Werewolf CEO 2, page 25
“Ahh, it hurts!” he cried out. “Josh, s-something’s wrong.”
“We need to get him painkillers and bindings from Lunar Corp.,” Mia stressed. “We can use the warehouse in Midtown.”
“Alright, Finn, take my car and take Luke back to the den,” I said as I pulled my car keys out of my back pocket and handed them to the tall Beta. “The rest of you get back there as fast as you can.”
“Wait, Josh, how are you going to get to Midtown without a car?” Katie asked as she tried to comfort a crying Amy.
“I’m gonna run,” I said as I prepared myself for what I was about to do.
If I was in my elite form, I could make it in no time. The streets were still busy, and if I was seen, it could cause a hell of a lot of questions, but I’d get there faster than any car with the nighttime traffic.
All I had to do was be careful and take as many backroads as I could.
“Get him out of here,” I said urgently to Finn and helped haul Luke up into his arms.
The young Beta groaned and curled into Finn’s chest as he held back a whine of pain. Amy was a wreck, and she stumbled up from the floor and tried to keep pressure on Luke’s wound as Finn walked outside with him. Katie followed close behind, while Klaus, Emily, and Mia all stayed with me.
“Tell me what I’m looking for,” I said to Mia.
“The uhh… you’re gonna want the medicine labeled Marigold Elixir to help him heal faster a-and the Burdock Balm to stop infection,” my mate said as she clutched her head with a frown. “A-And we keep the storage for the medical wing near the security office.”
“Alright, thank you,” I said as I cupped her face and kissed her softly. “Get back safe. I won’t be long.”
“Wait, Josh, y-you need to be careful,” she stuttered. “If anyone sees you.”
“They won’t,” I reassured her. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I just need you to get back to the den as soon as possible and be safe.”
“Okay,” she whispered and reluctantly nodded her head.
“I’ll see you all there,” I said as I started to head for the door.
“Hang on a minute there, Josh!” Leon called out as he swaggered over to me. “No kiss goodbye?”
“I don’t have time for this,” I said dismissively as I carried on walking toward the door.
“Come on now, Joshy-boy,” the Alpha drawled as he jogged over to catch up. “All is fair in love and war. Carter played a dirty little trick, but, in this line of work, anything goes.”
“One of my pack could die,” I snapped as I turned to face him. “I signed up to fight him, and him alone. Now, a goddamn kid’s got his guts hanging out because of that ‘dirty little trick.’”
Leon’s playful demeanor slowly shifted into something darker and more menacing. The smile on his face turned from one of genuine amusement, to one of warning, and his eyes darkened like coal.
“How many times have I got to tell you, Joshua?” he whispered. “If you want to survive, you’re gonna need to be as brutal as Carter. It’s a shame really. I had good money on you. But now… I’m not so sure.”
Leon took a daring step closer to me and turned his nose up at me. We were so close I could smell the whiskey coming from his mouth, and I could see every pore on his sun spotted face.
“Be careful how you play, kid,” he hissed under his breath. “I told you that this isn’t a handout. You’ve got to earn it. So, I suggest for your sake, you start thinking real hard about your approach.”
Leon turned around and swiftly walked away like nothing had happened, which left me to stew in his threat for a few moments. I felt a pit in my stomach, but I’d worry about what Leon would do once he realized I wasn’t going to become the tyrant he wanted me to be another time.
Now, I needed to focus on getting the pain meds for Luke.
I glanced back at what remained of my pack and could see they all had severe looks on their faces. They had heard it all, and they understood just how serious Leon was about me changing my nature, but I wasn’t going to become something I was never meant to be just for that asshole.
His disregard for my injured Beta showed me everything I needed to know about him. He wasn’t an ally, and he’d never be a friend. He was just another son of a bitch getting in my way.
I’d deal with him eventually.
And he’d regret ever forcing my clawed hand.
