Noah above

Noah POV

TRIGGER WARNING

I enter the packhouse after I finish my night patrolling. It's almost sunrise, yet I can smell the stench of alcohol as I pass the living room, taking a quick glance at Daniel and his passed-out companions lying there. On top of him is lying a naked girl.

Fuck, I wish I could have his life and just indulge myself the whole day and night for twenty years. Most of my patrolling team goes toward warriors' quarters to take a shower, but I go into the kitchen since I'm hungry as hell. It's too early for breakfast, so there are probably no omegas in there yet, but I hope I can find something in the fridge.

But the kitchen isn't empty. I see one of the warriors thrusting into Charlie, lying bent over the kitchen table. As always, motionless and with empty eyes, looking nowhere.

"Can't you do it somewhere else?" I ask a bit angrily.

Of course, there are more of them, I think as I look at the two more warriors, apparently waiting to get their turn.

"Not your fucking business Noah," one of them says" You should try too; your mood should get better."

"And you should all be on the north border to change the patrol over there," I point, and they actually look scared.

Alpha Shane may not care too much about anything, but his Beta likes whipping others, and being late for patrol duty is an excellent reason to be whipped. They instantly leave the kitchen, including the one on top of Charlie, and Omega slowly stands up and covers himself, hissing slightly.

He has a big bruise on his face and is eyeing the food I've taken from the fridge. At first, I ignore him, but in a moment, I hand him a sandwich I've just prepared. I can always make myself the other one.

"What do you want for it?" he asks but takes the food without hesitation.

"They fucked you a moment ago, so you deserve food. That's the deal you have; the pack fucks you but also feeds you. And better go home now. Daniel won't be in a good mood because of his hangover when he wakes up. It will be better if he doesn't see you."

I can't sleep because of the memories haunting my mind. Somehow, I can't find any peace.

I wish lying next to both of them had been wrong; I really do. And yet, being so close to her, with him between us, I've felt so safe and secure as I haven't felt in years, and yet I couldn't sleep. She and Charlie went dreaming very quickly; I couldn't.

I was angry because she attacked me, but she also apologized. I'm used to violent Alphas; I'm used to their rage, but no apologies. Sometimes, I think I would really prefer her to be like everyone else, meaning proud, cruel, and always putting herself first. Why? Because that's something I know, that's something I know how to deal with. And maybe that would help me keep my distance, help me not yearn for her touch and attention every single minute of my life.

I know I'm tough, I can survive and adapt to everything, and yet if she ever rejects me... Goddess, I wonder if I really will be able to continue living. Charlie, after all, survived my rejection.

I look at him sleeping soundly in my and Tonya's arms; he looks so innocent. Pregnant? How the hell it happened? He was always taking a pill afterward, so how has it happened now? Fuck, it can be mine. After all, I didn't use any precautions when I found him or later, but I'm also sure Daniel and his friends didn't either that night in the packhouse before our escape.

Tonya stirs and opens her eyes; we've been here together for only two hours; I've really thought that she would take some more sleep.

"Are you really that busy? You've barely returned," I say as she stands up.

She smiles and goes around to get to my side of the bed. She gently cups my face and kisses me, deep and strong. I don't protest; I allow her tongue in my mouth, letting her do whatever she wants. I don't care that she attacked me two hours ago. I will forgive her for everything, no matter what she does.

"Would you like to shower together?" she asks, and I don't protest.

She grips my hand as she leads me to her bathroom, which is white and modern. I've never been here before. She smiles so brightly when she pulls first mine and next her T-shirt off, not stopping kissing me. When we are naked, she pulls me under the warm water. I wrap my arms around her waist. I'm horny; I know that, yet I don't feel any rash. I enjoy her touch on my arms, chest, and neck. I enjoy the way she caresses my neck with her lips. I let my hands wander on her skin, allowing the sparks and tingles to jump between us.

I'm used to sex being hard and fast, without any unnecessary waste of time, but with her, it's as if suddenly, even the most delicate rub skin on skin is something out of this planet.

She reaches for a soap and starts massaging it into my skin. She is taking care of every centimeter of my body, of my hair, making quick breaks to kiss me or nibble on my skin from time to time.

"Will you do me the honor?" she asks after finishing and handing me the shampoo.

