The Code of The Alpha

Chapter Forty-Three - When Flesh Became Fur

"No, it hasn't been a week."

The words tumbled out of my mouth quicker than I could form them, my mind racing.

This isn't possible, I thought. Alpha Reid said we would have a week. It's only been a few days.

Bates just shook his head and I felt my heart sink to my feet, my worst fear confirmed.

Alpha Reid hadn't been able to hold off my father any longer.

"Where is he?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"They're camped out outside the gates," Bates told me. "I don't know how much longer border patrol can hold them off."

"I'll go," Luca said.

"I'm going with you," I said immediately.

He shook his head, turning to me.

"No," he said. "Bates is taking you to the meeting house where your scent will be hidden."

I tried to argue as he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back into the bedroom.

"Luca, I'm not going into hiding," I said. "This isn't right. I'm part of this pack now, too."

He pushed me against the wall, holding me eye-level with him under my armpits.

My eyes widened as I came face to face with his stony expression.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice low. "This is serious. You're going to do exactly what I say. I don't have time to argue with you. I have a pack to protect and you're going to go to that house with Bates and you're going to stay there until I come to get you. Do you understand?"

I gulped, nodding.

Luca let go of me, letting my feet return to the floor as he went into the closet.

"Go downstairs and get into the pool," he told me, emerging from the closet with clothes in his hands. "Bates is going to give you something of his to change into when you get out and that's going to help mask your scent so you can get there safely."

I found myself nodding again—unable to speak with the adrenaline running through me—and I followed Luca out into the living room where Bates was waiting.

"Meeting house," Luca told him, shoving the clothes into his backpack. "You're going to stay there until you hear from me."

Bates nodded curtly.

Luca turned to me and placed a quick, soft kiss on my forehead.

My eyes closed as I tried to remember everything about that moment: how he smelt, how his lips felt against my skin, the softness of his t-shirt under my fingers.

Pulling away from me, Luca ran out onto the porch through the open front door and shifted mid-air as he leapt over the staircase to land in his wolf form.

He took off running, the backpack secured between his teeth.

"You heard him," Bates said, closing the front door and pulling my attention from Luca's departing wolf. "Time for a dip."

He followed me downstairs quickly as I opened the backdoor to the dark pool.

I dove into the frigid water without a second thought, soaking Luca's shirt that I wore.

Bates was removing his own shirt as I resurfaced from under the water. He held his hand out to pull me from the pool.

"Turn around," I said, taking his shirt from him.