Chapter Sixteen
I quickly left the warehouse, and as soon as I was outside, I shifted back into my elite form. It was risky, but it was worth it. And as long as I had my wits about me, I could make it to the warehouse in Midtown without being seen.
I took off after I felt myself fully adjust to the new form, and I immediately sighed as the cool breeze rushed past me. My injuries from the fight were already pretty much completely healed, unlike Luke, and I silently prayed he could hold out long enough for me to get the stuff he needed.
It wasn’t fair. I’d brought him there as backup, not for him to be gutted by some lowlife thug who’d joined up with Carter for kicks. Luke didn’t deserve it. None of my pack did, but Luke especially. He was just a kid, and he had his whole life ahead of him.
Which was why I couldn’t let him die.
I raced down the dark street leading away from the warehouse, and instead of heading for the main road, I stuck to the shadowy backroads that had little to no lighting. I had no idea what time it was, but New York was the city that never slept, which meant there’d always be people out no matter the time.
Whenever I’d see or hear someone in the distance, I’d find a nook or dark corner to lurk in until they passed. And as soon as they did, I was back to racing down the street.
I managed to make it to the warehouse in Midtown in less than ten minutes, and luckily, the security guard didn’t shoot me on sight when I burst through the main gate trying to catch my breath.
He recognized me, and after I managed to splutter out the words ‘need medicine,’ he led me over to where the Marigold Elixir and Burdock Balm was. I stuffed my pockets with as many green and yellow bottles as I could. Then I ransacked the medical storage area next to the kind guard’s office and grabbed as much gauze, medical wrap, and tape as I could.
Then I thanked the guard and took off running back to the den. The warehouse was way closer to the den than Leon’s decrepit pit was, so I made it in minutes, and when I did, I wasted no time in rushing through the door.
I’d smelled Luke’s blood from down the road, and when I raced into the main living space, I knew why it had been so prominent. Finn and Katie were pressing towels from the bathrooms onto his open wound, but they were quickly turning bright red. His pale form was draped over the couch, and he was panting for breath.
“I got what he needs,” I said breathlessly as I rushed over to the weak Beta. “Mia, I need your help.”
My mate rushed over from where she and Emily had been standing next to the wall, and she knelt down beside me in front of Luke.
“We gave him an auto injector, but it still wasn’t enough,” she said to me. “We’ll need to break open the capsule and rub it into his gums. It’ll take too long if he swallows it whole.”
“Okay,” I said as I tried to open the Marigold Elixir bottle with my hands, but I couldn’t keep it still.
After a few seconds of my hands just shaking, I put the lid in between my teeth and bit down hard so that the lid snapped off. Then I pulled out a pill and bit it in half so I could get to the powdered drugs inside. Mia held Luke’s lip up for me, which exposed his gums, and I poured the powder onto the pink flesh.
As soon as it was applied, I quickly rubbed it in with my finger and watched as Luke slowly stopped writhing from the pain. I pulled the soaked towels away from his wound, and we all watched as the three slashes slowly started to stitch themselves back together.
It was slow, but it was happening, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I fell back onto the floor and immediately put my head in my hands.
“Thank god,” I said as I ran a shaky hand through my hair.
“You did it,” Amy whispered in disbelief. “Josh, you saved him!”
The platinum-blonde rushed over and threw herself down onto her knees so she could wrap her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly as she sobbed into my neck, and I let her release everything she had been bottling up since Luke was attacked.
He could have died. He could have actually died, and it was all because of Carter.
I could feel the rage that had settled momentarily start to creep back up on me, and my breath was coming out hot and labored.
“Josh, a-are you okay?” Amy stuttered as she pulled back with a frown on her face.
“I’m gonna kill that bastard,” I seethed. “I’m gonna go over there right now and fucking tear him apart!”
“Hey, Josh, you need to calm down,” Emily said as she rushed over to me and knelt down at my side.
