Monster in My Bed

Chapter Twenty-Nine | Yuck, I Think I'm Maturing

I've been on high alert recently. Honestly, I think everyone has been.

The pack was notified about our little predicament. Naturally, they did the whole pack-wolf-thing and got way too protective. I can't even use the bathroom without someone waiting outside of the door. It's as if they think a pack member from Vindicta is going to crawl up through the toilet and take me away through the sewers.

On the other hand, Matteo and I have never been closer, as cheesy as it sounds.

We don't spend every waking moment together. I don't think we could actually manage that without one of us killing the other, but we do spend an unusually large amount of time together. We don't argue much, either. If anything, we don't argue at all compared to how we used to be. I'm trying to learn to be a better listener while Matteo is attempting to be more patient. We both pretty much suck, but we're getting there—even though my way of being a better listener is just nodding like I understand what he's talking about, and his form of being more patient is just acting like he doesn't hear me when I say something stupid.

I think we should write a book for new mates on how to get along if you hate each other. Matteo thinks I need to learn the alphabet first.

Anyway, it's been a little over a week since Matteo heard the phone call from Vindicta's Alpha, Adrian. Since then, we've had about four small groups ranging from two to five people try to come into our borders. Since then, we've also had about four small groups ranging from two to five that need to be either buried or burned. One would think after the first group, they would stop sending over more.

I oddly find it all to be a bit humorous. At first, I'll admit I was a bit nervous. I'd never been stuck in a predicament like this where I couldn't run and hide. But after watching Matteo handle everything over the past week, I just think it's funny how Adrian Rache thinks that his pack could even set eyes on me. Matteo may be a bit violent, but he's much more intelligent than I have ever given him credit for.

He briefly explained to me how his pack is set up. Once he took it over from his father, he set up several factions within his territory and put what I like to think of as a makeshift Alpha in-charge. Basically, since Matteo's pack and territory expands over several states across the eastern United States, it's too large of an area for him to efficiently make sure his pack members are not only obeying his rule, but are also okay. Therefore, he split off his pack into factions based on location and designated pack members from his central pack which is what I am used to living with as their leaders. Those pack members then report back to Matteo. Matteo claims that their are twenty-eight of these little packs stretched across his territory. Therefore, we basically have twenty-eight packs ready to fight for us.

Not only that, but we also have Socius on our side. I can only owe that to my brother.

A few other packs have stepped forward thanks to alliances with either Matteo or Socius saying they will help defend us, but everyone else has been laying pretty low. Everyone except Barron Mendax, of course. He made sure that everyone was aware that Uirium would be aligning themselves with Vindicta. It honestly shocked me. I thought for sure that Barron would be in my favor, but I suppose that was just me being naive. I can't really expect anything from someone like him.

Basically, that is what it's coming down to. Vindicta, Uirium, and several smaller packs supporting their cause and Socius and a few others supporting ours. The only other pack we could potentially hope for help would be packs south of us including Apsens, but the reality of them helping was little to none. They hadn't been involved in conflicts for years. Their neutrality level was a perfect ten out of ten.

We were basically just sort of stuck at the moment.

"Put it down," Matteo stated lowly, not even bothering to look in my direction. I froze and slowly released the calculator. "It's not that hard."