Forged Redemption, page 15
part #5 of Tribal Spirits Series
The door creaked beside them and, a moment later, a cough sounded.
Reluctantly, Drew separated from Ally, letting her golden strands loose from his grip. Her shoulders heaved up and down, her berry lips glistening, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the warmth shining in those ocean eyes.
Dax stood feet away from them with his arms crossed and slight disbelief creasing his features. Drew sucked in a deep breath, ready to drop some excuse.
“Way to be a cockblock, D,” Ally said, casting Dax a glance. “You don’t see me peeping in on your and Sierra’s long-ass makeout sessions.” She paused, looking Drew’s way. Her eyes flashed with the bronze of her mountain lion. “Drew and I are back together.”
Drew shook his head, unable to help the grin rising to his lips. Of course, his brimstone girl would drop the news to both her alpha and him like that.
Dax tugged at the brim of his baseball cap. “I’d say I was surprised, but most of the pack had a betting pool going the moment Drew reappeared.”
Ally shot Dax a glare, followed by a punch to the arm. “We were broken up for real.”
Dax lifted his finger in air quotes. “For real,” he said, the sarcasm heavy.
“Don’t blame Ally,” Drew joined in. “I can’t help the fact I’m irresistible.”
Ally’s glare in return was pure acid. She lifted her middle fingers at them. “Both of you can fuck off, kindly. Sierra and I will be hard at work with Ava while you’re gone. Go get us some allies. Keep your sparkling personalities at home.”
Drew slipped to her and snuck a quick kiss. He leaned in to whisper, “Stay safe, Car Crash.”
Her irritation faded as fast as it descended, and the side of her mouth quirked. “You too, Train Wreck.”
Ally stepped back first, offering a salute to the two of them before she headed inside Beaver Tavern. The door echoed with a click.
Drew faced his little brother, someone he’d once been closer to than anyone else. Time, the Landsliders and Williams Sr. had ruined the bond for good. Dax might’ve grown taller, broader and more muscled, but he still possessed the gentle brown eyes of their mother, and even though he’d become hardened and mature as the Silver Springs alpha, Drew would only ever see the little brother who chased after him, trying to be part of the fun. Now, the gaze held a caution bred from everything that had broken between them.
They’d beat each other bloody in the fight for alpha of Silver Springs, a position he’d never wanted, but no amount of physical pain wounded him like the grief in his brother’s eyes. He had hated hurting him.
“Let’s get on the road,” Dax said, slipping his hands into his pockets. This awkwardness had never existed between them in the past, but no matter how hard he hoped, some wounds couldn’t be healed.
“I’ll drive,” Drew said, dangling his keys as he took the first strides toward his Caddy. He tried to ignore the prickle of loathing along the nape of his neck, the familiar hatred mirrored in the eyes of most of his former pack. If the Williams brothers working together again didn’t convince the surrounding packs of what a major threat this was, he didn’t know what would.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Ally waited in her car outside Beaver Tavern for Sierra to show and unlock the joint. She’d already swung by the salon to take on a few early clients, but her work was flexible with her schedule in times of crisis. Ally buzzed with nerves and kept slipping glances to her phone. She flipped to the text Drew had sent her last night. He and Dax had stopped by to talk to a couple of the local packs already and had gotten a few nos and a few noncommittals. Then he’d snuck into the bathroom of the motel and snapped a filthy pic she couldn’t stop staring at.
Spirits, that body was criminal. His shoulders were broad and arms muscular, the ones that had lifted her around in the past like she’d weighed nothing. And his six-pack was cut perfection, all the tan skin making her want to lick him from head to toe.
Ally had snapped a pic of her own, stripped to her black lacy bra and panties.
His response had been Dirty girl, which caused her to bite her lip and moan. She’d needed to retreat to the shower for a while after to masturbate. In this bubble, their relationship turned into all sex all the time—she’d been there before. But sooner rather than later, Ally would have to tell Drew the reason why she’d broken up with him, even if the mere thought made her palms sweat.
