Page 9

Alpha Stone

I hear voices drifting around me, too weak and too tired to open my eyes. I’m just comfortable and warm. I never get to sleep in, and it feels so good. I just wish the buzzing in my head would stop. I sink back into unconsciousness.

Sometime later, I feel a tug. An anchor pulling me back to life. That persistent ringing in my ears is driving me crazy. I hear disjointed voices around me.

"Alpha Stone. Can you hear me?"

A single voice rises above the cacophony in my mind.

Slowly blinking, I open my eyes and make out silhouettes in the dim room.

"Ah, there you are, Alpha. Welcome back," greets a melodic voice .

I attempt to focus on the source of the voice and see a female in a white coat. A doctor. "I'm in the hospital?" I croak.

"Your deductive reasoning is working fine.

" She smiles. "You are." She lifts a cup of water to my mouth.

I greedily drink the tepid water through the straw.

"Slow down, Alpha. I don't want your progress to be halted due to vomiting.

You have a nasty concussion and have been in a coma for three days. "

As though in slow motion, I raise my hand to my forehead and feel the bandage wrapped there. "So that explains the buzzing."

"You have a buzzing in your head?" She grasps my eyelid and flashes a penlight in each eye. "Hmmm. I think you will be okay. Hopefully, your wolf healing will kick in soon and you'll be good as new."

She stands up and slips the light into her pocket. "We did an MRI, and there doesn't appear to be any residual damage. Give it a few days, and you should be released soon, if your wolf healing kicks in. So, give your wolf some encouragement."

I try to focus on the doc's face. Blinking, it comes into focus.

"Dr. Skye?"

She nods .

"How's Paisley?"

"She's great. All healed, except for a slight limp.

Hopefully, that will get better with physical therapy.

She was sent home this morning," she adds.

"I think she said she had some cleanup and closure to take care of. She'll be fine; she’s a strong female. And, I’ve found that when someone goes through CMS, it makes them even more resilient. "

"Good. Paisley is one of the best people I know." I realize I have overextended myself, and I settle back on the pillow. It’s only a few seconds before I drift back into the nothingness of sleep.

Paisley

Enforcer North and I just arrived back at the pack house.

They gave me the choice to move out of the Beta Suite and either take another suite in the pack house or move to a cabin on my own.

I chose the cabin. They assigned me one close to the school, so it’s still near the pack house, but it offers more privacy and lets me avoid Miles.

All my belongings have already been moved to my cabin, so I don't have to go back to the pack house.

But before I settle in, there’s one thing I need to take care of: I need to reject Miles so I can get closure .

North and I exit the car. He comes to my side and supports me as I stumble weakly toward the pack house. The drive has worn me out, but I have to get this over with, so my wolf and I can finally rest.

As we walk inside, North stays close, holding me so my limp is less noticeable. I appreciate the help because even medicated with Amra, I can feel the pull of the mate bond, and I know Miles is here.

Then, as if on cue, Miles appears at the bottom of the stairway and storms toward us before we even clear the door. He glares at North, clearly angry that I’m in his arms, and has the nerve to growl at him.

North looks ready to pounce, but I hold up my hand in Miles’ face. "Stop!" I warn. The entire room goes still. "Take the aggression down a notch. You have no right!"

"Where have you been?" he growls, glaring at me and North. "No one would tell me where you were."

"We need to talk."

"Yes, we do," he agrees. "Let's go up to my office."

He reaches for my hand, but I dodge his touch. I glance at North. "Will you accompany us?"

"What?" Miles' eyes snap back to North, holding me.

"North is going with us," I snarl .

"Fine." He storms up to the third floor to the Beta office.

When we enter, another wolf is behind the desk, working on the computer. He sees me and stands.

He’s the most handsome wolf I’ve ever seen. Long, brown hair, crystal-green eyes, tall and muscular. If I had to guess, I'd say early thirties. No mate mark and no wedding ring.

Yum! I purse my lips. Wow, this medicine really works. I usually couldn't look at another wolf, let alone drool over one.

Miles startles. "I forgot you were working here. Uh. Let me introduce you to my mate, Paisley." He clears his throat. "Paisley, this is Beta Knight."

