Alpha Without a Pack...

Chapter 9

                                        Gavin

Where in the world was she?! I'd done all the morning work on my own and Sidney was almost three hours late. At first I didn't think anything of it but as the first hour ticked by I kept looking towards the road for when she would drive up. Now here I was full on pacing the office building and thinking of all the worst  possible outcomes that might have happened. What if she was kidnapped? What if she hit a tree on her way over here? What if she was murdered and laying dead in a ditch somewhere? Or worst of all, what if one of the guys got to her?! 

I knew she had blown Micah's advances off but that left the gates wide open for the rest of the guys to try their luck. I was about ready to send out a search party when I heard the sound of her car pulling up the drive, I rushed right out to meet her. "Where have you been, you're three hours late!?" I growled at her before she even climbed out of her car. "Chill Streaks, Zach sent me into town to pick up some stuff. I would have been back sooner but your friends Jason and Daniel were on the side of the road with some car troubles so I made sure they got to Asher's shop okay." She said as she opened her car door. So the guys had gotten to her, but she didn't smell like them, I took that as a good sign.

 "Also congratulations, you are an honorary bird dad now." She stated and I noticed the peeping package settled in her lap. "What?" Her words stumped me for a moment as I looked from her face to her lap. "The bird's nesting in Asher's shop got grabbed by a cat, so for the next week or so WE are mom and dad." She said as she slowly got out of the car with the nest clutched to her carefully. "I knew one of them got caught, but now the other one?" I sighed out as she nodded and I leaned in closer to her to inspect the nest. My wolf was crazy happy at the action and was practically rolling over to be her partner in raising the baby birds.

 "I think they're house wrens, they need a warm nest and a good feeding." Sidney murmured before whistling and getting the birds response instantly. I led the way inside the main building where we had an indoor incubation room to keep eggs and young animals warm. I watched on silently as Sidney set the baby birds up in an incubator and got straight to feeding them. "They're going to need almost constant feeds." I commented slowly. "We could take turns so that we each get a break, shifting the work load with them every other day?" She stated and I agreed easily, doing it alone would be exhausting work. 

"Hey while I finish feeding these little guys do you think you can grab the stuff out of my trunk, the food needs put up before it goes bad?" She asked and I was quick to go get it done as fast as possible. When I went back inside after putting everything away, Sidney was cleaning up and watching the happy baby birds inside the incubator. "You know you could have called in to let me know Zach sent you to town." I huffed as my earlier annoyance came back to me. "Why?" She seems genuinely surprised by my words. "Well it would have been nice to know if you were going to be late or not, for all I knew you could of been dead in a ditch somewhere." I growl out softly only to have her tilt her head towards me.

 "You were worried about me, weren't you?" Her tone holds amusement but her features seem curious as her words sink in. "No, just a bit annoyed you were three hours late." I scoff back, but I can't lie to myself. She wasn't wrong, I had been worried about her, my wolf had been ready to take over and track her down just to make sure she was safe. "Give me your phone." Her tone is commanding but I find myself balking in uncertainty. "What?" I murmur back slowly. "I said give me your phone." She states clearly again and I find myself handing it over warily, she fiddles with it a moment before giving it back. 

"There, now you have my number if I show up late text me. I have your number too so I can text you if something important comes up." She shakes her phone at me and I realize she sent herself a text from my phone. "I guess that should work." I huff out as I head outside again, the moment the door closes behind me I'm grinning like a mad man. I have Sidney Blake's number, not any of the other guys, me. The very idea pleases me, not only for the special privilege but also the bragging rights. Micah is going to be so jealous when he hears about me getting a girls number before him, I can't wait to see the look on his face.

                                           Sidney

I couldn't believe I actually gave him my phone number, he was the freaking ENEMY for crying out loud. I knew it was a bad idea even as I put my number in his phone, but something about the way he seemed genuinely concerned made me do it. I ended up stuck inside with the baby birds for the rest of the day with the almost constant feedings and clean ups, although I did take a little time to visit Spartan. I ended up getting Gavin to agree to a sort of set schedule, in which we would take turns with the bird feedings. 

For today I was inside feeding them and would be taking them home with me tonight, to keep an eye on them and offer food as needed. Then tomorrow Gavin would take his turn feeding them during the day while I took care of the rest of the animals, and then he would take them home with him. Then we would repeat the process of my turn and his turn for the next week or so until the babies were released back to the forest, at least that way we could get some sleep.

 I helped throw some of the enrichment items into a few cages before grabbing the baby bird incubator and calling goodbye to Gavin as I headed home with them. The meeting with Tyson, Ollie and the baby birds went fine, considering once they knew I wouldn't let them hurt the small flappy and peeping creatures they decided to ignore them. It was Sassy that posed the only real problem, I decided to keep the babies locked away from her after she attacked the closed incubator. 

I couldn't really blame her though, she'd been a stray for a while and had to survive on whatever she caught to eat. I decided to move the baby birds into my guest/office room since I could close the door and keep Sassy out that way. I made sure my pets and the baby birds were fed again before making spaghetti for myself to eat. Once I finished and had everything cleaned up I let the dogs out and fed the baby birds once more before bed. Then after I took a quick shower and curled up with my fur babies the darkness quickly pulled me under its spell.