The crunch of car tires over gravel snagged her attention. She slipped her phone into her pocket, preparing to hop out and greet Sierra. A car she didn’t recognize rolled into the parking lot, screeching to a halt in front of Beaver Tavern’s entrance.
Ally rested a hand on the latch, ready to take action if needed. After Mackey and his crew had done their drive-by massacre, she wouldn’t get taken unawares. The driver’s side swung open, and the younger guy from the fragmented pack they’d taken in stepped out—Sam. He opened the back door of the car and Eli hopped out with a pensive frown. Together, they strolled to the front of Beaver Tavern. Sam sank to Eli’s level, placing a hand on his shoulders. They seemed to be discussing something serious, but then Sam stood again, clapped the kid on the shoulder and headed for his car. Sam’s eyes flashed with a familiar look, one she knew far too well.
Self-loathing.
Ally watched as Sam drove away, leaving Eli standing by himself in front of the tavern.
Eli sat down, placing his backpack beside him, and drew his knees to his chest.
A steady thrum rose in Ally’s mind, one that grew when the pieces began to click together. Maybe Sam had been running an errand and couldn’t bring Eli along. Maybe another member of their former pack was coming to pick him up. Except Ally couldn’t shake the bottoming out inside. She stepped out of her car and approached the kid.
“Hey there, Eli,” Ally called out, waving to get his attention.
He looked up, those big brown eyes wary, but he didn’t say a word.
Ally sank to crouch beside him. “Where did your friend Sam go?”
Eli shrugged, his little legs like matchsticks he clutched tighter to him. “He said he needed to head back to our town to get something.”
Ally swallowed hard. Even as Eli said the words, she could see in his dull expression he didn’t believe them either. Anger welled deep inside her, the pulse growing to a steady throb. After everything this kid had been through, how could one of his packmates abandon him? The self-loathing in Sam’s eyes doled out the sentence—he wasn’t coming back.
Sierra’s junker pulled into the gravel lot, and within seconds the alpha heaved herself out of the car, her stomach round and swollen. Ava slunk around from the passenger’s side, the short Indian woman in her normal attire, thick glasses, and one of her T-shirts, this one with the Ctrl button and ‘freak’ beneath it.
Ally reached out to offer a hand to Eli. “Want to come help us? We’re going to be meeting with a shaman today.” He looked at her, the hesitation clear in his eyes. Not like she blamed him. Ally leaned in closer and offered a conspiratorial grin. “I can get you some apple juice.”
That sealed the deal. Eli slipped his hand in hers and together they rose from the ground. Her gut clenched at the slight tremble in his hand. He might not be in tears and he might be fighting hard to hold back his fear, but Eli was scared.
Sierra’s brow furrowed when she approached and glanced over the two of them.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Ally mouthed, and Sierra had the sense to remain silent. The Red Rock alpha stepped past them to unlock the door to Beaver Tavern.
“What’s with the kid?” Ava asked, not having any same sense.
“He’s graciously agreed to be our helper today,” Ally said, glancing to him. She gave his hand a light squeeze. “We’ve got important work to do, so we could use all the help we can get.”
“Hope you like reading, kid,” Ava said with a shrug. She strode past them and entered Beaver Tavern.
With the lights on, Ally couldn’t help the shiver coursing through her. Every time she entered this place, she half-expected to see Kyle’s smiling face behind the bar. Every time she didn’t, all she could remember were the twisted bodies that had been strewn across the floor. Ally focused on following Sierra to the table they’d be setting up shop at. As Sierra headed for the back to grab drinks, Ally caught her gaze.
“I promised this guy apple juice if you have it,” Ally called out to her. If they didn’t, she might just drive out to the grocery store to pick some up. Eli’s hand hadn’t stopped shaking like a leaf in a windstorm, and she’d take any help she could get right now.
Sierra nodded. “Want to help me grab a cup?”
Ally chewed on her lip before she let go of Eli’s hand. The loss of connection speared through her. She needed to help him, somehow. “Be right back,” she said, knowing the phrase didn’t matter, since he’d already gotten the same lip service from another adult in his pack.