“She’s right, if you storm the chapel now, it would be too risky,” Mia said as she and Emily shared a concerned look. “We have to be careful.”
“He almost killed Luke!” I shouted as the rage inside my chest crawled up my throat like molten lava. “He deserves to die!”
“You’re right, he does,” Emily agreed and put her hand on my shoulder. “But there will be a time for that, and it’s not now.”
I gritted my teeth and groaned as I felt myself starting to shift again. Emily reached down, grabbed my clawed hand, and squeezed hard. I could smell the faint aroma of coffee beans and the sweet perfume she wore, and for a moment, I felt my anger settle.
But it didn’t last long. All I could think about was tearing Carter apart for what he did to Luke. The innocent Beta who was now passed out on the couch looking as pale as death itself.
“Josh,” Emily said quietly and bent her head down so I could look at her. “You need to calm down.”
I couldn’t do it. It felt like there was a weight pushing me down and keeping me in this frantic state. I’d almost lost someone from my pack, and I’d almost failed. And if I failed, then all of my pack would die. I was backed into a corner with no way out like a goddamn rat.
I had to finish this. I had to finish Carter. And after that, I’d have to deal with Leon. I’d never be what he wanted me to be, and for that, he would try and kill me, too. It was one thing after another, and it all came crashing down on me as I looked at Luke’s unconscious, frail body.
“Josh,” Emily said again and snapped me out of my downward spiral. “Look at me.”
I shakily lifted my head and met her blue eyes. They were filled with concern, and her brow was furrowed as her eyes scanned my face.
“Come on,” the redhead said and tugged me up.
I stumbled as I stood on my own two feet, but before I could even gather my bearings, she was pulling me out of the den. I felt myself shift back into my human form as she pulled me along, and the surprising detour proved to be enough to distract me from my anger.
“Where are you taking him?” Mia asked.
“Somewhere to cool off!” the Beta called over her shoulder. “We won’t be long. Just keep an eye on Luke.”
I was powerless as Emily pulled me into the cool night air, and I sucked in a sharp breath the moment we were out of the suffocating den.
“Let’s walk,” Emily murmured as she started leading me down the street rather than pulling me along.
The moon was high in the sky, and the clouds that had been smothering it for the majority of the night had cleared, allowing its pale light to beam down on the city that never sleeps.
I found myself quickly cooling off as we walked, and the further we got away, the more my head cleared.
“I’m sorry,” I said weakly after we were about five minutes away from the den. “I… I just want him to pay for what he’s done.”
“I know you do,” Emily sighed. “But charging in there would have ended in you being killed. And then where would that leave us?”
“Would you miss me?” I asked with a soft smile.
“That’s out of the question,” the cherry-haired Beta said with a playful roll of her eyes. “We need you, Josh. You’re the backbone. The Alpha.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be a part of my pack,” I pointed out. “You’re certainly talking like one of us.”
Emily rolled her shoulders uncomfortably and slipped her hand out of mine. We paused on the corner of a dimly-lit street. The moon was brighter than the few streetlights down the road, and Emily looked up at the half-cut crescent in the sky.
“Do you want to know why I’m so reluctant to join you?” she asked as she folded her arms across her chest protectively. “Why I didn’t want to put a label on our relationship?”
“Yes.” I nodded and took a step closer to her. “But… only if you want to.”
“I don’t want to,” Emily sighed. “But I need to. You deserve to know the truth. I’m not just some callous bitch, I…”
Emily’s blue eyes filled with tears and shimmered in the pale light of the moon. I let her take her time. Whatever it was that she was about to tell me was clearly a long time coming, and she obviously needed to work up a bit of courage.
“My mom was a Beta, just like me,” she said after a few moments of silence. “And she fell in love with an Alpha. He wasn’t my dad, mind you, he was just… the one that got away. She could never love anyone like she loved him. Because even after she left him, she never moved on. That’s what happens when you’re a mate. It’s an unbreakable bond that never breaks, no matter how much they can break your heart.”
