The Alpha’s Contract

Chapter 0398

Dane

The pack house is quiet. No sound comes from Neah or the twins. Damien must have settled Dorothy because I don't hear them either.

Following Neahs lavender scent, I find her sitting in the attic, surrounded by all the twins' baby things. Her tired blue eyes flicker up to mine and she lets out a sigh but does not speak and continues to fold up clothes.

"I'm not upset." I move further into the light. "I just needed to put some arrangements in place to protect him. To protect them. If Evrin can shift then Logan probably isn't that far behind and I need to make sure no one thinks they can take advantage of them.”

"Okay."

She wasn't saying how she really felt and I didn't even have to read her mind to know that.

'She is angry.' Aero murmurs

'I can see that.'

I sit on one of the boxes and it dips from my weight. "I wasn't running away from it. That's not who I am."Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

"Okay."

I hated the one word answers. I thought we were long past that.

"Neah?" My voice drops lower and she stops folding. I watch her shoulders drop as another heavy sigh leaves her mouth.

"I can't remember it, but I reckon what Evrin saw when you handed him back to me, was exactly what I saw when I first shifted. A smile that vanishes just as quickly as it appeared and the need to get away."

"You are comparing me to your father?"

"Not to him exactly, but his response. They had me bound because I was able to shift early. They tried to abandon me when they realised it didn't work and when they still couldn't get rid of me, they bound me again. And you...you just handed him to me and left and all day, you have ignored us and made excuses to not come home."

'You've triggered her trauma.' Aero whispers as though Neah could hear him

I step towards her as her pain grows, but she pulls back, tears creeping down her face as she eagerly wipes them away.

"I didn't expect....."

"I didn't either, but you don't see me running away from our sons!" She snaps at me

"I didn't run away."

"You've been gone all day." The tears stop and all I feel is her anger.

"I was making sure Klaus hadn't told anyone. Brax knows to keep his mouth shut but we both know Klaus has a loose tongue and likes to overshare. Something like this is exciting news to him and he will think it's a great idea to tell the pack, but only want the pack to know when you are ready to tell them, I want to keep the boys safe, I don't want them to become new targets for Cooper. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left like I did and not tell you."

I felt bad and Aero tells me I should feel bad.

I had always made it clear with Neah not to keep secrets from me and I had done just that and I was still holding something back. But she was not in the rioght frame of mind for me to tell her. Not yet.

"I assume the twins are asleep."

She bobs her head up and down and wipes away another tear. I hated and loved seeing her like this. I hated it because was the reason for it, but loved how protective she is over the boys and I hoped that part will never change.

S

"Has Logan shifted?" I ask quietly as I take another step towards her.

"No." She puts a lid on the box that she had finished sorting, "Evrin hasn't either, he's been mostly asleep."

"Have you slept?"

She shakes her head at me. I hold out my hand. Reluctantly, she takes it, letting me pull her to her feet. We head down to our bedroom where she barely makes it to our bed before crashing out. She doesn't even wake as I take her boots and her jeans off.

Stripping off, I climb into bed and pull her against me. She's dead to the world yet her body automatically presses in against mine, like it did almost every night.

'You didn't tell her!' Aero mutters

'I will, in the morning.'

'It isn't going to go down well.'

'I know, but there is no good way to tell her that one member of the pack is missing.'