Violet Ashes: The Blood Ridge Alpha - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

I helped the girls get comfortable before getting some things together to help Verona with the physical pain so she can get some sleep. With all the crying and everything she had to deal with, recruiting the new transfers, she must be exhausted and has more than earned the peace I hope she'll have here for a few days before she goes home.
"How many did we get?" I ask, bringing over a couple of joints, a heating pad, and the bottle of wine Knightly sent over.
"Thank you," she smiles weakly and takes the pad to put on her belly. "One eighty-six."
She shifts, getting comfortable on the beach chair. We can see the packhouse from here. It's chilly out tonight. The crescent moon is allowing us a glimpse at the stars. I'm turning the rooftop into a greenhouse. I haven't had time for it, but maybe she can get it started for me while she gets her head together.
"Good shit, V. That helps a lot. We can finally open up the back villas and possibly have the cleaners start reopening the mansions again. We can put them back on the market. I'm hoping they like it here."
"With the spectacle today, I doubt it." She puts a joint between her lips and reaches into her pocket for a lighter as I serve us some wine.
"What's a good alpha family without some dank gossip?" I hold my hand out for the lighter.
"At my expense?" she sneers.
"If anything, he's the one being an asshole. How did he find out?" It'll be me soon with what went down at Thorne Labs this afternoon.
"I put all the files in my carrier. I forgot the medical file and the receipt in there. I left it on his desk while I was dealing with some of the recruits. It's been a hectic couple of days. I wasn't thinking straight with pain and all the bleeding. Dad is going to kill me."
"Dad is a piece of shit. They're men. They have no fucking idea what the hell they're talking about." I rub her back.
She blows out a massive puff of smoke. I make her sit up and wiggle in behind her. She leans back against me and starts to cry again. We sit here quietly for hours. Long enough for me to be able to braid most of her hair and for the fog to roll in.
Matty comes up when I'm in the middle of trying to wiggle my way out from under her sleeping form. He smiles and helps me lift her up so I can get out.
"Help me take her down?" I whisper. He nods and lifts her up into his arms.
He follows me into the lift and we go into one of the spare rooms on the first floor. I help him tuck her in. She's so tired that she doesn't move an inch or make a single sound. I cover her and dim the lights after making sure she's breathing. This familiar feeling makes me want to call the Lycan Queen.
"Did you need something?" I ask once we shut the door behind us. The first thing I notice when I look up at him is his black eye. I reach up to cup his face. "That motherfucker is out of his fucking mind."
"It's not the first time," he whispers. I wrap my arms around him.
"I'm sorry, little man,"
"I'm not little anymore," he smirks when I pull away.
"No, you are not," I agree. The kid is six-four and is filling in nicely. He's a strong beta. Right on the edge of becoming an alpha, and I'm sure he's had his moments with the family we have. His ascension is more than guaranteed if he continues to work as hard as he does. "But you're always going to be my little man, bubby."
"I came to see if you girls were okay. Vince was way out of line. He shouldn't have hit you, and he shouldn't have embarrassed Verona so publicly."
"What happened today?" I ask because he was triggered. That's not the Vincent I remember.
"It's Dad," he says, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
"You hungry?" I ask.
"Always," he smiles shyly.
"What did the old fart do this time?"
"I don't know what money they were talking about, but he's gambling again. He spent some money, and dad told him to run to you like a good boy."
I want nothing more than to fucking kill my dad and slap some more sense into my idiot brother. Once he cools down, I have to ask him what happened and if he's going to need my help. Fuck, I hope he just fades soon. What the hell is keeping him going?
"Don't worry about that. Dad's not in his right mind, and he's just stressing Vince out. How is training going?" I ask because what am I supposed to say to him?
We're both embarrassed about that situation, and it hurts because there's not a single thing we can do to stop it or make it any better. I know if I kill him, they're all going to start looking at me a certain way, and I don't know that I'm ready for it. I'd accept it, but at the cost of what little kindness is left in me. The last thing we need is for me to become the old man.
"Your friend is teaching us some cool shit. She's really amazing. Her brother could be more interactive with everyone."
"I know he can, but I don't think pack life is for him. Rome has been on his own for a long time. He's struggling. I guess we're both hoping she'll stay."
"Okay," he nods. "How do you know them anyway?"
"I know a lot of rogues, and I kinda dated his uncle,"
I slide the pizzas into the oven. I'm glad Alpha Barnes stopped by. I've yet to open the gifts he brought me. Shit, I have to remember to call Riley and apologize to her.
"The dead rogue king? Am I allowed to ask what happened to him?"
"I don't know," I lie. "We broke up when he found his mate. Word around the others is that he got in with some bad people and he did some shit he wasn't supposed to. Out there, you have to be careful of who you trust. Always assume someone has bad intentions when you meet them. Loyalty is earned."
"Were you ever scared?" he asks quietly. I turn around to face him.
"All the time. Especially when I was doing things I wasn't supposed to, but it's a matter of survival of the fittest. And there was no way I was going to let anyone keep me from coming back to you guys." I tip his chin. It's hard to believe he's only seventeen years old. He seems older.
"I'm glad you did." he gets up to come around the counter. He hunches over to hug me. "I missed you. We all did. Please, don't leave us alone with that man again."