Emily let out a shaky breath and wiped the tears that started to slip down her tanned cheeks away with the back of her hand.
“She gave him her life,” the redhead carried on after she composed herself. “She gave him everything, and she would have died for him without even needing the order to do so. But… she was just a Beta. And the Alpha of her pack eventually found himself an Omega.”
“Emily…” I trailed off as I started to see where this was going.
“She was always second best,” Emily whispered as she looked back up at the moon. “It didn’t matter how much she loved him, or how much she doted on him, he would always choose his Omega over her. Even if she was his mate first.”
“Em, if that’s what you’re worried about--”
“It’s wolf nature, Josh,” she cut me off sharply and finally whirled around to look at me. “I could never be worth more than an Omega. Even if we were mated, I’d always be second best, just like my mother!”
“Emily, that’s not true,” I said as I closed the distance between us and cupped her face. “I would never treat you like you were less than Mia. And I don’t give two shits about ‘wolf nature.’ That’s not who I am, and I would never, ever do that to you.”
“Some things you can’t choose, Josh,” the tearful Beta whispered shakily. “It’s in your nature. Just like it’s in mine to be the lowest of the low.”
“That’s not true,” I repeated and shook my head. “Emily, I promise you that you would never be lesser than anyone, let alone Mia. I… I love you, and someone who loves you wouldn’t treat you like that. Wolf nature or not.”
“You…” Emily’s eyes widened in shock. “You love me?”
“I do,” I said without hesitation. “And if you join my pack, you won’t be a second-class citizen. You’d be an equal. Beta or not, I love you, Emily. And what you are won’t change how I feel about you.”
“Oh, Josh,” Emily sighed before she slammed her lips onto mine.
I immediately wrapped my arms around her waist and tugged her closer to me, and I could feel her melt under my touch. She needed this, just as much as I did, and all of the worries and fears about Carter and Leon drifted away as her lips pressed against mine.
“I… I love you, too,” she panted against me as we pulled away.
“Thank god,” I teased as I nudged my nose into hers. “I was scared I was gonna look like an idiot.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Emily said with a smirk, and I realized she’d repeated the words she’d said to me when I asked her if she was leading me on after our date.
“So… does this mean you’ll join my pack?” I asked as I tucked a loose strand of her red hair behind her ear.
“Yes, Josh.” Emily smiled shyly and nodded her head. “I’ll join your pack.”
All at once, with just those few words, I sensed the connection between us snap into place, and I heard Emily giggling down the bond.
Welcome to the pack, I said to her down the bond. Although, there’s one more thing I want to ask you.
Oh, yeah? Emily smirked at me. What’s that, St. James?
“Will you be my girlfriend now?” I asked with a smirk as I tipped her chin up a little higher. “Officially?”
“Yes, Josh,” the Beta giggled and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”
I was over the goddamn moon. I’d never been confident in whether or not she would actually say yes, but now that I knew the reason behind her reluctance, it made her saying yes all the more impactful.
She trusted me. And I’d never betray that trust. I’d never really understood the hierarchy in wolves. Like how an Omega was basically an Alpha’s property and that they were basically seen as objects to use however we pleased. Or how Betas were basically lackeys and nothing more.
I’d never really thought about how those prescribed ‘roles’ might impact how a Beta would feel about falling in love with an Alpha. And I suppose it put into perspective how privileged I was to be an Alpha and not a Beta.
I understood why she’d been so reserved this whole time. Her mother had gone through hell seeing the man she’d loved love another woman more, and all because she was an Omega.
But who she was didn’t matter to me, and everything I’d told her had been the truth. Just because Mia was an Omega didn’t put her higher up the ‘hierarchy’ for me, especially not when it came down to who I loved more. Sure, Mia was my mate, and that was a different kind of bond, but who’s to say Emily couldn’t become my mate, too?
