Terr5tory (8 page)

Chapter 14

Eleanor woke with no idea what time it was.  Outside it was either dusk or dawn, and with no clock in her room, she had no way of telling how long she’d slept.  The sound of birds chirping crazily led her to believe it was morning.

Sitting up, she shoved long hair back from her face then stilled at Delano’s scent lingering in her room.  It was too strong to have been carried on her clothes, which meant he’d been in her room while she’d slept. 
How long ago?  Was he out all night?

Glancing down, she was mortified to see that the chill of the room had her nipples clearly visible through the thin material of her nightgown.  She could only pray that she’d been covered up when he’d entered.

Tossing the covers aside, she peeled the gauze from her leg and was relieved to find her wound closed.  The bright pink told her it’d only just sealed, but it was enough to satisfy her.

Dropping her legs off the bed, she slowly stood on her good leg before applying light pressure to the other.  It held, barely. 

Limping to her drawer, she pulled fresh clothes free then quietly limped down the hall to the bathroom.  She eyed Delano’s closed door, wondering if he were asleep on the other side.

In the bathroom, it took her longer than usual to shower, change and brush, but once clean, she felt like a new person.  Quietly, she hobbled down the hall to the stairs and slowly made her way down to the kitchen.

Surprised to find the kitchen wasn’t empty, Eleanor ignored Bose as she limped in and hobbled toward the enticing aroma of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. 

She’d just reached the counter with the coffee pot and was grabbing a mug from the cupboard when Bose snorted loudly.  Clenching her teeth, she didn’t turn toward him.  Instead, she set her mug on the counter and slowly poured herself a cup of coffee.  “Problem, Bose?”

“It’s just funny.”

She could hear the anger in his words and she knew that whatever his problem was it was about to become hers.

“What’s funny?” she asked without really wanting to know.  Now she regretted getting out of bed.  She should have listened to Delano.

“You.” Bose shot back in disgust.

Eleanor rolled her eyes.  He’d become more and more aggressive over the past few months, and each time she’d shot down one of his advances, he’d grown even angrier.  Sliding her coffee down the length of the smooth counter as she hobbled toward the plate of mouth-watering cinnamon rolls Eleanor had no choice but to ask.  “What about me?”

She’d just reached the plate and was lifting a roll to her lips when Bose sneered.  “You
disgust
me!”

The roll stalled halfway to her parted lips. 
O-kay.  Appetite suddenly gone.
  She set the roll back on the plate and turned to eye Bose.  “And just what about me is it
exactly
that disgusts you?”

“Look at you!” he snapped, bolting to his feet and sending his chair crashing backward.  “You’re so fucking focused on that wanna-be-Alpha that you haven’t even noticed that Riss is starving herself while you,” he let his eyes slide up and down her frame derisively.  “You’re feeding your fucking face while she’s wasting away to practically nothing!”

Guilt bit hard and lent even more strength to Eleanor’s flash of anger.  “Are you fucking kidding?” she hissed.  She knew Bose and there was no way in hell he was upset over Riss.  NO, he was pissed about something else entirely.  Adrenaline eased the pain as she limped toward the table to plant her hands on the flat surface and scowl up at the much taller Bose.  “We were an Alpha-less wolf pack because none of you so-called males were willing to stand up and fight for the role.  We’re under assault from neighboring packs because we’ve got females going behind our backs to invite our enemies into our territory.  And we’re two seconds away from losing every female in our pack.  No to mention, our males are going to be decimated—yourself included—if you all don’t start accepting Delano’s place among us.”  She lowered her head and deepened her scowl.  “I haven’t the time nor the energy to give an Asheville fuck over Riss’ self-induced drama.  I am struggling to keep us alive and well.  Her choosing to add more strain to the pack with her selfish choice of ill-timed famine is the
least
of my fucking concerns.”

Bose lunged forward to slam his fists on the table opposite Eleanor.  “And if she dies?”

“She dies!” Eleanor growled, startled at the vehemence of her own words.  Truth is, she didn’t want Riss to die, but she didn’t have time for her suddenly acquired eating disorder either.  It was concerning and Eleanor had noticed, but she’d hoped that if everyone paid no heed Riss would give up the game.  A game is exactly what it was.  Riss had done it often when they were younger.  Vying for her parents attention or pouting after being denied a certain want, she’d stop eating altogether until she got her way.  Over the years, Eleanor had learned to ignore the behavior.  Riss would eventually give in and go back to eating, but to be outright accused of letting her sister die because she was too focused on Delano?  Insulting! 

“We are wolves!” Eleanor growled.  “And like it or not, this is survival of the fittest.  If her poor choices see her put down, then so fucking be it.  That goes for the rest of you as well.”  She was shocked and felt a pang of guilt when Bose’s sneer slipped at her words.

Holy hell!  That was outta line. 
She couldn’t help it though, he needed to hear the truth.  “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s
really
bothering you!”

