Chapter 48

Fuck! I rub my chest, trying to ease the ache I feel in my heart. What the hell is going on? Why am I feeling like this all of a sudden? It's been three years. That feeling had gone, so why now? "Hey, are you okay?" Micah asked, coming to stand next to me. I don't answer. What the hell would I even say? I never told anyone about that strange feeling three years ago. Never breathed a word, not even to the oracles. I didn't understand it, so how the hell was I supposed to explain it to someone else? "Alec?" he called again, but instead of answering, I ignored him. I start to pile food on my plate before sitting down to eat. I had enough to worry about with Sadie being my mate and the damn curse hanging over our heads. "But really, why do you think this is happening?" Knox, not getting the hint, asked. “I mean, it can't just be a coincidence, right? We felt that shift three years ago, and today... Do you think it has something to do with Sadie? We did think she was dead, but maybe we felt her that day." It did make sense, but I honestly don't think it had anything to do with Sadie. "Think about it," he goes on. “That would explain why we felt that unexplainable pain. It could be that she was hurt, and unknowingly she projected that pain to us." That also made sense, except for one thing: "Knox, the only way we would feel her pain is if we had marked her. We weren't bonded; heck, we didn't even know she was our mate. There is just no way we could have felt her pain." "Never say never," he murmured. Taking a bite of my food, I said, "And besides, the scent we just smelled isn't hers. It was fleeting, but we both know it wasn't Sadie's scent, yet it affected us in the same way as three years ago. There is something else going on." I never bothered to investigate what happened to us three years ago. The pain had gone, and so did the feeling. Since nothing like that ever happened again, I never bothered to dig deeper... well, until now. "The only way we'll find out what is going on and what the hell happened is to find the owner of that scent. That's the only way," Knox supplied, his voice filled with determination. I continued eating my food, knowing he was right. That smell affected us in a way no one had ever been able to. We needed to find out why and how it was connected to what happened three years ago. When I was done with my meal, I set aside the plate before standing up. "So, what are you going to do about Sadie?" Jason asked in between bites. "There is no denying that she not only hates you, but the entire pack. She won't easily agree to be your mate." I growled at him, feeling myself lose control. He wasn't telling me something I didn't already know. He raised his hand in surrender. "I was just saying... Given how much she hates us, she'd gladly watch us burn to ashes and laugh all the way home." Micah slapped him on the back of the head. Sadie was right, and I don't mean that in a cruel way, given he's my friend. Sure, Jason is good at his job, but he wasn't really the brightest. "What?" he snarled at Micah, glaring at him. "Will you shut the fuck up? Can't you see Alec is already stressed?" Micah fired back. I stopped pacing and sat down on the bed. Massaging my temples, I tried to get my brain working. I am one of the best Alphas in the world. One of the best strategists the supernatural community has ever seen. I'm not bragging; it's the truth. Right now, though, I am way in over my head with the current situation. None of my strategies were going to help with Sadie. None of my training prepared me for this clusterfuck. "But have you guys felt it? It's been there since we got here," Micah asked, his eyes shifting from me to Jason. "You'll have to be more specific, Micah. I've felt a lot of shit since we got here," I grumbled, feeling irritated and on edge. On top of that list were anger and bitterness. So yeah, he had to be a bit more specific. "I'm talking about the power drumming through my veins," he answered, his eyes conveying excitement. "It's like my cells have been renewed. I feel better than I have felt in years. It almost feels like I've been revived... it's weird, but that's the only explanation I can give." We all fell quiet. With everything that has happened, I didn't notice a damn thing... But now that Micah said it, I felt what he was talking about. There was a change—a kind of energy that wasn't there before. Despite my healing wounds, I could still feel it. You know how you wake up feeling refreshed after getting a good night's sleep? That's how it felt. Micah is right; it feels like I've been renewed. "Well, if we needed more proof that Sadie is indeed your true mate, then here it fucking is," Jason whispered, his voice tinged with amazement. I guess he felt the same thing I did. "Aren't you glad that fate worked against you and Sadie is alive? Imagine the shit we would be in if you had killed her?" Micah said sarcastically, his eyes glaring daggers at me. "Fuck you, Micah," I growled, firing back. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. He was right. Just like always, the fucker was right. I would have fucked my pack over if I had killed Sadie. We would have spent years searching for my true mate without realizing that I'd killed her. My anger and bitterness would have doomed us. In the end, our pack would have faded from the wheels of time. We would have either died from weakness or an attack from enemy packs. Either way, we would have been dead. Running a hand down my face, I let out a breath of air. This was so messed up in so many ways. I was angry when I realized that Sadie was alive and that she had fooled me. I wanted so badly to kill her, and I would have if she had beaten the shit out of me... And boy, am I fucking glad that she stopped me. "The goddess really does work in mysterious ways," Jason commented. My phone ringing cuts through the silence that descends on the room. Crossing the room, I pick it up before swiping on the screen to accept the call. "Alec!" Piper's scream makes me wince. "Are you okay? Word spread that you attacked the alpha of Hope Pack. Did he provoke you? Are you hurt?" She fired the questions one after another, not even giving me a chance to answer. "A few bruises, but I am okay," I finally get to answer after she shuts up. "That's not good enough... my mate and I will come tomorrow." "There's no need for that, Buttercup." It's like I haven't even spoken a word. "No one hurts my brother and gets away with it... and that alpha is going to have words. He shouldn't have attacked you," she snarled in anger before she cut the call. I smile at the thought of her defending me. Piper can be a bit extra. She knows I don't really need defending, but she's fired up right now, and there is no calming her down. My smile slips as soon as the warm fuzzy feelings fade and reality hits me. Fuck. Piper had no idea that the alpha she was coming to confront isn’t a he but a she. She also has no idea that said alpha is her former best friend, who is very much alive.