My Female Alpha

TWENTY SEVEN

emery

Lenora leaves to do pack business, so I sift through my weekend bag for clothes. They're all dirty from visiting my parents.

I pick the least smelly of my options—joggers and a t-shirt crop top—and pull them on. I don't bother with a bra, which is nice. It's not like Lenora ever wears one anyway.

Since I'm going to have to learn how to do things for myself around here, I wander down to the kitchen. I notice several bedroom doors are missing or hanging by a single hinge. The walls and floors bear numerous scratches from wolf claws. Some of the banisters are broken. Considering the rogues were here on a murder mission, I guess I should be glad there isn't blood everywhere.

The kitchen is empty when I get there. It's late morning so no one is hanging around. I hesitantly peek around in the cabinets and in the fridge, but there's no prepared food. I find a box of Kraft that I immediately stuff back in the cabinet when I hear approaching footsteps. When I face the intruder, Caden's face relaxes me. He smiles.

"Hungry?" he asks.

I take a deep breath. "Yep. You?"

"Starved. I would say we should make a trip to T-Bell, but the pack is still on lockdown. So . . . what is there to eat in here?"

We start boiling water for the macaroni noodles and talk about what's happened since yesterday.

"We lost a few," he tells me softly, staring off.

"We saved a few." I nudge him with my elbow and he gives me a tight smile. "I wish we could have done more. I'm sorry you had to babysit me."

He rolls his eyes. "None of this is your fault, Luna. I told you about how broken Alpha would be if something happened to you. Anyone in this pack would risk their life for you."

"I don't want anyone risking their life for me," I grumbled. Stirring the noodles, I glanced at him again. "Is your friend alright?"

"Desiree," he says her name with another smile. "Yeah, she's fine. A little banged up, but she'll survive."

"Did the rogues get her?"

"The rogues got everyone." He chuckles but it's a sad noise. "They'll be back, you know. That's why we're still on lockdown."

"What does lockdown even mean?"

"No one can go in or out of pack territory. Anyone able is patrolling the perimeter."

I think about the vacant cabinets around us. "What about food?"

Caden shrugs. "Don't know."

It worries me that rogues might strike again at any moment, but it almost concerns me more than we could run out of supplies. Fifty or so people live here. There's no way we have enough food for lunch and dinner today.

"I'll have to talk to Lenora," I say aloud.

"It's okay, Luna," he says. "We can figure it out. Besides, if there are any animals on pack grounds, we wolves can hunt. I just don't know what will be hanging around after the fight."

We finish making lunch and eat together. Then Caden has to join a few other wolves at the perimeter. I busy myself by cleaning the dishes. When that's done, I resort to walking around the house. I haven't had much of a chance to explore it.

The first floor seems surprisingly untouched by the rogues who broke in. Unlike the disturbed rooms upstairs, the doors down here are all intact. The rogues must have known where they were going.

I ponder on that for a moment. How did the rogues know where to go? I know they have strong senses, but wouldn't they have wanted to check and clear every room?