The Alphas of South Forest - Book cover

The Alphas of South Forest

Laila Callaway

Chapter Two

LEILANI

They’re twins.

Twins are the only people who can share the Alpha title of a pack. They are rare in the shifter world, and what’s strange is that they usually share mates.

I wonder if they brought their mate with them, but as I listen, no one else is introduced. I’m glad I’m not down there with my huge sunglasses on like some kind of celebrity trying to hide from paps.

“Nice to meet you, too! This is my husband, Alpha Hoku, and our son, Beta Akamai,” my mum introduces the family, minus me.

“As you know, our daughter, Leilani, was injured by a bomb left by the hunters. She’s recovering in her room; I’m afraid you won’t see much of her for a while,” my mum explains, and I clench my fists in annoyance.

I want to be down there, meeting the pack. Instead, I’m hiding in my room because I’m too shallow to be seen like this.

“I’m so sorry, is she okay?” Alpha Jarren asks, and my heart skips a beat that he’s asking about me. I scold myself for being so pathetic. He was just asking to be polite.

Chill, Leilani.

“She’s okay, her ribs have healed but she’s still…blind. Her sight should return in the next few days,” my dad answers, and I grit my teeth.

Stupid bomb.

“Please, come inside,” Mum ushers them in.

I shut the window as they all start entering the house. I sit on my bed and listen as they walk past my room as my parents show them around the house and point out their rooms.

I turn on the TV, knowing that I won’t be able to hear their conversation now.

***

A couple of hours later, there’s a knock on my door and my dad brings me dinner on a tray.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to eat downstairs with everyone else,” he explains and squeezes my shoulder comfortingly.

“Thanks, Dad.” I run my hands along the tray, mapping the plate in my head and finding the cutlery.

“I’ll stay with you while you eat if you’d like,” he offers.

“Could you fill me in on what I missed?” I ask and begin pushing my fork around the plate, feeling out the food. I stab at random and manage to pierce the pasta.

“Sure. We met in the office this afternoon.

“They’re more than happy to help and we’re going to go on a reconnaissance trip to try and find out where these hunters are hiding, and if they’ve left any more explosives about,” he discloses.

“The trouble is, we just don’t know how many there are, or where their base is. We need more information.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I reply, my mouth full of pasta.

“We’re heading out tomorrow morning, should be back by lunch time.”

“Be safe, Dad,” I tell him, not wanting what happened to me to happen to any of them, or worse. I was lucky, really.

“Of course, kiddo.” He ruffles my hair and I frown at him.

After I’m finished, my dad leaves, but I’m not alone for long. Damon comes in and lies down on my bed while we watch TV.

“So, what are they like?” I question him about the visiting pack as well. Not getting to see them and meet them is killing me.

“They’re alright, I guess. They’re quite bossy, but I suppose Alphas are. Alpha Jarren talks more than Alpha Dane. Dane doesn’t say too much, but he looks like he’s always thinking.

“I would put money on it that he’s the one that comes up with the strategies. All his ideas have been good so far,” Damon tells me.

“How does someone who was outside the room know all this?”

“When that someone is pressed against the other side of the door with a glass, they hear a lot,” Damon replies, and I try to roll my eyes at him and remember that I can’t.

“Wow, you have no shame.”

“Hey, stop complaining, you wouldn’t know any of this unless I eavesdropped,” he defends himself, and I can’t argue with that.

“Can we go downstairs to the living room? The TV is way bigger than yours. No offense, but some of us still have to look at a small screen,” he asks. I wish I could glare at him.

“Just be grateful you can see,” I mumble bitterly, but I swing my legs off of the bed and stand up. I walk in the general direction of my door and wait for Damon to guide me.

We step into the corridor and I listen out for any noises. Damon must notice my hesitation because he reassures me.

“They all went back into your parent’s office to confirm the details of the recon trip tomorrow,” he explains, and I nod, happy that we can safely get to the living room.

We continue down the hall and to the stairs when voices sound out around the corner at the bottom.

“Quick, someone’s coming,” Damon hisses and I turn on my heel and run down the hall.

