The Alpha and The Fool novel Chapter 10

I walked through the house, unsure where I was going until I stopped, light headed. I leaned against the hallway, my hands covering my face. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Alpha Brent was holding me hostage through my father? This wasn’t legal, even by werewolf laws. He’d all but announced war on my pack, but only if I was able to prove it. Some pacifist he was, I thought with a sad scoff. What was I going to do? How could I free Father?

“Nic? Nic, are you alright?” Brook said, laying a hand on my shoulder.

Anger trickled through me. Did I look alright? “No.”

“What happened?”

A laugh that was nothing short of maniacal bubbled out me. “What hasn’t happened? My father attacked Dean, Alpha Brent banished my father, but is refusing to release him for said banishment unless I stay here with his son.” Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped into an almost perfect ‘o’ shape. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” The anger kept building, and I growled. I turned and slammed my hand into the wall, and again. Everything turned hazy and red as I punched the wood over and over again all the while I spat curses which were more growling than actual words.

“Okay, okay,” Brook said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the bloody hole in the wall. “Go easy. Good Lord, you’d give Fezzik a run for his money.”

My chest heaved with my breathing. Her comment snapping me out of my fit of rage. “Who?”

“Princess Bride - the giant,” Brook replied and lifted up my hand.

I sucked in a breath as I looked at the battered mess. It looked as if it was crushed. A piece of bone ripped through the skin, lifting upward and blood was everywhere. I’d never done anything like that before. With cold efficiency Brook took my hand in hers and ran her hand over the back of mine, shoving the bone back in place. “Son of a—” I cried out at the pain.

“Sorry, but letting your hand heal over with that sticking out doesn’t seem like a good idea. Come on, I can take you to Emily, and she’ll fix you up.”

“Who?” I asked again.

“Dean’s Mo—”

“No,” I growled out, pulling my hand out of hers. “I want nothing from Dean’s family. I’ll be fine.”

“Nic,” Brook said, looking at me worried.

“No, I can’t. Would you go ask Mike Howe for help after what he did to you?” I saw the answer clear as day on her face.

“Okay. Well, let’s clean it up and see what we’re dealing with.”

“You don’t have to help me. I’ve got people,” I said with a snap. The pain was making me a bitch again.

“I do have to help you, if only for my conscious. I’ve been where you’re at Nic. I know what it’s like to have your life derailed and everyone else deciding what new path it’s going to take. So come on, let’s go into the kitchen.”

I licked my lips, the pain in my hand really making itself known now. Idiot, I cursed at myself. What was wrong with me? I followed her into the dark kitchen.

“We should have privacy for several hours. Preparation for breakfast doesn’t start until five in the morning,” Brook said, opening one of the bottom drawers and setting a first aid kit on the counter. She seemed to find her way around pretty well considering she was the future luna. “Sit,” she demanded, pointing at a bar stool and my spine stiffened at the order. As if realizing her mistake, Brook quickly added, “please.”

“So what are you going to do?” Brook as she cleaned the blood off my hand.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” I admitted. “Dean is...I mean he isn’t….I can’t let this stand, Brook. I can’t let Alpha Brent insult my family like this or me. I have to get my father out of there, and I can’t do it at the cost of staying here.”

“So another war then,” Brook said with a frown on her lips.

“Not if I can help it,” I admitted “I don’t want war. If I can get my father out of the holding cells and get us out of this territory, there will be no need for me to declare war. If Brent decides to go to war, well that’s on him, and there is nothing I can do about it.”

“What about your father,” she asked and glanced up at me then smiled. “You don’t plan on telling him what Brent is doing.” I shook my head. “Well getting in won’t be easy. They have cameras everywhere. The only reason I was able to free Mike was that Brent let me do it.” Brook finished cleaning my hand. Healing cuts and gashes were all over my hand. It was bad, but it didn’t seem as bad as before.

