Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Fifty-Seven - Everything Except You

Song: Million Reasons Lady Gaga - Madilyn Bailey

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I didn't wake up until the afternoon light was pouring into my bedroom. I hadn't meant to sleep that long, but once my exhausted body hit the mattress, there was no going back. Even when I emerged into consciousness, it wasn't of my own free will. There was a knock at the door and before I opened my eyes, Raven was in my room.

She tiptoed across the floor, carrying a wooden tray of food. "Sorry to wake you, but I thought you could eat something."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed, making room for Raven to sit, as well. She placed herself on a patch of blankets while setting the tray on my lap. There were plates filled to the brim with toast, eggs, and various meats. I looked at the overabundance of food with wide eyes.

Raven noticed my expression and laughed. "I figured I could eat with you. I haven't eaten lunch, yet." She caught me picking at a piece of toast, and quickly continued. "I can get something different if you'd like?"

I raised my gaze and gave her a small smile. "No, this is perfect. Thanks."

We ate in silence for a few minutes while I continued to try and wake up. It seemed no matter how long I slept these days, I was still exhausted. My body was constantly playing catch up with my emotions, and the toll was getting heavy. 

"How are you doing?" Raven's soft voice broke the silence. "I haven't seen you since, you know," she trailed off, uncertainly.

"I'm fine," I cut off her sentence. The last time I'd seen Raven was the morning after my mother had been dumped on Samuel's doorstep. Neither of us wanted to relive that. "I haven't seen you, either. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," Raven answered quickly. I laughed at her eagerness, and color tinted her cheeks. "I've just been helping out around here. Everything has been a little hectic, lately. I think everyone is on edge."

"Makes sense."

Raven began twisting her shirt in her hands. "I thought I would have seen you, but you were never around. You kind of disappeared."

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I kind of did." I hesitated with my explanation, but when I caught Raven's glance, my reservations dissolved. "I needed some time alone, and I spent a lot of it with Will. Samuel came around, too."

Her mouth popped open. "Will survived? I just assumed he didn't make it through the second part of the shift. I haven't heard anything about him."

"He survived, all right. I don't know how." I let out a small laugh. "Samuel's keeping it quiet."

Raven nodded to herself. "I can understand why." She pushed back a strand of hair and licked her lips before continuing. "You were with Samuel? What did he say?"

"I was with him last night," I nodded. "He tried explaining things to me."

"How did that go?"

I stared out the window, recalling the evening's events. My hands wiped the crumbs from my lap and I took a long drink before responding. "Good, actually. At least, I think it did. He told me about his announcement to the pack."

Raven took a sharp breath. "What did you do? I was guessing you didn't know anything about it, or you'd be furious. I would have told you, I swear, but I didn't think it was my place, and I didn't want to get in trouble, and everything's been so crazy-"

"It's fine," I laughed. "I actually found out about it from Bray, but Samuel explained everything after that."

Raven stilled as Payton's name passed my lips. Her eyes darted to the door and her fingers twisted further into her sweater. When she looked back at me, her eyes were wide. "You're still here, then? You're okay with what he's planning?"