Page 37 of Escaping Wildfire
“Together then.” I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand as we counted down and jumped into the water.
NOAH - Present day
I gasped as I woke up to the feeling of falling. It was a dream. I was dreaming of me and Gema as kids. I still remember that day clearly, as it was the first time I realized my feelings for Gema were more than just friendship.
I thought back to all the times we had swam together at the waterfall. That may have been the first time I noticed Gema, but it certainly wasn’t the last. I’d had to hide my massive boner the first time she showed up at the waterfall in a bikini. Fuck, I missed Gema, so much.
I laid back down and stared up at the ceiling. I never got to take Gema to the cave. Over the years, the cave had turned into our special spot. We had dragged over an old mattress and a folding table and chairs. It was the place me and the guys swore our loyalty to each other as friends and ranked heirs of Cobalt Falls, it was the first place me and the boys got drunk, and it was where Cristian lost his virginity to his first sort of girlfriend. I never got to take Gem there as something more than a friend. I felt stupid being sad about that out of everything that had happened. It was just a cave, and Gema deserved better than a cave and a musty old mattress, but it was also home. We had to get Cobalt Falls back.
My alarm started buzzing just as my eyes were starting to close again. I cursed the alarm as I hadn’t been sleeping well, but I got up anyway. The sooner I got up, the sooner we could see Alpha Kedrick about a plan.
The other guys seemed to have the same idea as we all exited our rooms at the same time. “To Alpha's office?” Jordan asked.
“Let’s go.”
As we neared Alpha’s office we heard a deep voice behind us.
“Good morning, guys. Looks like you all beat me to my own office. I’m sure none of you had breakfast, so I’ll have them send something up, and we’ll talk as we eat.
We all walked in after Alpha and settled into our usual seats.
“Beta Gabriel and Gamma Isaiah are on their way, so we’ll wait for them before getting started.”
“Have you heard anything from Alpha Tate?” Jordan asked.
“We talked on the phone yesterday, but he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to do any more scouting at Cobalt Falls. He said he’ll keep trying, but he also said that Alpha Keenan had visited a few days after our meeting and voiced his opinion on the Wildfire matter again...Alpha Keenan said that he might have to rethink his retirement if Alpha Tate continued helping.”
“He’s already been voted in, he can’t do that, can he?”
“Honestly, I don’t know, it’s never been done, but that doesn’t mean it’s not allowed.”
Cristian clenched his fist, and I saw Ax flash in his eyes. Cristian had been good about keeping Ax in check these last few weeks, but I could tell he was nearing his limits. We all were.
Beta and Gamma walked in followed by some pack members with breakfast, and the six of us sat down to eat and talk.
“The bears and foxes are definitely out then?” Beta Gabriel asked.
“Yes, I called each council alpha up individually to get their thoughts, and I even spoke to a few of the non-council alphas. No one will help.”
“Bastards. What about the wolf packs?” Gamma Isaiah spoke up.
“The wolf alphas have all agreed to ally and will help call other packs to see where they stand. There are a few smaller packs Alpha Jackson said are interested in teaming up as they are the most likely to be attacked next, but they have asked the larger packs for help training their warriors.”
“I’d be up for that.” Gamma Isaiah said. “I’ll look at my schedule and see what I can do.”
“Thanks, man.” Alpha Kedrick nodded.
“Will that be enough? With just the wolf packs?” I spoke up.
“It hasn’t been enough in the past, but we’ve also never had this many packs agree to work together before, so maybe.”
“But some of these packs can’t even fight? How long will it take to even get their people trained up?” Cristian’s words were laced with frustration.
“I have considered that, especially as Wildfire’s warriors are top-notch. Combat is their entire focus, and their ruthlessness is unmatched.”
“So, we’re just going to go into this and hope we don’t all get massacred?” Jordan scoffed. “I already lost half of my family, might as well give up on the rest of them, right? It’s not like I have a mate to build up my pack with anyway.” Jordan threw his napkin on his plate, seemingly no longer hungry.
“Look guys, I know I told you I’d help come up with something. Gabriel, Isaiah, and I have been bouncing ideas around, and I think we’ve come up with something that may work. Also, our sister Aaliyah should be here tomorrow, and she’s great with both people and strategy, so I’m certain she’ll help us come up with something. Ellis has also already agreed to help with the extra training, so hope is not lost yet.”