Gabriella trotted down the stairs as Jace opened the door.
“Going out?” he asked.
“Did you get those orders done?” She watched as he nodded his head. “Good. At least that will be one less thing to worry about. Well, I guess it would have been for Jackson to worry about.” Right now, though, she was still the acting luna, and she wasn’t going to neglect her responsibilities just because Jackson had come back.
“Where are we headed?” Jace followed Gabriella out the door, and she gave him a crooked smile.
“WE don’t have to be headed anywhere. But I know you’re going to follow me anyway.”
“It’s a tough job.” He chuckled as they turned to the path that ran into the woods.
She noticed a crowd gathering near the training grounds. She stopped and looked for a moment. Alpha Jackson was there talking as pack members continued to trickle towards him in excitement. She could hear the young women giggling and ogling him, all of them hoping to catch the eye of the handsome alpha.
“They seem really excited to have him here.” Jace followed her gaze.
“You should have seen how it was before. They were always following Tony and Jackson around, including women of all ages.” She turned and began to walk away. “The pack feels better knowing they will have an alpha again. Tony and Jackson used to lead the pack together. He will be able to jump right in and lead.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m glad he’s back.”
“How is that going to work out? You still have feelings for him.”
“I have a lot of feelings right now.” She shook her head, not wanting to get lost in her messy thoughts. “Anyway, right now I’m checking on the excavation site. They ran into that underground creek a few days ago. I feel like the site has to be changed. That part of the ground is basically sitting on a large rock that is several feet below the dirt. We don’t have enough intelligence to keep building there. The creek pours out into the river that sits on the lower border. However, if I’m right, it’s being fed by Muscle River before it splits. We need to see if this is a problem. What if there’s an underground cavern there that we don’t know about? This could be a security risk.”
Jace frowned as he looked down at her. “They aren’t going to like hearing that. They’re all excited for the new center to be built.”
“It’s going to have to go somewhere else, or they will have to wait until the investigation is done. That’s all there is to it.” This would just give them another reason to not like her. But she had put a lot of thought into this the last few days, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew the site had to be changed, or construction needed to be stopped for now.
She heard the machines in the distance and could see the muddy area being leveled out. Standing in the center was an older man wearing a yellow hard hat. It was their head of construction, Timothy Blaine. She had to work with him a few times over the years but always with Tony by her side.
“Mr. Blaine.” Gabriella watched as the man turned his head to the side to look at her. “We’re going to have to stop excavating this site.”
“Excuse me?” He bit on the toothpick in his mouth as his lip creases pulled down.
“I don’t like this underground creek, and—”
“The creek isn’t going to make this area unstable. It’s solid rock under here. I’ve checked it out and it’s fine.”
“Mr. Blaine, my concerns go beyond that. I want this area to be investigated. So, either we find a new site for construction, or we put things on hold here until the investigation is complete.” She watched as he flipped his toothpick to the other side of his mouth, clearly unhappy with her.
“This is the best place for the new center. It’s far enough away from everything but close enough for easy hook up to our grid. Changing the location site will take months of planning. But we’ve been all over the map, and this is the best place. This is the spot Alpha Tony picked.”
He didn’t need to add that last part, as if she wasn’t aware of the plans that were made. “I am quite aware of that. However, he didn’t know about the underground creek.”
“Like I said—”
“Like I said, Mr. Blaine, I’m not worried about the creek itself, but there are other issues that need attention. This isn’t a discussion. This is the way it is going to be.” She watched as he bit down on his toothpick, crushing it in his mouth. Jace moved closer to Gabriella’s side, glaring at the man, daring him to make one false move.
“I heard Alpha Jackson is back. I’ll have to discuss this with him.”
She clenched her jaw as she reigned in her temper. “You’re welcome to do that. But as of now, I’m still in charge, and this place is shut down.”
“Alright, men, you heard the luna. Guess we need to speak with the new leader. Let’s go see Alpha Jackson.” Mr. Blaine turned around and walked away, not even sparing Gabriella parting words. The men around the construction site all left, following after their boss.
“How do you think that will go?” Jace asked as Gabriella smiled.
