The Alpha Queen's Mate (Book 5 of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 48

It seemed to take forever for Sunday to arrive. Noelle was very frustrated. She had yet to hear from Nick, and every possible scenario had gone through her mind.

Nick was going to reject her.

Nick was severely injured.

Nick was dead.

She knew none of those were true, but they still plagued her thoughts. She'd barely slept both nights; her only comfort his scent, which was everywhere in the room.

She lay in bed Sunday morning, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. She still needed to pack. Mike was taking her, Aria, Matt, Finn and Emily back to school at two pm. He'd drop her off and then head south to Columbus to drop off Aria and Matt. Astrid and Liam had already returned yesterday so that Astrid had time to prepare for class.

She'd thought about staying back to wait for Nick, but knew he wouldn't be happy if she did. She also knew she'd end up just sitting around waiting, and school would at least occupy her time and keep her distracted.

She missed him desperately and she knew part of it was because they had yet to complete the bond. She'd never missed anyone like this. She felt like a piece of her heart was missing.

The ringing phone caused Noelle to jump and her heart leaped into her throat as she scrambled to grab it. Her breath caught as she saw Nick's name on the screen. She quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Noelle."

Suddenly, the world felt right again at the sound of his voice. "Hey."

"I am so so sorry I haven't called before now. It has been so chaotic her. Absolute chaos," he said.

"Are you okay?" He sounded exhausted. His accent was stronger than normal.

"Yeah. I'm just really tired. I'm getting ready to sleep for a few hours but I wanted to call you first. I haven't slept since we were on the plane coming here," Nick said with a yawn.

"Since Thursday night?" Noelle asked. She knew he probably hadn't slept well then either. Not on the plane with how many other people. He hadn't slept in over two days.

"Yeah. It's been a mess. Both Elias and Arthur are dead. Amelia is dead. The only ones still alive are Lucas and Ava. All the leadership for both packs are dead." He whispered the last part.

Noelle felt her heart clench. The people she'd been celebrating with just days before, how many of them were now dead? "Isabella?"

"Gone."

Noelle didn't even know what to say. She sighed. What a mess.

"How are you, Darling?" He asked softly.

"I'm alright. I just miss you." Desperately.

"I miss you too. I'm not quite sure when I'll be home. But you're flying out today aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm leaving here at 2:00." She wished he was going with her.

"Okay. I will keep you updated. I should be able to talk to you more frequently now or at least text you. Now that things have kind of calmed down some. Will you turn on your camera? I want to see you."

She did as he asked and saw that he was laying down somewhere. He looked completely exhausted, but she didn't care. He still looked as handsome as ever. "How many are dead, Nick?"

"Too many. Honestly, I'm not sure."

She could see the sorrow on his face. More innocent lives lost. "Are you okay though?"

"Yeah. Honestly though I'm not sure I would be if I wasn't immortal," he admitted.

Noelle felt her heart clench. "You had to fight." She'd been afraid of that.