I stretch out my hand and keep it against the wall so I can feel for my door. I hear the voices get louder and I hurriedly open my bedroom door, jump in, and close it behind me, my heart beating fast.

“Is everything alright?” I listen to the deep, deliciously sexy voice of Alpha Jarren.

“Yeah, great,” Damon says nervously, and I sigh at how shit his lying is.

“Is Leilani okay?” Alpha Dane asks, and my breath catches in my throat at the sound of my name coming from his mouth.

“She’s fine, just…chilling in her room,” Damon says awkwardly, and I want to tell him to shut up.

“Oh, okay,” Alpha Dane says quietly, and I hear them walk away.

“Damn, that was close,” Damon says dramatically as he steps inside my bedroom.

“You’re a horrendous actor. They must have known I was running from them.”

I sit down on my bed, completely embarrassed.

“Whatever girl, just be glad you didn’t bump into them alone,” he says. He’s right, I am glad. “Anyways, it’s actually quite late, let’s take a raincheck on the TV.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” I joke, and he scoffs at me.

“See you tomorrow. Oh, wait, I guess you won’t…um, hear you tomorrow!” he calls and shuts my bedroom door before I can find something to throw at him.

“Dickhead,” I mutter.

I change into a T-shirt and pajama shorts and go to my bathroom door. I frown in confusion that it’s locked.

Who the hell locked my own bathroom door?

Realization hits me and I curse with annoyance. I have a Jack and Jill bathroom, so it has two doors.

The other door leads into a guest room, which usually has no one in it, so technically it’s my bathroom. Everyone in the house knows it’s my bathroom, except the guest.

I slowly make my way downstairs to where I hear my parents talking. I can smell that no one else is with them. “Do you know who’s using my bathroom? I wanna clean my teeth.”

“Who’s in the blue guest room?” Mum asks Dad.

You have to have lots of rooms in the pack house in case pack members don’t want or have the money to move out on their own.

That rarely happens, but on the occasions where other packs are visiting, it’s ideal.

“It’s one of the Alphas, I think,” Dad answers.

“Can’t we move him to the other available spare room? I’m not used to being locked out of my own bathroom, and I can’t imagine he cares for my stuff being everywhere,” I tell them.

I think of my toiletries strewn about, razors left haphazardly in the shower, and makeup all over the counter top.

It’s not exactly tidy.

“We can’t ask him to pack his stuff up and move. If you’d like, I can offer him the room tomorrow if he finds sharing with you uncomfortable,” Dad suggests, and I agree.

I go back up to my room and groan in frustration when I hear the shower running.

Fabulous.

I turn the TV on and wait (im)patiently for him to get out. It’s hard not being able to watch anything, but I appreciate the sounds that come from the TV. I can still listen to the news.

Fifteen minutes later, I hear the other door open, and I wait another few minutes before getting up and trying the door again.

Still locked.

He must not know that we’re sharing and he’s left my door locked. There are other bathrooms I can use, but I still need my toothbrush.

Deciding there’s not much else I can do, I suck it up, step into the corridor, and knock on the door.

It opens a second later and I’m hit with a delicious smell of forest and bergamot. It briefly stuns me, and I forget the reason I knocked on his door.

“Can I help you?” a velvety voice asks amusedly, and I recognize it as Alpha Dane.

“Um…” I desperately beg my brain to focus. “We share a bathroom; I was wondering if you could unlock my door so I can clean my teeth and stuff.”

I manage to find the words, albeit not the best words.

There is a moment’s pause while he takes in my words.

“Oh, sure, didn’t realize we were sharing. Sorry.”

“No worries, you can swap to another room if you’d like to have a bathroom to yourself,” I offer, but he quickly declines.

Weirdo.

“So…the door please,” I say quickly, and feeling my way with my hand along the wall, I hurry back to the safety of my bedroom.

A moment later, I hear the lock click on my bathroom door and I wait a few more moments before cautiously opening it. I step inside and lock it while I get ready for bed.

Damn, it smells like him in here.

