Page 37 of Becoming the Alpha

“Wow,” Jason said, his mouth dropping open slightly. I shook my head, my cheeks heating again. I was getting a bit tired of how often I was feeling embarrassed and hoped I’d find some way to stop my face from heating up all the time.

“Well, it looks like you’ve gotten just about everything under control,” Jason said. I gave him a wide grin, feeling pretty accomplished. He grabbed my hand and looked at me with gratitude in his eyes. “The only thing is that we willbothaddress the rebels.”

“Uh…no. We won’t. You’re staying in this bed until the Healer says otherwise and then you’re going straight to your room.” I insisted. Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re worried about me and I’m so happy you care, but you can’t keep me in bed. I have duties I need to see to and it’s not your responsibility to take care of them. Plus, I can’t be seen as weak at the start of my Alphaship. I have to take my position. It’s my dutyandmy right. I love you and love that you care so much, but we need to work together. You can’t keep me in bed forever - well, maybe I’ll let you try.”

I sighed, leaning back into the chair, disappointed. I nodded, trying to get over the taste of sadness that coated my tongue. I could see Jason smile at me from the corner of my eye and scowled, standing up, causing the chair to scrape across the floor. I ran my hand through my hair and tilted my head back.

“Let’s get going, Lily. The sooner we can meet with the rebels, the sooner we get to bed - together,” Jason said, his voice soft and enticing. My wolf whimpered again, wanting to go back to her mate. I sighed, turning back to him and planting my hands on my hips. I glanced at Simon, who was waiting for us to make a decision. He shrugged at me.

I nodded. “Alright, get the Healer in here to check Jason out. After that, we’ll make our way to the War Room. Luckily, it’s not too far from here.”

Simon turned and walked out of the curtained area. I walked over to where Jason was sitting. “Are you sure you’re okay? I get everything that you said and I understand what you have to do, but you were just in the fight for your life - against your father. You did just kill him and are currently healing. It would be totally understandable if you skipped out on this one meeting. There are going to be plenty more to deal with later.”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m sure,” Jason said, humoring me.

39

Jason

The healer came in a few minutes later and declared that I was good enough to move around. He wanted me to be seen a few times after all of this. I agreed to whatever he needed, as long as he cleared me to handle the rebel meeting. I didn’t want Lily to be in there with Jack, even if Simon was there to protect her. Jack was known to be a loose cannon and I couldn’t guarantee what his mood would be after everything that had taken place. He was already giving a bunch of attitude earlier.

“Alright, we’ll head to the War Room in a few minutes. I want to make sure you get as much rest as you can,” Lily said. Simon and Dean were both standing near the door in my line of sight. I insisted the curtain be pulled open so we weren’t stuck in the small area together. I could see how much Lily was worrying by the amount of times she wrung her hands. I kept myself from chuckling, but couldn’t keep the amusement out of my face.

“Dean, have you gotten ahold of Luke or Jake?”

Dean nodded. “I got a hold of them both. Amara, Laura, and your mother are on their way here. They should be here by the time you’re done with the rebels.”

“Thank you. Lily, can you please make sure that everyone is ready for us in the War Room?” I asked, turning to her. She eyed me, looking suspicious. I gave her an encouraging smile, keeping it on my face until she was out of the room. I turned to Dean. “Did you find her family?”

Dean took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “I did. A mother and sister, both living in a farmhouse off the edge of our property. We are bringing them in now.”

“Bringing them in as in you’ve talked to them and offered them the option to come see her and not just fucking dragging them in against their will, right?” I clarified.

Dean shifted his weight, not quite meeting my gaze. I narrowed my eyes. “Uh…sure.”

“Well, fucking fix it. We don’t need to terrorize these women. We have no idea what they’ve been through and I don’t have want them to be a fucking mess when Lily sees them.”

Dean nodded, looking a bit uncomfortable. I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face. “This is just beginning, Jason. You’re going to have a lot more work to do. Don’t burn yourself out now,” Simon offered. I raised an eyebrow at him, earning a cheeky grin. I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Alright, let’s get this fucking going.”

Dean and Simon moved to my sides, gripping my upper arms and helping me get out of the bed. I couldn’t hold back the groans that escaped, but didn’t back down. This was something that needed to be done. The deal we struck with Lily and the Healer was that I would be wheeled down to the War Room in a chair and then I could walk into the room on my own violation. I dropped into the chair and groaned, the pain flaring in my leg as Dean pushed the chair out of the infirmary.

“Let’s get this fucking over with,” Simon muttered. I chuckled as Dean pushed me down the hallway the short distance to the War Room. I thought this was completely fucking overkill, but I wasn’t about to argue with Lily when she was stressing over me so much. I was going to do whatever I could to make sure she could relax and not worry about me.

We arrived in front of the War Room and Dean stopped, locking the chair wheels and coming up to my side to help me stand. A servant came up from behind us and took the chair back to the infirmary. I let loose a breath, realizing that I had another thing to fix as soon as possible. I straightened up and shrugged off Dean and Simon’s holds gently.

“Oh,” Lily said, pulling open the door and coming to a complete stop. I flashed her a confident grin, stepping forward and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She stepped backward and offered me entry into the room. I winked at her, taking slow, measured steps into the room. I watched the rebels all come back to the big conference table, eyeing me with a critical look on their faces. I didn’t say a word, but moved toward the chair at the head of the table. I lowered myself into it, clearing my throat harshly as I did to cover my grunt of pain. I gestured to the table, offering the rebels the opportunity to join me. They all pull out the chairs and sit down, Jack crossing his arms and glaring at me.

“Okay, we’re all sitting like fucking schmucks. Now, what?”

“We’re going to talk and discuss any questions you might have about my new reign,” I responded. I folded my hands on the table in front of me and waited. Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes, and looked completely pissed. I raised my eyebrows, waiting him out.

“This is fucking ridiculous. We don’t want another King. We want the monarchy to be dissolved,” Jack snarled. I tilted my head.

“The public has no idea what’s been going on with my father. They just got a new Alpha and have no fucking idea what’s going to happen. Now is not the time to dissolve anything. I don’t have time for this, Jack.”