Did you know anyone?"

She shook her head. "There are so many faces, and it happens so quickly. I can't keep up."

"I'm sorry." I pointed to have her take a seat at the island, and I grabbed her a glass of water.

She took a sip and set the glass back.

"I'll let the Council know about this. Hopefully, it will help."

She nodded, and then I heard my phone buzz. I pulled it free and was a little surprised that it was Kirk calling me. I hadn't spoken to Kirk in a while, let alone get a phone call. He would text rather than call me unless it was urgent.

I pulled the phone up, answering it. "Hello?"

"Jay? My god, thank you, Jesus." His voice sounded broken, and my entire body tensed up. Kirk was a very calm person in nature unless it was something that scared him.

"What's wrong, Kirk?"

"I've been calling Nessa, and she hasn't been answering me for several hours. Which trust me, we know that Nessa answers her phone."

I frowned. "Her phone could have died, Kirk."

"No! I can feel something is wrong! I know it in my gut! I have called her at least ten times, and I haven't gotten an answer in return. She's home by herself."

I glanced at Sam, taking in her visions. This was concerning. "I'll go drive by her house and check on her. Where are you?"

"Mike and I are at a work convention. We've been calling Nessa every morning and night, and she has always answered, until now. I know something is wrong. I can feel it in my gut."

I nodded. "I'll go check on her, and I'll give you a call back."

I ended the call, and Sam raised an eyebrow at me. "What's wrong?"

"Kirk can't get ahold of Nessa."

Sam's eyes widened, and her face paled.

"I'm sure it's nothing," I added. "It wasn't like Nessa was pregnant."

Sam frowned and shook her head. "But they were trying to be….if she was…and she has the virus."

A wave of sickness went over me, and we were both moving quickly. We were hurrying to the car and driving across town quickly. Neither of us spoke for the entire drive until we pulled in front of Nessa's house. It was quiet, and Nessa's car was parked in the front, meaning she was there.

We jumped out and hurried to the front door. I pounded on the door. "Nessa? Are you home? Open the door."

Sam peered around the house, and took a few steps toward the open window and leaned forward, looking inside. Sam gasped. "She's on the floor."

I took a step back and slammed my weight into the door. The door gave way and was thrown open as I fumbled inside.

I got my bearings and surveyed the area quickly, Sam following behind me. We both spotted Nessa lying on the ground. A bowl was broken next to her, and a chair was tilted over next to her. Nessa had a cut down her left arm with blood all over the floor.

"Nessa!" I yelled as I reached for her. I pulled her up slightly, shaking her. Her eyes opened somewhat and she winced. "Nessa, what happened? What's wrong?"

Tears built up as I stared at her pale complexion. I kept hearing Sam's words. They were trying….if she was….and she has the virus. I couldn't imagine not having Nessa around in my life. She was like a sister to me. She had been there since we were little.

Sam bent over and grabbed Nessa's wrist. She remained quiet for a moment and looked at me. "She's got a heartbeat. Let's move her to the couch. Maybe I can heal these cuts."

I hoisted Nessa up and carried her to the couch. Sam followed after and quickly looked Nessa over. Nessa had a huge bump on the back of her head, and as Sam tried to look at her arm, Nessa pulled her arm back.

"You should phone a doctor," Sam said. "She could have a concussion if she smacked her head."

I nodded and pulled my phone back out. I scanned through my number, knowing I had to know one doctor, and then my eyes landed on Katie. I called her.

The phone rang a few times before she answered. "Well, I was expecting a call from you today."

"Katie, you're a doctor, right?"

Katie fell silent for a moment before she spoke up in a more concerned tone. "Yes, why?"

"Sam and I just got to Nessa's house, and something's wrong. She's bleeding."

"Jesus Christ, call a doctor!"

"You said you were."

"I'm not that type of a doctor! I specialize in bacteria and organisms. Not something like this!"

"Katie, tell me what to do! This could be related to the virus, which is your expertise."

I could hear the ruffling of papers, and she sighed. "Is she coughing up blood? Having any uterine pain?"

I shook my head as I looked back at Nessa. Sam had healed the cut on her arm, but Nessa was still out cold. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know."

"We found her unconscious."

"Oh. Well, what can you tell me?"

"She had a cut on her arm and a large bump on her head."

Katie sighed. "Give the phone to Sam."

I walked over and handed Sam the phone, and Sam took it. "Sit with her."

I sat down next to Nessa, taking her hand as Sam walked away with the phone. I chewed hard on my cheek, wondering what the hell happened. I glanced over to the kitchen, taking in the broken bowl and the tipped over chair. The house otherwise looked pristine. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"We just need to monitor her," Sam said as she came back into the room. "And she should come too. But Katie said next time, call a real doctor."

I rolled my eyes. "If this is virus related…."