As I clean my teeth, I try to blindly tidy up the space. My hands brush over an electric shaver and wash bag that smell strongly of him.

I unlock his bathroom door so that he can get in in the morning.

I draw the curtains and put my sunglasses on the bedside table, pull the bandages off of my eyes, and slide under the duvet.

He better not snore.

***

Almost an hour later and I’m still shifting uncomfortably in bed, trying to fall asleep. I sigh heavily, knowing it’s pointless.

I get out of bed and slide on my slippers, ready to go downstairs and get a drink.

I consider leaving my room without my sunglasses, but what if I bump into someone and I’m just walking around with my eyes closed? They might think I’m sleepwalking.

Thinking better of it, I put my sunglasses on and cautiously leave my room. I run my hands along the wall, and then the banister as I come down the stairs.

I step into the kitchen and go to turn the light on, but then I remember I don’t really need it on.

I keep my hands on the counter, guiding myself around to the kettle. I lift it up to feel it already has water in it and flick the switch to boil. I open the cupboard and find a mug.

Then I reach for the decaf tea bags, which I know are in the pot shaped like an owl. My mum has an obsession with owls.

As the kettles finishes, I feel the mug, creating a picture of it in my mind as I pour the water in. I listen to it fill, then pause and lift the mug to feel how full it is.

Satisfied, I take out the teabag and add a little cold water from the tap. I’m not even going to bother with milk. I’ll probably put too much in and ruin my tea.

I set the mug down on the counter, and turn my back to it, leaning back against it while my tea cools enough to drink.

It is only now that I’ve stopped concentrating on making the drink that I realize I’m not alone in the room.

I tense as every hair on the back of my neck raises. I inhale a delicious scent and turn my head toward the direction it is coming from—the kitchen island just in front of me. It smells musky with a hint of cedarwood.

“Hello?” I ask, cursing my voice for shaking slightly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you,” the strong voice of Alpha Jarren sounds out, and I jump.

“So, you’re silently watching me in the dark?” I ask, nervously wringing my hands.

He chuckles quietly. “I guess, but the lights are on,” he points out, and my shoulders drop.

“Oh okay, sorry, I can’t see anything at the moment,” I tell him, even though I know he already knows.

“Your parents told us. I’m sorry. You wouldn’t know though with the way you just made that drink,” he says, and I smile.

“Thanks, but I haven’t tried it yet, could be awful,” I joke and shrug as he laughs politely.

“I’m Leilani by the way,” I tell him, turning to pick up my mug so he won’t try and shake my hand or something. I can’t imagine how awkward that would be, me blindly trying to find his hand.

“Jarren,” he replies, and I sip my tea, uncomfortable with the silence. “You couldn’t sleep?” he asks, and I nod.

“Not sure why, just couldn’t get comfortable. What about you?”

“Same, although I think I’m just anxious about tomorrow.”

“You’ll be careful, right? Watch out for bombs,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

“That’s not funny, Leilani,” he says sternly. “We’ll be very careful. I’m not putting anything past these hunters.”

I nod, unsure of what to say next. “Good.”

It goes silent again and I wonder if I should head back up to my room, but instead he speaks.

“When do you think you’ll have your sight back?” he asks, and I sigh heavily.

“The doctor thinks it should start coming back in the next few days. Hopefully, I’ll be able to take these glasses off soon.” I force a smile.

He pauses before replying and I wish I could see his face to decipher what he’s thinking. “I’m glad to hear your sight will come back. I’d like to know what your eyes look like,” he comments.

Oddly, I don’t find it creepy. “I’m thinking they might be blue, like your brother’s.”

I smile genuinely this time. “They are, although they’re a bit darker than his.”

I drink the rest of my tea and wash out the mug, resting it gently next to the sink.

“Would you like me to walk you back to your room?” Alpha Jarren offers, and the combination of his sweet offer with his sexy voice has goosebumps raising on my arms.

Honestly, Leilani, get a hold of yourself.

“It’s okay, thank you though,” I decline politely and find my way back up the stairs. I can feel his eyes on me the whole time.

***

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