“Jackson will agree with me. They’re wasting their time.” She turned and looked at the mess they left behind. “Help me pick these things up. Some of these tools are dangerous to leave here. You can tell they really thought they would be getting right back to work.”
“I don’t like how dismissive he was of you. He never acted like that before.”
“They’re counting down the days for Jackson to be their sworn-in alpha. I don’t matter anymore since they have their leader. I just didn’t realize I’d be discarded so easily. We haven’t had word from him in five years. We didn’t even know if he was going to come back.” She felt a bit slighted. She was the one who had picked up all the slack and exhausted herself after Tony died, but they still hadn’t gotten over how things were in the beginning between her and Tony. Because of that, no matter how hard she worked, they still resented her.
The sound of children laughing made them both look up. Several children were running through the dangerous site.
“This is what I was afraid of,” Gabriella growled. “Kids, you can’t play here. It’s dangerous.”
“Sorry, Luna.”
“At least they still respect you.” Jace winked at her as they watched the kids start to run away. He reached down to grab a nail gun and then their screams filled the air.
“HE FELL IN!”
Gabriella and Jace looked at each other before sprinting towards the kids.
“What happened?!” Gabriella skidded to the ground, looking at the hole they were pointing at.
“He fell in the hole! I’m getting my dad.” Two of the kids sprinted off while the other two started crying.
“Gabby what are you doing?!” He watched her, horrified, as she slid her feet inside.
“It’ll be too late if we wait. I can fit.”
“GABBY NO!” Jace yelled as she pushed down into the hole. s**t! He looked around and grabbed a thick rope. “Gabby?! GABBY! Grab the rope!”
Gabriella dropped from the hole, landing in water that came up to her knees. Frantically, she looked around in the darkness for the child who had fallen through.
“Luna.” She heard the little boy’s crying voice and found him standing off to the side. She swiftly waded over towards him. The mud was becoming thick, and she had to fight for each step.
“Are you alright?” She grabbed the little boy, carrying him towards the rope.
“I’m not hurt,” he sniffed.
“We can’t both fit at the same time. Here. I’m going to tie this end to you, okay? Hold on tight.” She swiftly secured the little boy and then looked up at the opening. “Pull him up Jace!” In an instant the boy was swiftly lifted up. She smiled to herself, thinking how frantic Jace must be right now.
She squinted through the shadows of her surroundings, trying to make out any distinguishable features. It appeared almost like an underground cavern, with walls and ceiling made of rough, jagged stone. The air was damp and musty, and she could hear the faint trickle of water echoing off the walls. There were a couple of feet of moving water on the ground, with layers of dense mud hidden underneath. This tunnel seemed too perfectly formed to be a natural occurrence, and she couldn’t help but wonder what its purpose had been. Suddenly, a deafening noise erupted from behind her. At first, it sounded like a roaring wind, but as it grew louder and closer, she realized it was water rushing towards her at an alarming speed.
“GABBY! Please grab the rope!” With wide eyes, she watched the thundering water beat against her body like a relentless drum. She had reached for the rope, but the water carried it away from her. Like a limp ragdoll, she was flung beneath the surface, her limbs thrashing wildly as she was tossed and turned by the turbulent currents. Her body spun in a helpless dance until she finally collided with unforgiving rocks, feeling the sharp edges scrape and tear at her skin. The pain was immediate and searing, causing her to cry out in agony as red droplets mixed with the swirling water around her. She fought against the force of the river, desperately trying to find solid ground and escape this dangerous game of chance.
With a sharp gasp and a jolt of panic, Gabriella’s body slammed against the unforgiving rocks again. Her fingers scrabbled desperately at the jagged edges, searching for any foothold or crevice to cling to. There was nothing to grab onto as her fingers slipped over the sides of the rock. She fought against the force pulling her down, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked for the rope.