Sam nodded before I could finish. "I know, but she said this doesn't track. Sam said the women were having the same signs, and since Nessa isn't holding her stomach in pain, this might not be related."

I felt a little relieved, but not entirely. We still had no idea what was going on here.

Sam took a seat in the chair and leaned back. "You know you got a little flustered there."

"I did not."

She smirked. "But you did. And I'm pretty sure you broke their door."

"I can reimburse them for it."

She softly smiled and looked at Nessa. "You must really care about her."

I couldn't help but nod. "Nessa is like a sister to me. We aren't really related, but she was always around, and if I'd had a sister, I have a feeling that was what it was like."

I didn't have a great relationship with my brother, but I knew Sam did. I was a little envious of how close they were.

Sam knitted her fingers together. "I always wanted a sister. Not that Henrik wasn't a great sibling, because he was, but he was a boy. He didn't like things I was into. It would have been nice to have someone that was." She placed her hands on her stomach.

"Does that mean you would want our child to have siblings?"

She blushed slightly. "I mean….I don't think being a single child is fun."

I had a brother, but that wasn't until years later, so I was a single child for a while, and I got her point. Having a sibling around was different. When we were younger, my brother and I got along really well.

"How many kids did you want?"

She shrugged. "I never thought about it much. I never thought I was going to get married."

"But now?"

She blushed again. "Now….I imagine a life filled with kids. A house filled with laughter. We have plenty of rooms in that place."

I snorted. "Much more than the little shack you owned."

She kicked me and glared at me. "My house was not a shack. It was a cute house. Quit calling it a shack."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her. I did have to give it to her, the house she had owned was nice. It was remodeled and decorated accordingly. I hadn't liked how small it was before, but when I thought back to it, it was warm.

"And your house feels bare," she retorted back.

"Not if we fill it with children, which you didn't answer the question."

She crossed her arms. "You can't make fun of me when I tell you."

"Try me."

"Five," she squared her shoulders. "I want five."

I couldn't help but smirk. "Sex was that good with me, huh?"

She kicked me once more, rolling her eyes. "You're terrible."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I leaned closer to her. "You really want five?"

She nodded. "Yes, they will always have someone to annoy, and if either of us were to…" She didn't finish, but I knew what she meant.

"If one of us were to die, we'd have our hands tied and be far too busy to look for someone else to be with?"

She laughed. "If that's how you want to look at it, fine, but I was going to say you would have five children to remind you of what you had."

I liked where her mind traveled and moved closer, pulling her into my lap. I grabbed her chin and kissed her softly. "I like that."

Sam curled closer to me, and I looked at Nessa, taking in her chest that rose and fell. I held Sam tightly, hoping we would never have that. I just wanted us to live a long and happy life together.

Time ticked by, and I glanced at the clock, seeing it was ten now. Sam yawned as she looked through her phone in the kitchen. She had cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and was now looking exhausted.

"Sam, why don't you go home and get some sleep."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

I scowled at her. "You're half asleep over there. Go home and get into bed. The guys should be back soon, and I'll come home as soon as they do."

Sam walked over to me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded as I grabbed her hand, yanking her onto my lap. "I'm sure because when I get home, I might be wanting some attention and you should probably be rested for that."

Sam's eyes sparkled a little as I leaned up, kissing her softly. Sam leaned forward, pressing her hands on my chest. She tasted like heaven, and I never wanted it to end.

She leaned back and sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll go home and get some rest."

She looked at Nessa and then back at me. "But call me if anything changes. I can come back."

"No need, go to sleep." I kissed her hand before letting her go and watched her slip out the door. I leaned back in the chair and glanced at my phone. Kirk and Mike had been messaging me like crazy since I got here. They were both worried.

I had called them and explained what I knew, but wouldn't know the whole story until Nessa woke up.

Then, Nessa groaned. "Uhhh.."

I turned to her, finding her pulling a hand up and rubbing at her forehead. "Jesus, I have a headache."

I leaned forward and watched as her eyes tracked around the space before landing on me. "Jay? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is, what the hell happened to you?"

She winced and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before she continued to rub before her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Kirk called me in a panic, and when Sam and I got here, you were on the floor bleeding."

Nessa slowly sat up and rubbed at the back of her head. "Shit…I must have lost my balance." She looked towards the kitchen. "I was trying to get my glass bowl from the top of the cabinet, and the chair moved. It all happened so fast that I don't even remember it. I must have smacked my head."

I scowled, a little relieved it wasn't anything else. "You might want to call your husband. They have been freaking out."

She nodded slowly, leaning forward, resting her hands on her legs. "You didn't have to stay."

"I actually did. I'm your bodyguard."

Nessa looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "And what about your wife?"

"She's not a shifter, the virus doesn't affect her." A little perk, I might add.