I do; I do the same as she. I let my hands get familiar with her body, I let my lips seek hers, and I let my body press to hers. Linus is over the moon; he wants to mark her but recognizes her dominance and doesn't dare to try. I close my eyes and let my hands feel her up as I try to reach for her wolf. I'm curious: we are in unity with our wolves, and yet we are two separate beings, so in a way, we have to connect with our mate's wolf separately.

I manage to do it; I feel her wolf, its warmth, its bloodlust, its strength. My previous Alpha had a strong wolf, but Tonya's... it's difficult to say, but I feel dangerous and safe at the same time.

Tonya goes to bring the breakfast after we dry ourselves, and I stay with our mate.

Charlie is lying curled under the covers; he glances in my direction as I sit beside him. Honestly, I didn't notice that he was awakened. He is still pale, and his big brown eyes are...

"Why did you tell Tonya that the baby is yours?" he asks with a voice void of any emotions and breaking eye contact with me.

"It can be unless you know who got you pregnant."

"I don't; I used to take a pill as Alpha ordered, but after you rejected me, I couldn't, and later, when we escaped, I didn't take it either. I don't know if the baby is yours. But that wasn't my question. I asked why  you had  said it was yours."

"Don't put your hopes too high," I say harshly. "She wants you, I don't know why, but she does. But she can't keep you and get rid of me if I am a father of your baby. The same is for you; if she wants me more, she will keep you because you are carrying my child. If this mating fails, we have nowhere to go, so we need this baby."

"To manipulate Tonya? How can you..."

"Stop whining," I interrupt him. "You may not like how I do things, but I keep us safe. I don't believe in a bond blindly. I'm not stupid like you, and my only resistance will not be crying like you."

I see tears in his eyes, but I don't pity him. He has to grow up; his life was so fucked-up I thought he would be more realistic, less naïve. He is to be a mother, and he needs to know how to take care of at least himself.

He turns around so I'm faced with his back. I sigh, but I have more important things to do than paying attention to his sulking. I need to know who from the Black Moon has bruised him.

The door opens, and Tonya enters with the food tray, saying that we should eat. Charlie doesn't react, so one more time, I sigh, pull his cover off him, and pick him up. He squeaks, surprised, but wraps his arms around my neck to stabilize himself.

"You are eating. I understand that pregnant persons are moody, but you are eating now," I say and walk with him to the table, where Tonya has placed the tray with the food.

Tonya POV

I sit in my study, trying to focus, but I can only think of Noah's hands on me and mine on him in the shower. Silver is content; she wasn't pushy about marking this time, perhaps because Charlie wasn't with us. I'm better at controlling my sexual urges if I'm not with two of them.

"Are you even listening?" Chandler's voice forces me to focus.

"Sorry," I say, "I'm listening now."

"Those four hunters who are suspected will not be informed about the progress in operation, at least for now. Anne will help your doctor Carson with the creature; Terry will be with them, too. The creature will stay in the packhouse, but the tracker stays in it."

I nod; that's reasonable.

"I think we can start joint training soon, seven my people and seven yours. Do you agree?" he asks another question, and I nod again. "I want to train too. Do you intend to?"

I should; I know that. I'm just scared that I will be too distracted, plus my wolf is unique; I still don't want to show Chandler its full potential.

"Kathy will. I hope it's not a problem."

"No, but if you want to be useful, figure out how to get to know who is the traitor among my people. I will not agree with the torture of them all. They trust me and need to know that I will protect them and only give up the traitor." He says, standing up and leaving my office.

He is right about this one. We can't proceed if we don't get the traitor first. I take my time to think about it. Murrow clan operates where the creature was found, where packs disappeared, and where Prescot is, so it makes sense that our enemy must have put a mole in their clan to ensure they won't be discovered too early. I wonder whether the Prescot massacre happened by accident or was planned.

With the knock on my door, I raise my eyes and see Rosie and my Betas entering.

"We need to discuss Rosie's wolf. The sooner, the better," James says, and they sit down.

"First of all, Rosie is a Spirit Catcher, but according to what we learn in the Twilight Pack, she is a special one, " James starts." As you know, a Spirit Catcher gets into a connection with any wolf and can feel their feelings. But the wolf and its host have to be calm, and the host has to want the Spirit Catcher to enter the feelings of their wolf. Rosie can get emotions from the scent itself, but when she has physical contact, she can have actual visions of what happened,  and the werewolf she touches doesn't feel that she enters their mind nor has to give her permission."

