The Pack's Doctor by Cooper

“So you're not worried about possibly walking into a fight?” she asks.

| shrug. “How is that any different than what our lives have been like until now? Why, are you nervous about it?”

| watch as she thinks through my question. | feel the turmoil in her. She likes knowing what she’s walking into

and the not knowing is making her nervous.

“What's the worst thing that could happen?” | ask.

She turns and looks atand now | understand the fear.

“I could lose you,” she says, barely above a whisper.

| take her hand and pull it to my mouth, kissing it while watching the road.

“I'm not Noelle, Laney. I'm a strong warrior and | know you've spent a large portion of your life trying to keep her

safe, but you don’t have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere. My life has improved tically since |

met you. I’m not giving that up. I'm not letting sasshole takeout now, just when I've found you and |

finally get a taste of the life that I've always wanted. No way that’s happening. | have too much to live for now,

and not only that, but | have a kick-ass mate who | know will always have my back. So, even if someone gets

past me, there's no way they're getting past her,” | say, smiling when | see her lips twitching.

“Yeah, she is pretty awesome,” she says, chuckling.

“She’s the most incredible woman I've ever met,” | say seriously. And that’s ;

| feel her settle as we talk. The fear is still there, but it's not at risk of overwhelming her.

considering who our Luna is.”

mate likes to be in control, and

in the bedroom I’m happy to oblige, But in the real world, that’s not always possible. ler focused on what's going

on today, not worried aboutand making mistakes because she’s too busy trying to protectrather than

protecting

1/4

13:15 Sun, Dec 8

Chapter 89

herself.

When we pull up to the gates of Simon's pack. ft's quiet. | roll down the windows, listening. There's no one here

and | don’t hear any patrol either

Anyone bear anything?” | ask in the mind link.

No. Gamma. | get from each car.

Stay alert, | say as | pull into the pack lands. Laney rolls down her window and we listen. | know the othery

behind us are doing the same

Luna Yara convinced Trena to cwith us. She hadn't wanted to, but when the said she would, Bradley insisted

on coming along too. He's not going to let anything happen to Trena, not going to let anyone say anything bad

about her, but we need her to let the others know that we're not here to kill them.

“This is creepy.” Laney says as we pull up to the packhouse. It’s still eerily quiet here.

“Stay alert,” | say to her as | get out, looking around. | can smell stale food and fear. Lots of fear.

“Do you know if Alpha Simon is dead yet?” Laney asks quietly, walking to stand beside me.

“I would guess that if he isn’t, that he will be soon. It took us just over an hour to get here and I'm pretty sure

going to wait to kill him. Maybe that’s why it’s so quiet.”

Alpha wasn’t

| look at Trena as she walks up. | can see that her eyes are haunted being back here. | hate that she has to face

this, busi necessary and she’s a tough woman. She wouldn't be mated to Bradley if she wasn’t.

“What do you think?” | ask her.

| watch as her focus changes and the haunted look becomes more calculating. “I think the omegas are terrified,

worried that we're here to kill them, but someone has taken charge and told them to hide. That's who you need

to worry about,” she says. “Any ideas who that might be?” Bradley asks. He's still not one hundred percent, but |

know he'll fight if it comes to it. “His Gamma, maybe. I'm not sure if he’s still alive or not. | doubt the Lead

Warrior is alive. He'd have been with Simon.”

“Hello!” | call out. Nothing.

“They don’t do booby-traps here, right?” | ask Trena.

“Not to my knowledge,” she says.

| turn and look at the warriors behind me. “You five, in the back, the rest of you, with me.”

“Get behind me, Trena,” Bradley says, gently pushing her behind his back.

“You're the injured one, Bradley,” she growls softly. He ignores her.

I look at Laney. “Ready?”

“Let's do this,” she says. We walk up to the front door and I nod for Laney to kick it in. I'm not risking that

someone is on the -other side waiting to attack.

She does then quickly moves aside as | stand in the doorway, ready for someone to leap out at me, but no one

does. The pungent scent of fear increases now that the door is open.

“Hello?” | call again.

2/4

13305

Sun, De

Chapter 89

L

“YOU KILLED HIM!” awoman screams, leaping atfrom the shadows. Before | can grab her, Bradley's big hand

grabs her by the throat, holding her in the air.

“Calm down!” he growls.

