Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 135**Nora POVIt was strange to think that things were almost starting to feel normal after everything that had happened.Everything happened so fast—the first meeting, the planning, the invasion, the death of Graham and Blake’s uncle-I could almost believe that the Lanecreek invasion was only a nightmare.But I knew that it was all too real.The city had been in a mourning period for weeks. Our losses were minimal, thanks to Moonery’s help, but that did nothing to lessen the blow. Blake had personally visited the families of the six warriors that had been killed.After each visit, he was visibly drained. The guilt that he felt over the entire situation was palpable. I did my best to convince him that it wasn’t his fault, but I knew that only time was going to lessen the sting for him.In the meantime, I was keeping myself very busy. The community was seriously impacted by what had happened. Everyone was afraid. If you couldn’t feel safe living in the capital, so near to the Alpha King and his castle, then how could you ever feel safe?I had spent time in each of the schools going classroom to classroom and meeting withstudents to answer their questions and reassure them that we are safe again. I had also gone to several community meetings that were open to the public.It seemed to ease the minds of many, though I could tell as I walked through the streets that people were still on high alert. I knew that they needed time, too.There was only so much that I could do to ease the fear that had gripped our pack. So I turned my attention to rebuilding.The west wing of the castle was undergoing significant reconstruction due to the fire damage. As part of the building, an additional panic room was being constructed. Having multiple locations for the staff to hide in the event of an emergency was necessary, in case part of the castle was inaccessible for some reason.Overseein g the community wellness and physical repairs to the city kept me very busy for the first few months. I think that was why I was able to focus on the future and not dwell on what had transpired.Now, life was more or less back to normal.I was no longer needed at the general store, even though it was incredibly busy these days. Margot had filled the open position. She was going to be staying with us indefinitely. Things in Lanecreek were tense and she wasn’t sure how she would be received if she tried to go home. She hadbetrayed their alpha, after all.I had a feeling she was also trying to stay close to Christian. Ever since they had fought side by side in the battle, Margot had looked at him with admiration and, unless I was imagining it, love.Christian had been spending his days helping his father deliver goods across the city and training Margot.Blake had given all of the warriors the option of taking a leave to recover or retiring from their duties entirely. He worried that he had pushed them too hard, too fast. He told me that he felt like he had set them up by not being straightforward about the threat that we were facing.Not a single warrior chose to leave.No longer needing to worry about the general store was a relief, because there was a lot of other work for me to do.I had spent my morning with the gardeners planning the new garden that would be planted in the spring. A statue was going to be constructed that would serve as a memorial for the warriors who were lost.There was no solid plan for the statue yet, but I intended to meet with some local artists next week to make a final decision about it.I would have to discuss it with Maisi e first and make sure that she was free to comewith me.Blake was more paranoid than ever about my safety and insisted that a warrior accompanied me everywhere. Luckily for me, it was usually Maisi e or Christian, so I really didn’t mind.I knew that, in time, he would feel okay about letting me go about my day without a babysitter. If I hadn’t seen exactly what had happened with his uncle, I might complain.But I had seen it. I was a part of it. I understood.Blake had been busy meeting with Alphas from across the kingdom. Many had witnessed what happened to us at Graham’s inauguration and were confused and insulted that they were not trusted to know the details of the threat that was looming. Others were horrified when they arrived at Lanecreek and saw Blake’s infamous uncle standing on the stage with a smir k on his face.The fear of him was widespread. I think that Blake worried he was overreacting because his hatred of his uncle was so personal, but it seemed that the entire kingdom shared his animosity toward the man. It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that his death was celebrated by many.I hoped that the vindication helped him to be more confident in his leadership. His instincts were sharp. He needed to trust

himself more.“Nora?”Blake’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him and smiled weakly. I had completely zoned out while I was brushing my hair before bed.Blake stepped up behind me and took the brush from my hand. He started to gently comb it through my hair and I looked down into my lap as my cheeks heated up.“You’re thinking too hard,”he said softly.“Where did you go just now?”I laughed nervously.“I didn’t go anywhere,”I replied.Blake snorted in disbelief.grootnovels.com chewed at my lower l*p thoughtfully.“I didn’t go anywhere,”I repeated.“I was justthinking about how crazy the last few months have been. So much has happened, and there’s still so much to do. It’s overwhelming.”Blake sat the brush down carefully and turned my chair to face him. He knelt in front of me and held my arms loosely. I looked down into his face.“You need to tell me when you feeloverwhelmed,” he stated firmly.“This isn’t on you alone. The entire pack is working to recover. You don’t have to take it all on.”grootnovels.comI smiled and leaned forward to k*ss him.“I know.”Blake stood and offered his hands to me. I let him help me to my feet. He pulled me into his arms and lifted me from the ground.I wrapped my arms around his n*eck and yelped, which made him laugh.“You’re supposed to be taking it easy,”Iscolded.“The healers told you-”“I’m the Alpha King,” he said.“No one tellsme what to do.”“I do!”I argued.“I am your wife. If I tell youto rest, you had better do it!”Blake smirked up at me as he walked to the bed and sat me on the mattress. He leaned over me until I fell backward, then climbed over me and k*ssed me.𝘄grootnovels.comI’ll rest as long as you keep my company,”he answered with a smirk.I rolled my eyes at him, but I knew I was blushing.“If that’s what it takes, I guess I have no choice.”He k*ssed me again and I wrapped my arms around him.Things had been crazy the past few months, but Blake and I had made it a point to spend our evenings together. We had nearly lost everything and we were both determined to savor the time we had together.He lay beside me and I cuddled up to his chest. I sighed in contentment as he ran his fingers through my hair.“Everything is going to be alright, darling,”he said softly.“It will just take time. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to fix everything right away. No one expects life to return to normal right away after something like that.”I sighed.“I know, I just want to do what I can to show the pack that they’re safe. I feel terrible about everything.”“You shouldn’t,” he said.“You kept the packsafe. You kept all of us safe.”He k*ssed the top of my head and pulled me closer.I settled my head on his chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart. Things had worked out for us in the end, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too early for us to let our guard down.I had the distinct feeling that something was coming.Still, Blake was right. As long as we worked together, we could face anything.