An Alpha's Claim

Edge

J padded through the doors to the medical unit, a few heads turning in her direction but no one really paying attention.

She ignored all of them and headed down the corridor until she reached the tiny office she had begun to frequent.

Leah had been in here since Doc left, scouring the books in an attempt to learn as much as possible. Docs absence had left a big hole in their medical knowledge, though between Elenor and Leah they were making it work.

Elenor was still trying to get back into everyone's good books. Though she was making an effort. It turns out that nearly dying will have that effect on you.

J's wolf shoved her body weight against the office door and walked into a blizzard of dust and paper. A small yelp and a grunt indicated that somewhere beneath the drifting pages, was Leah.

J's wolf huffed a laugh.

"You'd better not be laughing at me, wolf!" Leah chided as she scrambled to her feet, and glared at the rickety ladder she'd fallen from.

"Serves you right for trying to climb that thing." J murmured as she pulled on a spare set of tracksuit bottoms and a top that Leah kept in a cupboard. She claimed for her. Though J hadn't failed to notice that the trousers were far too long for the relatively short Leah.

Leah jumped and spun around, "I forgot you can do that!" She accused, hand over her racing chest.

J raised an eyebrow.

"That you can transform so quickly and easily. And more importantly, silently! You made me jump."

J narrowed her eyes and shrugged, "you're a predator, you shouldn't be so easy to startle."

Leah ignored her and began trying to collect the pieces of paper that littered the floor. J turned and helped, the two she-wolves working in silence.

"Kelsey said she found me a mate."

Leah paused, her entire body frozen to the spot. J studied the tightness in her friends face, the sweat budding on her brow.

She didn't look at J as she whispered, "is she alive?"

The severity in her friend's voice made J snort, "yes. Last time I saw her she was still breathing."

Leah's entire body relaxed and she continued collecting the pages as J, hurt but trying to hide it, took a seat, flipping her ankles up onto the wooden desk.

"Good. Good. Well, good." Leah fussed as she collated the last of the pieces of paper and jammed them into a plastic folder. She placed it precariously on the desk which was piled high with open textbooks and hand written notes. The plastic folder slipped and hit the ground, sending the papers flying back across the floor.

Leah huffed, shrugged and sat down opposite J.

"Well done for not killing her."

J shrugged and pulled at a lose thread on the hem of the top, "you'd have all been sad about it."

Leah smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She sat back into her chair, the leather creaking  with the movement and watched her friend.

J seemed on edge, her wolf a little closer to the surface than normal and that was saying something.

She knew it could just be that Kelsey had touched a nerve, but there was something else. Something hidden.

Leah hadn't missed the slightly jagged breath as her wolf had trotted in, she'd been running. Running for a long time, knowing J.

Even now as she harmlessly played with a loose thread, there was something about her that screamed dangerous predator. Leah had known J for years, but even her wolf was on edge around her.

There was a familiar look in J's eyes though. One that Leah had seen a hundred times before. "You're leaving." She announced to the silent room.

J didn't look up, just nodded. "Been here for too long. You're all safe now, so-"

"And this has nothing to do with Kelsey mentioning a mate?"

The eyes that met Leah's steady gaze burned a bright gold. The air was sucked out of the room by the growl that rumbled across Leah's skin.

"No." J growled, before standing up and pacing back and forth across the tiny room as her hands ran through her hair. "It's because I feel suffocated. I feel trapped, I feel-"

"Loved." Leah supplied, not intending to cut so deep with her words, but anger bubbling beneath her skin. When would J learn that it was ok to stay in one place, that it was ok to need her pack. "Wanted? Needed? You know what, fine J. Go, do your lone wolf bit. You're right. We are all safe, there is no need for you to worry. So go, follow that horizon or whatever bullsh*t you want to hear. And when you've travelled far and wide and you look around and realise how alone you are, well then come on home. We will be waiting." Leah snapped, slamming an open book closed for effect.

She stood up sharply, the chair grating across the floor. "Now if you don't mind, I have work to do." Leah announced, looking down at her notes and pretending to read them.

J stood, hesitating by the door but eventually left. Leah let out a long sigh and sunk back into the creaking leather, guilt washing over her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, selecting a contact. "Hey, it's me. What's this about Kelsey finding J's mate? Surely she knows it's impossible? I thought he was dead?"

**
A/N

Hello there!

Welcome back to the Rootbridge pack series - I've missed these characters! (I wrote An Alphas Alpha  in advance so it feels like a very long time ago for me!

Anyway, hope you enjoy!
V_F