“Lina, calm down. What are you ena asks her.

“Trena? We thought you were dead.”

“I'm not dead. Who's in charge here?”.

Bradley sets her down but doesn’t release her throat. Lina scoffs. Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? No one’s left.

It's just us.”

We're clear in the back, Gamma, one of my warriors says.

I nod at Laney to enter along with the men | have with me.

“Where's Gamma Darius?” Trena asks.

“Dead. They're all dead. We felt all of their tethers break, including Alpha Simon's not long ago. So are you here

to kill us then?” she snarls.

“No. We're here to bring you back to our pack or offer for you the option of joining Alpha Harold's pack. You have

the option of going rogue; but | wouldn't recommend that,” | tell her

‘Mostly terrified omegas and pups inside, Haynes,” Laney’s voice says in my mind.

“Trena, can you go inside and talk to the omegas. Let them know that we're willing to take them into our pack,” |

say. She heads inside leaving Bradley and | to speak to this woman who must have taken charge of the pack.

“Are you going to let go ofnow?” she growls at Bradley.

“Are you going to stop trying to attack my Gamma, now?” Bradley retorts.

“How many warriors are left?” | ask her.

“Only those of us who were unable to fight,” she says. “Most of them are near death because they lost their

mates.”

“Our Luna can help them,” | say..

“Your Luna...” she scoffs again.

“Yes, my Luna. Maybe you've heard of her. Her nis Yara. She cfrom this pack. She's the reason that

your Alpha and all of your warriors are dead. He cafter our Alpha’s mate. He didn’t care how many of his

warriors got killed and, in the end, he died because he tried to take her,” | snarl, over her attitude. “So, you have

a couple of choices, Lina. Get your shit together and decide which pack you want to be a part of or try and make

it on your own. You have until we get these omegas packed into the vans to decide. You cafteror any of

my warriors again, I'll kill you. Are we clear?”

| watch something in her shift. This woman may be a warrior, but she’s no leader. She, like the others in this

pack, needs a leader to feel safe. | realize that she’s not only suffering from the loss of her mate, but also from

not having anyone to lead her and this pack. She took it over, but it's not her strength.

-She lifts her neck in submission of my authority and Bradley releases her. “We're clear,” she says, much more

calmly.

It's at this moment that | realize the importance of my role in the pack. Our pack acceptedbecause they

knewand knew my strengths. But there will be times, like now, when my position is important for other

reasons and being able to show others that they are safe, protected, and cared for goes a long way to making

the pack cohesive and calm. I've always respected Alpha Warren and Beta Charlie, but that respect just

increased knowing that this is what they have had to do, even in our pack, since they took over.

7

SUIT, DEL O

Chapter 89

8

78%

When | walk inside, | see the omegas are starting to stand. Their eyes go wide when they see me. Maybe me

accepting my position, the role in the pack has changed my aura, or maybe they just recognize a ranked

member from another pack. Either way, my presence is making them nervous.

“Trena, have you explained to them what we are offering?” | ask, looking around.

“Yes, Gamma. Everyone would like to return to our pack. They don’t know Alpha Harold, but | told them if they

aren't happy in our pack, we would find a way to help them see Alpha Harold's pack.”

“Good thinking. Everyone needs to collect their things and get in the vans. Only take what you can carry or can’t

live without,” | say and they all begin moving to their rooms to get their things.

| look at Bradley. “Let's see what food we can take. They don’t look like they've been eating much.”

He takes Trena and together they go to collect whatever food is salvageable.

Laney takes my hand and pullsinto an empty hallway. “That was so fucking hot, the way you went all

Gamma on that woman,” she growls, pressing herself against me. “When we get home, you're mine, Gamma.”

I slide my fingers into her hair, gripping it and tugging her head back so she’s looking at me. “I'm always yours,

say before taking her mouth in a hot, dirty kiss.

Gamma,” |

We get everyone loaded into the vans, making sure they have food and water. As we drive back to the pack,

Nook at Laney and | know she feels it too. We may have had the pack ceremony to make us the pack’s Gammas,

but this assignment, getting these people back to our pack, has madefeel more like a Gamma than the

ceremony did.

my mate's, | understand my role now, understand my position in the pack much better, and | reach out my hand

to take know that she feels the change in us as well. We are our pack’s Gammas. We are leaders in the strongest

pack in our territory