“Problem?”

Both Eleanor and Bose’s heads jerked around at Delano’s query.  He was leaning against the doorframe, looking as if he’d been listening for a while.

“No.” Eleanor dropped her head to stare at the table.  “No problem here, Alpha.”

“Bose?”

Hearing the challenging rumble in Delano’s tone, Eleanor glanced up to find Bose still glaring at her.

“No!” Bose bit out, turning to exit the kitchen.  “No fucking problem, Bowden.”

Delano stepped into his path and, not expecting the move, Bose bumped into Delano’s chest before stepping quickly back. 

“
Bowden
?” Delano growled.

“Alpha Bowden,” Bose amended, dropping his chin.

Eleanor watched Delano’s stare bore into Bose’s bowed head.  The full weight of his Alpha authority whipped around the room in silent command.  He was willing Bose to challenge him, and Bose—coward that he was—wouldn’t even lift his eyes.

“You’re dismissed.” Delano rumbled, not moving.

Bose had to step back and go around the Alpha to exit the room leaving Eleanor alone with Delano to explain why she thought she had the authority or any right to stand before, arguably, the pack’s second strongest member and decree anything.

Chapter 15

Finally alone, Delano pinned Eleanor with a hard look.  “What are you doing out of bed?”

She heaved a great sigh and turned to eye the plate of cinnamon rolls.  “I wanted coffee and something to eat.”  She snorted and muttered under her breath, “Should’ve known better than to try and ‘feed my fucking face’.”

Delano stalked into the kitchen, his heavy boots thudding on the tile floor.  “Sit,” he commanded.

“It’s fine.  I’m just going to…”

“Sit!” He repeated more firmly.

Eleanor did her Alpha’s bidding.  Moments later, her abandoned coffee was settled in front of her along with a huge cinnamon roll that barely fit atop the saucer Delano had retrieved for her.

“I’m not hungry,” she lied, pushing the roll away from her.

“Bullshit!”  Delano banged a cupboard closed as he dug himself out a mug, poured himself a coffee, and took the seat opposite her.  “You don’t want to eat it because Hotshot made you feel guilty about Riss.”

Eleanor’s head snapped up and her eyes locked on his.  “You heard?”

“Yeah.”  He reached across the table and nudged the plate closer to her. “And you were right.”

She felt herself blush.  She’d never outright acted in an authoritative manner and the one time she had, it just had to be witnessed by Delano.  It was a blatant infraction to assume any mantle of authority while the Alpha was in territory.  “I’m not always like that,” she began, but he cut her off.

“I can see that.  The sheer look of shock on Bose’s ugly mug was enough to prove that you rarely defend yourself.”

Defend myself?  Is that what he thinks I was doing?
She was certain he’d have thought she was acting out of line and attempting to usurp his authority.  “I was just tired and didn’t want to have to…” 
To what?
 

“To justify yourself when you don’t need to?”  He grinned at her look of surprise.  “Riss is a big girl, El.  You know where I stand on your penchant for babying her.”

Delicate brows speared down. “I’m not!”

His grin grew.  “I know.  And I’m proud of you.”

Why did his approval send butterflies to flitting in her belly?

“It’s not easy telling pack what they need to hear.  It’s easy being the good leader, but when it comes time to be the bad guy, that is when most leaders fail.  No one wants to have to do that, to
be
that.  I’m proud you’re not afraid to tell them like it is.”  His eye crinkled in the corner as he studied her.  He could tell she was gauging whether he was speaking truthfully or just trying to make her feel better. “Do you know what makes an Alpha just?”

Her mind raced with a hundred responses, but she plucked out the one that felt most true as she ripped off a piece of cinnamon roll and sluiced it through icing before answering, pre-bite.   “Sacrifice?” 

He smiled at her response.  “Consistency.  Consistency is what makes an Alpha just, and it’s difficult to do in a pack where you’ve got blood relations mingled with pack relations.  Our tendency toward loyalty leads us to favor our kin while our placement in the pack demands we show no favor.  It’s a difficult task, even more so for females.  It’s
why
there are typically no female Alphas.  Your tendency is to nurture and to be motherly.  Nowhere is that need so great than with your own offspring, your siblings, and your mate.”

She snorted.  “Well.  Clearly I don’t even know what it takes to be an Alpha, let alone try my hand at it.”

She’d stopped eating and was fiddling with her mug when Delano reached across the table and captured her hand.  “The mere fact that you believe sacrifice is what makes a great Alpha proves that you’re wrong about yourself.”  He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.  “These people, these
wolves,
have followed you for a reason, Eleanor.  And what I just witnessed between you and Bose shows that you’re unwilling to put your petulant sister’s needs above the good of the pack.”  He tugged on her hand, pulling it closer.  “Don’t be fooled.  You were this pack’s Alpha and you still hold a position of authority over them.”  He smiled.  “They—much like me—just aren’t sure what that position is yet.”

