☽ Chapter 17: Leaving to Help ☾

?Chapter 17 – Leaving to Help?

“How long will you be gone?” I sigh as Alex helps me pack my luggage into my car, my brother giving me a smile. Since creating my pack and making Alex my Beta, my brother has mellowed out on his overprotective attitude towards me. It helps that he found his mate in the form of a Rogue wolf seeking a pack after being thrown out by her Alpha for refusing to sleep with him and fighting back. “I have no idea. At most week or two. Did Riv tell you where we are going? I’ve asked him but he always changes the subject.” I answer, asking my own question as Lizaria walks to us with a very pregnant Missy beside her, the Beta Female glowing with her pregnancy. “No he did not, but I can always come with you.” Alex answers and I role my eyes. “No, you have a pregnant wife who will be bursting any day now.” I retort as Missy reaches us and chuckles. “That and I’d kick your ass for missing the birth of your pup.” The small spitfire of a wolf confirms and I send a smile her way. I love my sister-in-law; the she-wolf quickly becoming a good friend when she stumbled onto my pack grounds, watching her frustrate and annoy my brother when the two realized they were mates and kicking his ass time and time again when he tried to protect her like a porcelain doll. But Missy Blake is anything but breakable. Every time my brother would argue with her to not go on a training mission or help track down the groups of Soulless, she would drag him to the training ground and promptly beat my brother to the point of needing to be bedridden for a few days. I respected my Beta Female and slightly feared her as well. "Besides, with Gem and Ariven gone, I need your help protecting the Unicorns from Soulless. I’ve noticed that when they devour a unicorn, their strength increases." Lizaria states towards Alex as the Elf leans against my car, her hair glowing in the afternoon sun. “Fine, I can’t win against you three combined, and Missy is right. I would feel extremely guilty missing the birth of my pup.” Alex concedes, wrapping his arm around his mate and pulling her close to him. My heart twists in pain and I hold back the envy I feel, wanting nothing more than to be in the arms of my own mate, but I will have to wait a few more months for that. I refuse to go back to Mika and want to have a second-chance mate. Alex and Missy stay to chat for a few minutes, making me promise to call and give an update on the pack we are going to as well as to let me know if changes happen in our own pack before the five-foot she-wolf drags my six-foot-five brother to the pack house in search for chocolate ice-cream. I couldn’t help but laugh at the duo, happy to have someone keep my brother on his toes. “Did Ariven tell you where you are going?” Lizaria asks once we are alone. “No. He changes the subject or just says it’s a pack I know.” I answer, a frown on my face. Ariven knows I hate going into a situation blind but he has promised me multiple times today that we will be fine and that once I get to the pack in need of aid I will understand. I just hope that nothing on this trip goes wrong. “Hopefully its an allied pack or a new small one looking for advice to grow and get stronger.” Lizaria reasons and I agree, but something tells me that this trip is not so simple. “Ready to go, Gem?” Ariven’s voice cuts the conversation short between Lizaria and I, the Elf giving me a have fun before she saunters off in the direction of the pack house, most likely going to help Missy annoy Alex. Ariven slips his luggage into my car before shutting the trunk and turning to me with a bright smile. “Yes, I am. Do you want to drive or should I?” I ask, holding out the keys. “I’ll drive, darling. You can rest or finally start writing that book you’ve been thinking about.” Ariven answers, taking the keys from my hand and ruffling my hair. I blush, heading to the trunk and taking out my laptop deciding that his idea of starting on that book is a great way to pass the time before climbing into the passenger seat. “Do you know who requested our help?” I ask as the car is put into gear and we drive away from the pack house. “Yes, the Beta of the pack. She is actually the sister of the Alpha.” His answer confuses me since normally a request for help or allyship is done by the Alpha of the pack. Betas normally stand back and support the Alpha, not go behind their back. “Do you think this will be a mutiny and take over situation?” This is the most likely scenario running through my mind as I think of how many times a Beta related to the Alpha of the pack would cause a mutiny in order to help the pack grow and prevent the further decline. “No. She seems to genuinely care about this pack. Her worry is that the people who took care of her and her brother are clouding the Alpha’s judgement, which is why he refused to reach out for help.” I can tell Ariven is being vague on his answers, refusing to look in my direction for this conversation, when normally he would sneak a few glances my way even if he was driving. I frown but decide to trust my friend. “How long will it take for us to get to get to this pack?” “About five days, Gem. I already found a few hotels along the way for our group to sleep overnight.” I nod to his answer, opening my laptop and bringing up the document with ideas for a fantasy novel I’ve been wanting to write. With a few days of not needing to worry about Alpha duties, I now have some free time to try something I’ve always wanted to do.