Chapter 0040
Alec.
“You have to rest, Alec… Staying up day and night isn’t good for your health.”
Micah’s voice interrupted my concentration while I was working. I looked at the clock only to realize that it was already morning. Ten, to be exact.
Ignoring him, I went back to my work, checking the printed papers and some of the texts that the elders had provided me with.
“Alec?” he called with frustration.
His voice was starting to annoy me. I wanted to get to the bottom of things. Was that too hard to fucking understand?
He called me again, and this time I fucking lost it.
“What?” I yelled, the words coming out as a growl.
My eyes pierced his as I raised my head, Knox close to the surface. He was usually calm and was only a beast when we needed to fight or someone crossed us. Now, with everything that had happened; losing his mate and our pack being on the brink of extinction, he was more on edge than usual.
The situation was fucking pushing us. It frustrated me and agitated my wolf, which isn’t a good combination for an Alpha wolf, since we are usually more likely to lose control.
Instead of leaving like I expected him to, he sighed, crossed the room, and took a seat in front of my desk.
“You’re not listening, Alec. You’re my Alpha, but you’re also my friend, and I refuse to let you wither away because of the curse and your mate rejecting you.”
“Piss off, Micah.”
I don’t want to be reminded that Lola rejected me and then disappeared. She didn’t even give me the chance to try and earn her forgiveness. I want to try and understand her, but I get it. I would also have reacted violently if I’d found my mate in bed with another man, whether it was intentional or a drunken mistake.
“Not even on your fucking last breath, Alec,” he simply replied, and then leaned back against the chair.
We’ve been best friends for years. Growing up, he and Jason were the only ones my age, so it was a given that we would be best friends. It also helped that their parents were gammas and betas, respectively, and were also my parents‘ closest friends.
I would lay my life down for them, and they would do the same, but right now I needed to focus on the pack and how to save my people. Work was the only thing that kept my mind from wondering how messed up things had turned out.
“I’m serious, though; you need to rest,” he said after a while. “When was the last time you even slept?”
I wanted him to just shut up. His nagging was getting on my nerves, and I was in no mood to be given a fucking lecture.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.
“My pack is deteriorating. You’ve seen how weak we are getting and how tired and feeble our warriors. are getting. We haven’t had a birth in fucking years, and it’s all because of this stupid curse… Tell me, Micah, how can I be expected to sleep peacefully when my people are suffering, knowing very fucking well that if I don’t do something, then things are only going to get worse?”
He doesn’t answer, so I continued. “I’ll gladly sleep if you can give me a damn solution, but until then, get off my fucking back.”
With that, I ignored him and got back to work. I’d just gotten my focus back when the door opened again. I released a groan of frustration and looked up.
“Good, both of you are here,” he hurriedly said, closing the door and crossing the room.
“I swear, if you’re here to nag me, I’ll throw you both out right after I’ve kicked both into your asses oblivion,” I growled, unable to control the rising tension inside me.
Jason looked puzzled at both of us before shaking his head. “No, I came here because I found something.”
He waved something in front of me, and it was only then that I realized that he was holding a book. Not a book. More like a leather–bound journal.
“Is it about the curse?” Micah asked, turning towards him.
Jason nodded his head. “Yes“.
“Are you going to speak, or am I going to have to force the words out of your lips?” I asked after minutes of silence.
He shakes his head as if clearing his head from a haze.
“Well, remember when your dad and the elders told us about the curse?” he began, and we nodded our heads. “No one really knew about the origin of the curse or why someone would curse us in the first place."