Chapter 55
LEAH I heard it all. From the minute he walked into the house, Tala woke me up. She mentioned Josh was here. I got up and took the stairs quietly, only stopping at the bottom. Tala and I listened to what he said. Everything rippled through me but also confused me. I didn’t know what to make of it all. I didn’t know the man, but it felt like more was to be said with how he talked. Stupid last step. He would have continued talking about my father and more. I didn’t know he had seen my father. My father mentioned none of this to me, but saying that, I don’t think I would have listened. “Leah!” Josh called out, pulling me from my thoughts. My eyes stayed on him while I heard my uncle on the other side. Tala was close, but not enough for them to know she was there. She was sussing out the situation. “Leah,” Josh said, taking a step closer, but I stepped back, nearly missing the step that I was on. A flash of wind came, and Josh held onto me, making me tense. “It’s okay,” he murmured, but I pulled away and stepped away from him. I kept my eyes on him till I walked back to the window. I looked at him but then at my uncle. “So, care to explain what the hell is going on?” I asked, sounding more bitchy than I attended to be. Josh stared, but it was my uncle who spoke. “Leah, you don’t have to ask—” he said, but I turned and glared at him. “I can talk to you both how I feel,” I muttered. “Some wolves and men have chased me, threatened, and nearly killed me.” Looking between them, I carried on letting everything out. “I want to know what the hell is going on,” I shouted. “You both can agree to that.” Neither of them said anything. Tala sighed. “You need to calm down,” she said. “They will explain everything. Just give them time.” “I want to know now,” I muttered. My uncle looked at Josh, who was staring at me. “How about I order pizzas?” my uncle blurted out, making me frown at him. “We can discuss it all over pizza.” Without saying a word, my uncle walks away and grabs his phone. I keep my eyes on Josh, who moves away from where I once stood. He moved over to the wall and leaned his eyes on me the entire time. “Well, with what you have seen,” he said, moving his head to the side. “You might have noticed some men shifted into wolves, which means we are werewolves.” I stared at him, but I said nothing. I didn’t want to let on that I knew what we were. I needed to know more. Josh sighed and continued. “The wolves that attacked us,” he said, staring at me. “They are known as rogues.” “What are rogues?” I blurt out, making him stare at my open mouth. He closed his mouth and stared at me for a moment. “Rogues are wolves who don’t belong in a pack,” he said. “Where you were staying, that was our pack. The rogues are foul creatures with no rules and don’t care about who they hurt, whether young, old, or human.” I felt my stomach drop. “Why did they attack where we were?” I asked, moving away from the window and to the side, keeping my eyes on him. I didn’t know what to make of him. It was hard to get a read off him. “He cares, Leah,” Tala murmured in my head. “He wants to protect you.” Ignoring her, I leaned on the wall to the side. Something was written on his face, but it was hard to decipher. “Well, that’s what our alpha is trying to figure out,” he said, cocking his head at me. “He has started an investigation into why.” I stared at him, wondering who the hell he was on about. “What’s an alpha?” I asked. “An alpha is someone who is in charge of the pack,” he said, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. “And who is the alpha, may I ask?” I asked, feeling I already knew this question. Josh smiled. “You know who it is,” he said. “Carson.” My eyes widened, even if it didn’t surprise me. “Carson,” I whispered, which made him chuckle. I looked at him with a frown. “I saw him turn,” I said, making him stare at me. The kitchen door swung open, and my uncle stepped in, which made me look at him. His eyes went to me and then went to Josh. “I take it you told her what we were,” he said, which made Josh nod, but he was looking at me. “She saw Carson shift,” Josh blurted out, which made my uncle stare at me. “Well, not just him,” I muttered, making them both stare at me. “Well…” my uncle said, clearing his throat. “We shift into wolves, which is what you will have to get used to since you are with us two. We might have to shift if more come. ” I frowned. Why did he have to act like a dick? “Are you always an asshole?” I asked, which made Josh burst out laughing, but my uncle wasn’t laughing. His lips curled into a grin. “Only when I need to be,” he said. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Tala giggled in my head. But I had to be careful that they didn’t know about her just yet. “We will tell them soon,” she murmured. Ignoring her again, I looked at them. “So, when do you all get wolves then?” I asked. “Twelve,” Josh said with a smile. “I have to admit, you seem to be okay with all this. I thought you might freak out.” “Well, that would have been the case if I was chased by wolves,” I muttered, making my uncle walk to the center of the lounge. A ping echoed through the room, which made me look toward him. His eyes were on his phone when another ping came. 1 “Well, it seems our pizza will be here soon,” he said, glancing up at us and then at me with a smile. He looked away, but curiosity got to me. “Who else text?” I asked. My uncle looked at me for a moment, but then to Josh. “the alpha,” he muttered. “Carson,” I said, pushing off the wall and stood staring at him. “You told her what he is—” my uncle said, but Josh cut him off with a low growl. My eyes darted to him. His eyes were different, but when he looked at me, they returned to normal. Does that happen when Tala comes close? “Yes,” she whispered, which made me jump slightly. “You need a damn bell or something,” I muttered back, which only made her giggle again. “Yeah,” my uncle said, making me look at him again, slightly confused, but realized he was answering my question. “The other text was from Carson.” I looked between them and frowned. “Well, what did he have to say?” I asked, which made Josh’s lips curl up slightly. Why would he be looking at me like that? “He sent me a video,” he muttered, which he opened. “It’s something that Josh and I have to see. Pack business.” I stared at him with a glare. He was definitely a dick. Josh moved off the wall and walked over to him. He watched whatever it was he had been sent. I wanted to know what was going on. I had a right to know. Tala stayed close but growled. “There is something that we need to know,” she muttered, with a growl slipping past. “What are you watching?” I asked, making them both look at me. “Nothing,” Josh said. “It is something that—” Anger swirled through me, which was picked up more with the movement of Tala in my head. I felt weird like I was being squished by something. “TELL US!” I said, which sounded nothing like me. My uncle and Josh looked up and stared with open mouths. Well, there goes waiting a few days. It looks like the cat is out of the bag now about Tala and me.