I tried to close my hand into a fist. I sucked a breath and had to give up halfway there. “I think I’ll be fine. I ju—”

“Holy crap, what happened,” Dean said from the doorway and rushed in.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” I said and tried to pull my hand away, but Dean was faster than me and took my wrist in his hands to get a closer look.

“That is not fine. What happened?”

“I don’t want your help, Dean. Did you forget what I said would happen if you touched me again?” I snapped.

“As long as it’s you, I’m totally game. I’ll even let you pin me if you like,” he teased with a lopsided smile, but Dean’s attention was on my hand.

Brook giggled and shook her head. Some of the tension in my shoulders eased, and the edge of my lips itched to smile. Damn him, how did he do that? I forced a scowl on my face. “I’m serious Dean. I don’t want your help. I had enough from your father.”

He looked up, looking confused. “From Dad? What do you mean?”

“She means your dad is going all werewolf style shotgun wedding,” Brook said and repeated what I told her.

Something dark passed over Dean’s expression, but he went back to looking at my hand. “So what happened to your hand? Did you decide to take a meat mallet to it?”

“She improved the ventilation in the hallway off to the left of your dad’s office,” Brook offered before I could say anything.

Dean pressed my hand in several places, and the last he touched sent a jolt of pain up my arm. “Ow,” I cried and tried to pull my hand back, but he held on tight.

“Sorry, but since we don’t have an x-ray, I am trying to figure out how many bones are broken and how badly.” Dean’s voice was so serious it took me by surprise. “How’s your movability?” Again I tried to open and close my fist. He nodded and took some ace bandage. I don’t think you have any serious broken bone, expect this one, but it’s in place and should heal well enough. We’ll wrap it in this and put it on the ice.”

None of us spoke as he wrapped my hand tightly, and pinned the tan stretchy fabric in place. “You shouldn’t use your hand at all, Nic, and I mean it, at all. Don’t even scratch your nose. Do that, and in a couple of weeks your hand should be good as new.”

“Thanks,” I said, but wariness crept in me. Now what? How much had he heard? Did he know I was going to try to get Father out? If he did, what was he going to do about it?

“No thanks needed, Beautiful,” he said, the usual cocky cheeriness back. “Though I will take a kiss.”

Both Brook and I laughed. “That’s not going to happen.” Again part of me relaxed, but this time it because he was back to his usual self. “I need to go. I have a lot to get done, and I’m not sure how much time I have.” I slid off the barstool.

Dean sat on the barstool and grabbed my hips, stopping me. “Right, got to break out your dad. How exactly are you going to do that?”

I tensed. “I’m working on that,” I grumbled. “Dean, you can’t—”

Dean pulled me back until I stood between his legs and my back against his chest. “Yeah, I’m going to have to stop you there. First off, you need help. Your people may be good, but they don’t what mine do. They don’t know the enforcer’s reaction times, the security systems, or the layout of the holding cells.”

“We’ll figure something out,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Or you could put on your big girl panties and ask for help, Beautiful,” Dean replied. “Kara knows the enforcers pretty well and so does Ryder. Andy is good with electronics. Brook knows what the layout looks like.”

“Why would any of them help me?”

“I already said I would,” Brook said, lifting her hand up in the air, like a kid wanting to answer the teacher’s question.

Dean’s grin grew. “Yeah, and the rest will because I’m going to ask them too.”

What? “Why would you help me?” His father was doing this so I would stay with him.

“Because, I don’t agree with what Dad’s doing and secondly, I don’t need his help to get the girl,” he said sourly.

I started to argue he wasn’t going to get the ‘girl’ anyway when he turned me to face him and promptly kissed me before a single sound escaped my mouth. The feel of his lips on mine shattered every thought in my head and blew them away in the wind, lost forever. His lips were soft, warm, and oddly sweet. I felt the kiss all the way to my toes, and every fiber in my body became charged as if a thousand volts of electricity were shooting through me.