The Thief and the Alpha (Book One of the Warrior Series) ✔️

- Chapter 29 -

I was being watched.

That was the first thought that came to mind as I shot upright in bed. My eyes shot around the room, carefully looking for any signs of intruders.

Jaxon rubbed his eyes from where he lied beside me in bed. "What's wrong Lyss?" His eyes followed my gaze, which was directed at the closed window. "It's the middle of the night."

I did another once over of the room, which revealed nothing incriminating, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I voiced these thoughts to Jaxon, who shook his head.

"It might just be the mate bite being weird. After all, it is our first night with it."

I shook my head, rolling out of bed. "Maybe. But my gut is telling me that something else is wrong. I've always trusted my gut. It's what kept me alive for so long on the streets."

I walked over to the window, feeling Jaxon following suit behind me.

I inspected the now dark pack grounds with scrutiny. Most of the lights were out by now, all of the Christmas festivities having ended hours earlier. Jaxon did the same, his eyes wandering over his territory with concern. Finally, he huffed, running his hands through his hair.

"I don't know, Lyss. I don't see anything."

My eyes skimmed the edges of the woods, but when I came up with nothing, I conceded. "Maybe it's just the mate bite."

Jaxon began peppering my neck with kisses, and I closed my eyes, savouring the moment. "Best Christmas gift ever, by the way." He murmured against my skin.

I smiled, turning around to give him a quick kiss. "Agreed."

And then the screaming started.

Both of our eyes shot towards the source of the screams, a small family cabin on the edge of the pack grounds. Jaxon's fists clenched as he listened, his hearing able to pick up details I couldn't discern.

He bared his teeth, his eyes glazing over as tapped into the pack mind link.

"Shit. Shit!"

Alex rushed into the room, looking feral, a sight that I hadn't seen in a while. "I can't reach the patrol team. We had lightened the guard so that more members could spend the Christmas with their families."

Jaxon whirled to face him, eyes flaring a bright gold. "Get the warriors to collect all of the members that can't fight here. Send out some teams to hold the main force off while the rest help defend the entrances to the pack house. We're the ones at a disadvantage here; we don't know their numbers or where they are right now, and the main goal is to reduce casualties."

Alex nodded, rushing out of the room. Jaxon's eyes glazed over again, and James rushed into the room.

"Alyssa, stay here. James, protect her." Jaxon rushed out of the room as James shifted into a large, gray wolf, his clothes ripping loudly as he did so.

James sniffed around, his sharp eyes flickering to every entrance. He nudged his head against my leg in an attempt to comfort me.

I took a deep breath, my mind running wild. It would be stupid to leave the protection of the pack house and attempt to join the fray; after all, I'm only human. It didn't help how helpless I felt, though. I hated not being able to do anything.

The sounds of screaming only got louder as the vampires closed in. I was able to make out wolves running through the dark to reach the pack house, as well as the sounds of ripping flesh and growling in the distance. Based on how far the sounds of fighting were coming from, I assumed that the vampires were being held off as the pack members that couldn't fight were ushered into the pack house.