Chapter 32

Cha pter 32

Rose

Ava levels another look at me, and I throw up my hands. "Fine." I open my dresser drawer. "I need to take a shower. You're welcome to stay and glare daggers at your phone some more."

She scowls at me. "Ha, ha. You're so funny."

I take another sip of tea; it really is good. I round up my clothes and head into the bathroom. But before I can start the shower, somebody knocks on the door again. "Good grief. Are you always this popular?" Ava mutters as I walk past to open the door.

Alpha Cade steps into the room. "Is there a reason the alpha of the Phoenix pack is blowing up my phone?" he asks calmly.

Ava has the decency to look chagrined. But when she doesn't say anything, I jump in. "Uh that was my fault. I told him Ava was here." I cringe as I say the words.

He turns back to Ava. "Your mate didn't know you were here?"

Ava scowls. "He's not my mate."

To his credit, Alpha Cade doesn't react to her callous words. "Well, apparently, he and some of the members of his pack will be here in just a few hours." He looks between the two of us. He must realize he's going to get more answers from me than from Ava. Smart man. " You told him about the attack last night." It's not a question.

I glance at Ava before answering. "Yes. Ava told him about it because apparently he has a team that," I pause. "I don't really know what they do. But somehow, they can help us figure out who the men were last night."

His eyes show interest. "Okay. I'll tell my men to prepare for their arrival."

"You're not mad?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

"No. We need all the help we can get. If Bryce's men can help, I'll take it." He meets my gaze. "My pride doesn't stop me from accepting help, not when it's my pack and my mate and child's lives on the line."

I frown. "They're after me." Guilt hits me hard at the danger I'm putting them in by just being here.

Cade nods. "Like I said, they're after my pack."

"I'm not part of your pack."

"Rose, you're Maverick's mate; so that makes you pack. But even if you weren't Mav's mate, I would consider you pack after what you've done to help our pack. You are part of my pack, and I will protect you as such." His words bring tears to my eyes, and I'm incapable of saying anything. "Now, I've got to go prep my pack for the new arrivals. Do either of you need anything?" I shake my head, and Ava does the same. "Okay. Reach out if you do. Any of the shifters guarding your door can reach me immediately." With that, he strides out of the room.

I stare at the closed door. "Hmm," Ava says.

I turn back to her. "What's that supposed to mean?" My words aren't heated; I'm simply curious.

She shrugs. "He's just nice, for an alpha, I mean."

I watch her a moment. "Garrett's nice too," I feel lead to point out.

She shrugs again. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Bryce is too, you kn—"

"Nope." She stands up. "Don't go there." She walks over to the door and stops. "Maverick's almost an alpha, and we can both agree he's anything but nice." She leaves after those ominous words, leaving me staring at the closed door long after she's gone. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day.

I don't bother tracking her down after I finish my shower. She's going to probably be in a mood all day, and I'd rather not have to deal with it until later. It's going to be a mess when Bryce gets here. Besides, apparently, I need to pack.

It takes less than six hours for Bryce and his team to get here. It's just after dinner, and Ava and I are seated at the table in the large meeting room. The shifters already moved my stuff into the apartment next to Mav's. I tried to get Ava to move too, but she refused. Now we're stuck in this meeting where tensions are high.

Cade's at the head of the table with Maverick at his right. Eli and several other enforcers sit all around us. Ava and I sit next to Amber, who sits at Cade's right. They're in the midst of deep discussion about the events of last night when the door to the room opens, and Bryce and his team stride in. I glance quickly at Cade, but it's obvious he knew they were already here. His security guys probably let him know.

"Does somebody want to inform me as to why my mate is here in Florida with a different pack than the one I left her with in Wisconsin?"

I take in Bryce's features and look away. Yeah, he's not happy.

" Oh, goody. Why don't we call Garrett and invite him too, and you alphas can all do your alpha crap together," Ava says. I jerk my head to look at her.

"I apologize, Alpha," Cade says graciously. "I was unaware of the fact that you didn't know she was here. I would have told you myself, and I should have." Bryce turns his gaze on Ava, and I will her not to cause a scene. He scans her, like he's looking for injuries. "As you can see, she is healthy and whole," Cade says quietly. "We have looked after her as if she was one of our own." A growl from Bryce silences Cade. I look across the table and see that Maverick is watching Bryce carefully. As if he feels my gaze, he turns toward me and meets my eyes. I look away a moment later. I feel the tension escalating in the room as Bryce's men step closer and surround him. The shifters around the table stiffen as well, and I feel like this place is going to explode in mere moments.