Ally followed Sierra to the back of the house where the alpha rummaged through the chrome double door fridge. By the time Ally reached her, Sierra passed over a plastic container of apple juice.
“What’s going on?” she asked, casting the glance to the front.
“He was part of the pack Drew and I sent this way. His parents died in the bombing, and when I pulled up today, the guy who had been watching out for him, Sam, dropped him off and drove away.”
Sierra slammed the bottle of beer she’d been holding onto the counter so hard Ally thought the glass might break. “Piece of scum. Who abandons a kid like that?”
“I’ll take him in for now,” Ally said, the words coming out before she could even process them. For all they knew, he didn’t have any immediate family coming to claim him and searching for blood relatives would take time. In the meanwhile, she couldn’t leave this kid out in the elements.
“You sure you want to take on that responsibility right now?” Sierra asked, handing over the bottle of beer to Ally as she pulled out a cranberry juice for herself. “There are families in the pack who could watch after him while we figure out his situation. We’ll need you on the front line when we bring the fight to Mackey.”
The Red Rock alpha wasn’t wrong. She lived in her best friend’s house, had just gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend and they were gearing up for a fight their packs might not survive. She looked at the cup of apple juice in her hand and thought of those wide chocolate eyes looking up at her. Her chest tugged tight, the feeling that beset her every time she saw other people’s kids and yearned for her own.
She and Drew were the only people he even recognized here. Eli had been abandoned yet again. She couldn’t drop him off with more strangers now, even if the extra responsibility got tough. Ally’s grip tightened around the cup of apple juice. “You’ll still have me for the fight, boss. No need to bother the other families in the pack. I’ve got this.”
Sierra nodded, rubbing a hand over her stomach, the way she did often these days. “You’re a good one, Coleman. I’m glad Dax has you as his second in command.”
The alpha’s eyes softened when she glanced at her stomach—the baby would be arriving in a month. Ally’s chest twisted at the sight, the familiar ache pulsing through her. Yet the warmth in Sierra’s eyes when she looked up coursed right through her, banishing away those shitty feelings.
“You’re just glad he’s got someone else to argue with,” Ally teased, trying to shove away the yearning.
“Definitely that,” Sierra agreed, flashing a fierce grin. She lifted her drinks and took the lead out to the front of house. “I’m not shouldering the burden myself.”
Ally shook her head, a smile lifting her lips as she followed Sierra out. Time to dive into the books to get to the bottom of this device.
* * * *
After they’d spent most of the day at Beaver Tavern sorting through old books and dealing with the updates Jer and the Tribe members brought them, Ally was beyond exhausted. It hadn’t helped that she’d agreed to be Ava’s guinea pig. The shaman had the idea a tolerance might be built up against the effects of the device, and Ally had volunteered. She’d seen the glint in Sierra’s eye and how her mouth had opened to offer herself. No fucking way, not while she was carrying a little one.
Sierra had already left, needing to show Ava over to her house where she would be crashing since the pack cabins were currently a charred wreck. They’d be calling in the shamans across the region, trying to summon any help they could get for the fist-to-a-brick-wall fight they were preparing to bring to Mackey.
Eli had hung in there the entire time, even though now his eyes drooped with exhaustion. He’d been flipping through books but had glazed over, not understanding the advanced language inside them, and had remained a lot quieter than the last time she’d seen him. Throughout the day, she’d stepped outside with him for walks so they could stretch their legs and kick around some gravel, but even then, he brimmed with a silence that spread outward.
Except now that everyone had left, she needed to confront the elephant in the room—where he was going next.
Ally plunked in the seat across from him, holding the key to lock up Beaver Tavern. “Hey, kiddo,” she said, trying to keep her voice low, soothing. He looked to her. “Do you want to come home with me tonight?”
He swallowed hard when he stared at her, his eyes so, so lost. Eli shook his head ‘no.’
