Alpha Nicholas
Chapter 20 –

Alpha Nicholas

We've been searching the woods for over 2 hours and I'm starting to lose hope when Storm suddenly starts growling and a scent hits my nose. It's faint but I'd know that scent anywhere, it's my mate. "I can smell her!" I shout causing Lily to almost fall over a fallen tree truck in her rush to reach me, luckily for her, Shane had his eyes on her and managed to stop her. "Where is she?" I try to focus on her scent but it's still too faint to figure that out. Storms kicking up a storm in my head snarling and growling with the need to replace her while my chest continues to burn. Can wolves have heart attacks? because I think I may be having one.

"Her scent is faint but if I can smell her then she can't be too far away." My brothers and Lily start talking but I ignore them as I try and focus on the scent and where it is. "Storm can you feel where she is?" With him being a wolf his senses are even better than mine. "So now you want to be near her?" Here we fucking go. "Don't start, Storm. Not now. I know I've fucked up and you can batter me about it later but right now we need to work together to replace her. She could be hurt." He grunts but I know that I have his attention. He doesn't say anymore but I can feel him coming to the front of my mind ready to do what he does best. Hunt!

I feel my feet move faster as he pulls me towards a rougher patch of the woods. The ground is just rumble and fallen tree branches but I guess that also means that it's a pretty good place to try and hide if you want to. "Her scent is getting stronger!" Storm growls sounding both worried but also a little excited. I stop immediately turning to face the others causing Shane to almost walk into me. "Storm says the scents get stronger but it's not for me. Why is that?" He gives me a strange look and seems as confused by that as I am. "That is strange." Will comes to stand closer to me and it's only then that I notice that Sophie is with him. Where did she come from? I know she's been hurting since her mate's rejection but I'm grateful that she's here helping us. "Maybe she's in wolf foam. I've heard that can lessen the scent for a mate?" She says but I'm not so convinced by that. Yes, I've heard the same being said but I've never known anyone to experience it. "What if something is wrong with her?" I go to say what if she's injured, even dying but one look at Lily stops me. She is already going out of her mind with worry, she doesn't need me adding to it. However, it's too late for both Storm and me, my thoughts have embedded themselves into our brains, and it's like a knife to the heart.

I don't want to talk anymore so instead I take off once more and soon hear everyone following me. We walk for a few minutes before I suddenly realize that the scent is getting stronger now, so we must be going the right way. We keep trudging through rough ground and pushing back old overgrown trees which only slows us down and I make a mental note to get this place cleared up asap. Why is it in this state to begin with? Yes, the forest grows at its own pace but I still have my Warriors take care of it when it's needed yet this area looks like it's from a different world.

I don't realize that I have stopped walking until Lily's voice catches my attention and I see that both she and Shane are standing in front of me and she says the one word that makes my knees feel weak. "Bonnie?" Goddess, please tell me we've found her. I finally get my feet moving but the moment I stop beside Lily, the wolf standing in front of us takes off running in the opposite direction making my insides churn.

"That's Lexi, Bonnie wolf!" Lily yells as she starts chasing after her. Wolves are fast in human foam but there's no way she's going to be able to catch her and clearly, Will and Jess think the same as they both shift and take off in their wolf foam following the trail that Lexi just left, and I'm right behind them, only I stay in my human foam as my wolf is incredibly large and I don't want to scare her. We can't lose her again.

Lexi

I don't want to run from Lily, I really don't but seeing Alpha Nicholas... our mate it threw me. What if he hurts us? What if he replaces out that Bonnie is currently unconscious and uses that against us? Deep down inside I know that I'm probably thinking crazy, especially after what his wolf told me last night but my goal in life is to be there for Bonnie, to protect her and while I'm not sure of what our mate's true reasons are, I have to keep her safe even if it's from the one person who we should be running to not from. Lily keeps calling out to me while I continue to run and I swear every time she says my name I feel a stab of pain in my heart but right now I'm scared. I keep going for a few more minutes until dread settles deep inside me when I realize that I have run into a dead end. Fuck! I look around but I can't see a way out. There's a huge wall of rock covering the front and sides of me and there's no way of climbing them. I turn so that my back is up against the rocks and I can see what and who's in front of me.

I feel myself tense up when two wolves appear out of the trees but they stop a few feet in front of me and just stare at me making no move to come any closer. What are they doing? They can't be from the same pack as me because I try to link them but it doesn't work. I keep my eyes on them when just seconds later Lily comes running through the trees in her human foam sweating and panting with her mate next to her in the same mess. "Bonnie. Please, don't run." Her gentle voice has a whimper leaving me. I take a step forward but once again at that very moment, my mate comes running through the trees only he doesn't look like he's even broken a sweat.

"Bonnie, please don't run again. We just want to help." His voice sounds like honey to me and warms my insides and I swear that I can feel Bonnie starting to wake from her unconscious state. He holds his hands up as he slowly takes a step towards me. "I promise no one wants to hurt you. We want to help you, Bonnie." I look at Lily and she nods her head with a reassuring look on her face but I don't miss the tears in her eyes.

"Bonnie. You know that I wouldn't lie to you, and you know that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you right?" I nod my head without even thinking about it. She may think she's talking to Bonnie but it doesn't matter because we both know it's true. "Everyone here just wants to help. When you weren't in your room this morning I knew something was wrong. You wouldn't leave without telling me so I'm guessing that something has happened to make you run. Am I right?" I nod as she takes another step towards me. "Can you shift, Bonnie? It will make it easier to figure this out." I shake my head and I swear I hear her brain click. "Wait... you're not Bonnie are you? You're Lexi?" I nod. "Have you taken control, Lexi?" I nod again. Before she can say another word our mate comes towards us and gets down on his haunches. "Is Bonnie ok, Lexi?" I don't move a muscle, don't answer him in any way. "Please, Lexi. is Bonnie ok? I understand if you're mad at me, but please answer me. Is she ok?" I shake my head. "Does that mean that Bonnie isn't ok or that you won't answer me?" He looks confused and it's kind of cute. "Lexi. do you want to talk to Storm?" I nod more than eager for that and watch as his eyes glaze over and Storm comes forward.

"Lexi, are you ok sweetheart?"

"I'm ok. Bonnie isn't."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Her sister beat her last night and she's currently unconscious."

"Shit. Can you hand control back over to her so we can help her?"

"No, I've taken control to protect her."

"Lexi, please shift."

"I can't. I won't let anyone hurt her anymore!"

I watch as Alpha Nicholas takes back control and the look of anger on his face has me taking a step back only I hit the rocks and whimper. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the situation. I can feel her scent slowly fading and you can too. We need to help her before it's too late." His voice is gentle and reassuring but I still can't be sure so I shake my head.

"If you give her to me, I promise I'll look after her. Lexi... I... I messed up ok, and I'm man enough to admit that but no matter what I have done or what I have said I never want Bonnie hurt in any way and I promise that all I want to do is to look after her. I promise if you give her to me I will make sure that she gets the best care."

"He's telling the truth, Lex and I'll be there two," Lily says as she walks towards us. "No one will let any more harm come to her." Lily's mate says. I don't know what to say or what to do. I wish Bonnie was awake right now to help me but she's not and I don't know what to do for the best. Fuck this is hard.