"Alpha Bryce," I say respectfully, trying to get his attention. "Do you want to tell the room how your team can help identify the men who came after me last night?" My voice is only a little shaky, and I'm quite proud of myself for that.

Bryce finally looks away from Ava. "One of our pack businesses is security. I brought one of my teams. Give them a few hours, and they'll tell you whom you're dealing with."

Cade nods. "We certainly appreciate it. Thank you for coming."

Bryce glances over at Ava, who is looking down at the table. "Of course." His attention snaps back to Cade. "Can we set up in this room?"

"Yes," Cade says, standing. "What do you need?"

I snag Ava's hand and pull her with me, hoping to get her out of the room without a confrontation. That hope is burst when Bryce steps into our path, blocking the door. "You and I will be talking later, Ava."

Ava snorts. "It's so funny that you keep doing that."

"Doing what?" he asks calmly.

She looks up at him. "Telling me what to do."

He watches her carefully and tries again. "Ava, can you and I talk later?"

I have to give him kudos. He's way more patient with my friend than I am. "I don't know. I might be busy," she starts, and I flick her leg. She swats my hand away.

I tense at what might be Bryce's response, but he surprises me by smiling. "Well, can you let me know when you're not busy, so we can talk?"

"I'm busy all day." I know that's a lie, but I don't say anything.

"I'll have to talk to Cade then about giving you too much to do. He shouldn't be keeping you that busy. I'll set him straight." He takes a step forward, like he intends to do just that.

"No, wait," Ava says, stopping him. "Don't talk to him," she says in a hushed voice, throwing a glance over her shoulder.

Bryce steps forward, so that he's right in her space. "Ava, if he's working you too hard—"

"He's not," she hisses.

"I'm going to talk to him."

"All right. Fine. I don't have anything to do today, okay?" she says through clenched teeth. A slow grin fills his face, and Ava gasps. "You did that on purpose!"

"What?" he asks innocently. "Now, when can we talk?"

Ava clenches her teeth as she glares up at him. "I guess right now, so we can get it over with."

"Great," he says smoothly.

I can't help the grin that stretches across my face, because I think he's got my friend's number. A presence at my back causes me to tense for a moment until I see Maverick step up next to me. "Cade wants to discuss a few things."

Bryce nods and glances at Ava. "I'll call you later."

"Oh goody," she mutters before leaving the room. I watch her go and am ready to follow, but Maverick is still standing beside me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks quietly.

"I'm okay," I tell him honestly. "Thank you for...everything last night." I feel my face heating as I remember the fact that I fell asleep in his bed.

"You're welcome."

"Oh, and thanks for the tea."

"Mav," Cade says, waving him over.

Mav nods before looking back down at me. I shift on my feet, but he walks over to Cade and Bryce, leaving me alone. Out in the hall, I place a quick call to Amber and then head out to see the first of three shifters who need my help today.

It's not until later that night that I finally return to my room, after running into Jacob of course. That man seems to be everywhere I am lately. I shake my head wearily, but instead of going inside my room, I divert and make my way to Ava's room. She lets me in after a moment. "Rough day?" she asks as I drop into a chair in her small living room.

"Yeah." I sigh. "This sickness or whatever it is, is spreading again. We really need to get to the bottom of it. Speaking of, did Bryce's team figure anything out?"

She shrugs. "I don't know."

I sit back in my chair, weary. I don't say anything else about Bryce because I'm not in the mood to argue or fight with her. She stands up and walks over to her small kitchen. I close my eyes to rest them a few minutes. Between the attack last night and the healing sessions I did today, I'm feeling completely depleted. I feel something on my leg a few minutes later, and I pop my eyes open.

"You need to eat something," Ava says, nodding at the Ramen bowl in my lap.

"You didn't have to do that," I tell her, but she just shrugs. I'm too tired to eat, but I take a few bites so as not to risk her anger. After eating a little bit, I actually do feel better. Within minutes, the bowl's gone. "Thanks. I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"That's because you never stop to eat when you're healing," she points out.

We sit in silence a few minutes before I finally make myself stand up. "I'm going to head to my room. Thanks, Ava."

She's quiet as I leave, but I don't let it bother me as I make my way back to my room. Within minutes, I'm in my pajamas and in bed. I really am thankful to Ava; it feels good to have food in my belly. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, my phone buzzes. A glance at the screen shows it's Amber. My stomach tenses, and I sit up to answer.

"Rose." Her voice is panicky. "It's Paige. Again."