“I’ve got to stay here,” he insisted, gripping tight to the seat of the chair.
Ally’s forehead creased. Fuck. How the hell could she tell this kid Sam wasn’t coming back? If she ever saw the man again, she’d show him the full strength of her fangs and claws.
“Hmm,” she said, doing a slow scan around the room. “I think the ground would be pretty uncomfortable to sleep on, though, right? Why don’t you come stay with me for the time being?”
His lip quivered, and his eyes glossed over with tears. He shook his head again. “I don’t want to. I want to go home.” A shaky breath came from his lips, and tears coursed down his cheeks. “I want my mom and dad.”
Ally’s heart split in two for him, sitting there with his hands balled into fists, trying with all his might to hold back the tears even as sniffles escaped. She reached forward to place her hand over one of his small fists. At the touch, his breath hitched and he looked up at her. Eli scrubbed at his cheeks with his free hand, even now trying to stay strong. Forget showing Sam retribution—she’d kill the fucker.
Ally kept her gaze on his and her tone gentle. “What if we leave a note? So, if anyone comes looking, they know where to find you?”
He glanced at the door, as if he waited for someone to walk in through it. Except, no one was coming. The thought twisted her chest something fierce.
Finally, Eli nodded. “Okay, we can leave a note.”
Ally snagged a pen and paper from the stacks of books that were staying right here. With the pack cabins out of use for the time being and after the massacre here, Beaver Tavern would stay closed to the public for the next week. They needed a congregation point for when the shamans arrived in town and when the Tribe wanted to meet up and talk. This was the one spot the packs still had.
Ally scribbled a note onto the paper, and Eli watched her, soaking in the words. Spirits, she wanted to scoop the kid in her arms and fill him with lies about how it was all going to be okay. But at his young age, he’d experienced devastating loss and he’d witnessed the ugliest sides of humanity. She understood what that did.
“All right, let’s go.” She led the way to the front of Beaver Tavern and locked up behind them. Night had already fallen, turning the gravel parking lot inky, yet the sweet fragrances of blooming azaleas trailed her way with the spring breeze. Her phone buzzed with another text from Drew—they’d been in constant communication all day, something she had sorely missed.
Ally patted the top of her hatchback, gesturing to the backseat. “This one’s mine.”
Eli slipped into the back as she looped around to the front and settled into the driver’s side. The keys jangled in her hand when she put one in the ignition. Another flashed into view, the old copper one she hadn’t used in a long time. Maybe tonight it was time to. As much as her current place belonged to her per the lease she’d signed with Lana, right now her bestie and her mate were living there too, and they hadn’t asked for a kid in the mix.
“Remember Drew?” Ally asked, her gaze flicking to the rearview mirror to check he’d clicked his seatbelt on. Eli nodded. “We’re going to head to his house. He’s out helping the other packs in the area like we helped yours, but I know he’d love to see you when he gets back.”
Eli’s eyes lit at the mention of Drew, the first bit of excitement he’d shown all day. Ever since Drew had plucked him out of the burning house and calmed him down, the kid had developed a hero complex. As much as she’d never admit the words out loud, Drew deserved the attention. He’d weathered his father’s abuse, violation from Mackey Kendricks, the hatred of his former family and home and being mated to a fuck-up like her. If anyone deserved a bright future, he did.
Ally swallowed hard. Step one was to tell him the truth when he returned, to offer up the last piece she’d been holding back. She switched the engine on, the rumble beneath her feet feeling a lot like resolve.
Soon, they’d be heading into a fight they might not all come back from. Life was too short to waste any more time running.
Chapter Eighteen
“Well, I think we left an impression there,” Drew said, wiping the spit from his cheek as he headed for his Cadillac. He’d fared better than Dax, who had gotten socked in the eye. After the way Dominic Enrico had been permanently maimed in the fight against Dax during the trials, they hadn’t been expecting an ice cream social from the Yellowrock pack. At least they’d scored a win this morning with the Underwood pack who remembered them from the trials in a far fonder light.