I give Miles the side-eye at his announcement that I’m his mate. I glance at the new Beta and smile.

"Nice to meet you, Paisley." He encloses my hand in his and returns the smile.

"You as well, Beta Knight." I look at Miles curiously, wondering why we have another Beta.

"I'll leave you two alone," Beta Knight offers.

For some odd reason, I don't want him to leave. "Just a moment, Beta Knight, please?" I ask.

He nods.

"Miles," I begin. "Have you ever heard of CMS? "

"No." He hesitates.

“Thought not.” I nod. "Okay, give me a minute." I turn my attention back to Beta Knight. "Where are you from?"

"Stone Mountain City," he replies, glancing between Miles and me. "The Alpha Commander sent me here. I was one of his Betas. As you can imagine, it takes a lot to run the city."

"Oh, yes. I imagine it does. Do you know about CMS?"

"Yes. I worked closely with Dr. Skye to relocate some of the victims." He eyes me warily.

"Do you have a mate?" I ask. "I apologize for quizzing you so much. I do have a reason, if you’ll humor me a moment."

"No problem," he chuckles. "I met my mate about a year ago. She strung me along for a few months and then ghosted me. I don't know where she is now. But the short answer is no, I don’t have a mate."

While Knight is speaking, Miles watches me with barely contained wariness.

I turn to North. “Can you and Beta Knight please wait outside the door? Once Miles and I have a private conversation, I need you two to assist me in explaining CMS to him. ”

"Oh. Okay," North agrees as he and Beta Knight step outside.

Once the room is empty, I sit behind the desk and motion for Miles to take a seat in one of the side chairs. He does.

"Explain." I simply say.

He shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. "What do you want me to say?"

"Listen, don't play dumb. Tell me what’s in your heart and your mind. Spill."

At least he has the decency to look ashamed. "Paisley, to be truthful with you, I’m confused."

"Go on," I prod.

"You know my history with Marissa, and that we were together for ten years."

"On and off,” I remind him. “You told me you were together during the times she was around."

He nods. "Anyway, she showed up at my bachelor party, and I was intoxicated. She said she wanted to talk to get closure."

"So, a year of being gone wasn’t enough closure for her?"

"I guess it was a game she played."

" Was? Are you sure you’re using the correct verb here? Wouldn't is be a more apt one— It is a game she plays?"

"As I was saying,” he continues, “Marissa promises she isn't leaving again. And, I just got caught up in my feelings. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but like I said, I’m confused.

She wants to be a couple again. There’s a part of me that she owns.

On the other hand, I love you, Paisley, you’re my mate.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

I just don’t know how to reconcile this.

I need time to work through it and decide what I want.

I need space, but then I don't want to be away from you. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does. You’re selfish," I say flatly. "You want your cake and eat it too." That saying never made sense to me. Of course, you want to eat your cake! "You want me, and you want her."

"I just need to think."

"Well, the best part of it all is that you don't need to think about it. I understand. No confusion. I want to make this easy on you." I flash my most charming smile at him.

A look of relief passes over his face .

"So, just sit right there and let's give you an education in CMS. Beta Knight? North?" I call out, and they immediately file into the office.

“Miles," I begin, “there’s a condition called Cheating Mate Syndrome, or CMS.” His shocked expression is brief. "When mates find each other, they experience a biological sync, especially if they’ve been intimate. The other night at my bachelor party, I began exhibiting symptoms."

I pull the brochure about CMS out of my pocket and pass it to him.

"Nausea, vomiting, and excruciating pain are the first symptoms. It felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly with a white-hot poker. If you read carefully, you’ll note that the pain increases as your mate's tryst continues and lasts as long as the act. "

I stand and walk to the front of the desk. Miles' face turns pale; he looks like he’s going to be sick. I move the trash can in front of him with my foot. "Just in case you need it. I, myself, vomited for hours that night, until I finally slipped into a coma from the severity of my injuries."

I grin. "Oh, I forgot to mention the injuries. Since you and Marissa decided to have multiple hook-ups that night, my condition became dire. North, don't you have some photos you took for my medical file? "

"Yes, and there’s also the surgical footage that’s now part of the training videos. Give me a minute to pull that up." He glares at Miles.