"Can you extract memories by force?" I ask, looking at my sister.

"I haven't tried yet, so I'm not sure, but I can "steal" memories if I want to. Normally, for the Spirit Catcher to reach a wolf, he has to cooperate with him, and all the Spirit Catcher can get is the feelings of a wolf. I get actual memories, and the werewolf I read is oblivious to that fact."

I glance at Kathy; she is worried. I see it on her face. I understand her; a Spirit Catcher so strong has not been mentioned in many, many years.

"We worry that Alpha Damon of Twilight Pack was too interested in this knowledge," James says. "I think he will be pushy to renegotiate our treaty because he wants Rosie for her gift."

"No fucking way!" Kathy growls.

So, my hunch was correct when I thought it was strange that Damon asked for Rosie to stay longer. I knew it was a lie that she was supposed to train under the guidance of their Spirit Catcher. Because Spirit Catchers can't be taught, their gift develops naturally.

"Has he caused any trouble?" I ask.

"He was afraid that I had found out some secrets of his pack, so just before we left, his Spirit Cather checked me once again to see if I did it, but didn't find anything in Zoya's emotions, so he had to let us go," Rosie says.

Fuck, I screw as an Alpha. By sending Rosie to Twilight Pack, I allowed another Alpha to know her secret, and it's not good.

"According to what the Spirit Cather read in me, Zoya had woken up so late in me, probably because of her special gift. She needed more time to mature, years actually," Rosie smiles sadly.

"I think we need to call mum; she has to check the Council archives for other cases of special Spirit Catcher." I say, and we all nod, "James, please proceed normally with the treaty with the Twilight Pack. We must wait for Damon's move if he is up to something. Rosie, I hope you understand, but you are forbidden to leave the pack's territory."

She smiles sadly; I guess she has already been prepared for that. I see Kathy's eyes shifting, proving that her wolf is close.

"I also got to remember perfectly what happened during my shift," Rosie breaks the silence." Zoya was awake because she smelled something, and she got in control. I stepped outside the shop, and I remembered he was there. I don't know who he was, but I couldn't take my eyes away from him. He saw me, too; I remember him being surprised and scared, and next, he ran away, he ran away from me, and Zoya started shifting because she wanted to chase after him. I don't know who he was, and I had never seen him before."

"Do you know why your wolf wanted to chase him?" Kathy asks.

"No, Zoya doesn't know either, but she remembers her instinct telling her to do that. But I also remember smelling his anger and sorrow extremely strongly."

"Rosie, you need to learn fast how to fight in your wolf form, and we need you to improve your skills in your human form," I say sternly. "You are special, and you must be prepared to protect yourself or to run if necessary."

In my pack, Omegas are trained hard in their combat skills for their safety. They can be weaker than normal werewolves, but if trained, they can also fight quite well. But with Rosie, well, I doubt she was training during the last seven years she spent outside the pack, and because she didn't have a wolf, we all were sure that never any werewolf would be interested in her.

"I will find you a personal teacher and..." I start

"I'll do it!" Kathy interrupts me, "I will train her!"

Well, James is picking his jaws from the floor right now, and so do I. Since my sister came back, Kathy has been dead set on avoiding her. What changed?

"I can handle training with hunters and taking care of hers," Kathy says with conviction.

I look at my sister; she nods to the agreement but avoids looking at Kathy. Definitely strange.

"Can I speak with you alone? I have something to tell you about your mate," Rosie changes the subject, making me frown.

Both Kathy and James nod and leave the room. Rosie looks at me sadly and tells me the story of Noah's whipping like she accessed his memories accidentally when she touched him. Like she asked Carson to ask him about the whipping and like his story matched what she had seen.

"I saw him getting caught by his Alpha, dragged to the front of the packhouse where was the whipping spot. He screamed from pain, and he was barely 12 years old. When his Alpha finished, there was no skin on his back. He didn't care about stolen food; he made Noah an example." She finishes her story, and my fists clench.

Something was wrong in my mates' pack. That's the place where Noah was tortured and Charlie was raped. They told me why they had left, but... If their Alpha was that bad, they should have welcomed the change of power with open arms, and yet they ran away, but there are more urgent things, at least for now. The hunters are here; one of them is a traitor, and we must find who it was.

"I may need your help," I say.