Eleanor pulled her hand free of his.  “Well right now, it’s as an injured inconvenience.”  She eyed the roll and coffee before shoving to her feet. 

“Sit down,” he growled.

Half turned, her head swiveled around until her eyes collided with his.  She saw his wolf flash in his eyes and understood it wasn’t a request.  His words were an Alpha command, not a suggestion.  Reclaiming her seat, she fidgeted, not liking authority being used on her, but was helpless to resist it.  Unsure of what she’d done to garner his wrath, she asked tentatively, “Delano?”  She mentally kicked herself for once again using just his name rather than his title, but forgot the slight when he shoved her plate toward her. 

“Eat,” he commanded and stood to retrieve the coffee pot. 

“I’m not hun…”

“I can scent your lie, Eleanor, just as I can scent your hunger, your pain, and your weariness.  Eat and finish your coffee so I can get you back to your room.  Your wolf needs nourishment and rest, and my wolf needs to see to yours.  If you’re unwilling to take care of yourself, you should at least take care of your wolf.”  He spoke as he busied himself behind her while she ate.  “One thing I’ve noticed that you need to learn—aside from making time to care for yourself—is that you need to learn to become more inaccessible.  It’ll create time for you to do what you need to for the good of the pack as well as making them see that they can’t bother you with every fucking itch they want scratched.” 

She wanted to speak to this, but her mind was still reeling from the whole, ‘my wolf needs to see to yours’ admission.  What did that even mean?  Forcing her mind to catch up with the conversation, she offered, “Well, it’ll be more difficult than ever now. With me being injured, I’ll be at their beck and call.”

“The hell you will!” He snapped with too much vehemence. 

The last bite of cinnamon roll stalled halfway to her lips.  Why did everything he said regarding her sound so damn…
possessive?
  She wished he’d stop doing that because it got her damn wolf all hot.  Well, truth be told it wasn’t just her wolf that was affected by him.

Delano must have realized it too because he cleared his throat and plowed a hand through his dark hair.  “Sorry,” he muttered, turning his back on her as he faced the sink of dirty dishes.  “Alpha instincts kicking in, I guess.”  He heaved a great sigh and shook his head.  “Why are all these dishes still dirty?”

Swallowing her bite of roll, Eleanor shoved back from the table.  “My fault.”

Delano turned to study her as she stacked her half-full coffee cup on her empty plate.  “Slept in.  Haven’t gotten to it yet.”

Delano’s shoulders slumped on a second great heave of breath.  “Christ, El.”  He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut.  “Please don’t tell me you wipe their asses too.”

“No!” She barked indignantly.  “I don’t!” 

When Delano’s eyes snapped open, Eleanor was glaring up at him as she hobbled toward the sink. 

“It was my turn on the schedule.”  She explained with a bit of bite to her words.  “Yesterday was my day to do dishes.  They didn’t get done.  I apologize.”

She’d just gotten to the sink and was reaching to set her dishes on the counter when Delano took them from her.  “I pulled you off rotation.”

“I thought you meant perimeter runs.”

“I meant all of it, and frankly it’s fucking annoying that I have to tell the rest of the pack that an injured pack mate obviously can’t do her assigned chores.  Christ,” he hissed.  “They are like babies, or brain dead, or brain dead babies!”

She snorted at his words as a smile found her lips.  She’d often found herself thinking the exact same thing.  “Well.” She reached around him and snagged the dish cloth.  “I can’t do anything else, so I might as well double up around the house.”

Lightning fast, Delano snatched the dish cloth out of her hand.  “I
said
you are off rotation for two weeks.  That means no chores, no duties.”

They stood glaring at each other and Eleanor didn’t know what to say.  She could argue, but defying the word of the new Alpha was not only bad form, but foolish.  Still, she didn’t like being treated like a child. 

“I can carry my weight, Alpha Bowden.  Been doing it for years.”

“No.” His expression darkened.  “You’ve been carrying your weight
and
theirs.  That’s over, Eleanor.”  He jerked his head toward the door.  “Go get some rest.”

When he turned his back on her dismissively, Eleanor had the urge to snag a picture off the wall and chuck it at his head.  Instead, she balled her hands into fists and hobbled toward the door in a huff. 

“You need help getting up those stairs?”

“No,” she growled without looking at him.

“Eleanor!”

She stilled but didn’t turn to face him.

“I liked your nightgown.”

Her head jerked to the side and she gaped at him over her shoulder, trying to gauge whether he was making fun of her.  The look on his face told her he wasn’t.

“I liked it a lot.”

Heat filled her from head to toe and without another word, she exited the kitchen and made her way back up to her room as quickly as her bum leg would let her.

She didn’t see Delano smile to himself as he rolled up his sleeves and blasted on hot water to fill the sink of dishes with suds.