The sound of Jace’s desperate cries echoed through the cavern, bouncing off the walls and ringing in her ears. She could make out the rope hanging down from above, the end being mercilessly pulled in the current. Her heart raced as she knew that the end of the rope was within reach, somewhere in the darkness ahead. She just had to find it, grab a hold of it with all her strength, and not let go. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to move faster, to reach out and take hold of it before it was too late. The air around her was thick and heavy, making it difficult to breathe as she pushed forward towards her goal. Sweat beaded on her forehead and rolled down her back as she fought against the weight of exhaustion and fear, but she refused to give up. She had to survive. She wouldn’t leave her children alone.
The strong current pulled at her, her body tumbling over the rocks and debris. She kicked and pushed off rocks, desperate to reach the safety of the rope. The water choked her as she struggled to tread through its unforgiving waves. She felt something brush against her leg, creating a moment of panic and sending shivers down her spine. But then her fingers brushed against the rough fibers of the rope, and she gripped onto it tightly with a surge of relief. Now all she had to do was hold on for dear life as the powerful river threatened to sweep her away.
Gasping and choking on the water that filled her lungs, she desperately tried to call out to Jace but couldn’t. But then she felt the tension on the rope increase and she was suddenly lifted up and out of danger. As she gasped for air, she noticed the water around her start to calm down, as if some unseen force had closed off the floodgates that had unleashed this chaos upon them. She knew that there was something here that needed further investigation.
She was dragged through the tight muddy hole until finally she was pulled into fresh air. Jace laid her body on its side as Dr. Bruin kneeled beside her. She continued coughing up the water she had swallowed.
“Gabby,” the doctor whispered as he moved his hands over her body. He checked over her cuts and checked her bones for breaks. She wouldn’t heal quickly like the others. It would take her a bit more time, but this was a secret that not many knew about. When he got to her ankle, he let out a sigh. “She will need carried.”
Jace moved to lift her, and her eyes snapped at him angrily. “Don’t you dare. I’m fine. Just let me catch my breath. How is the boy?” She finally began to look around. That was when she noticed that a small crowd had gathered. Only a small crowd for their luna who was in danger. Most were probably still with Jackson. She closed her eyes as she tried to regain her composure. She could now feel the aches and pain from her ordeal.
“We need to get these wounds cleaned up.” Dr. Bruin looked at Jace again.
“Gabby, please, let me carry you,” Jace pleaded as a shadow approached from behind him.
“I’m not a child to be carried, Jace.” She heard a slight noise and then a familiar growl.
“Move aside.”
She opened her eyes to Jackson kneeling in front of her, his eyes scanning over her body and then back up to Dr. Bruin.
“She’s exhausted. It’s going to take her body a bit longer to recover than normal.” Dr. Bruin moved to his feet. “She’s going to be alright, but I need to check her out better at the house.”
“What happened here?” Jackson asked, looking up as Mr. Blaine came back into view.
“That was the test tunnel. It should have been covered up. I guess we forgot to—”
“You didn’t forget. You left all your equipment the way it was because you didn’t want to listen to her!” Jace snarled bitterly.
“Alpha Jackson, the luna ordered us to close this area, but we wanted to talk to you—”
“YOUR LUNA GAVE YOU AN ORDER! YOU DO IT!” Jackson roared, his eyes glowing with his lycan. “Look what happened!”
“The thing is, we wanted to talk to you about it first. We—” Mr. Blain stammered weakly.
“If she closed the area, then it’s closed. There was no need to talk to me.” His eyes settled on her. Her eyes were closed again, and her breathing looked irregular. She was in pain.
“Close this area off!” Jackson growled and then gingerly lifted Gabriella into his chest.
Her eyes flew open as she took in a startled breath. “Put me down.” He continued to walk as if she hadn’t said anything. Jace followed quietly behind him. “Jackson, put me down!”
“Make me.” He looked down at her red, flustered face. Dirt patches covered her cheeks and hair. A small smile curved up at the creases of his mouth. She looked adorable, but seeing her hurt like this made him sick to his stomach. “Why did you go down there? You should have waited.”
“If I had waited, the child would have been swept away. There’s something weird about it, Jackson.” She gave up and rested her head against him. “It looks like that tunnel was purposely made. And the water rose from nowhere, as if it broke free and then blocked up again.”
“I’ll send a team in there to investigate. I’ll also have the pack historical records brought up. Maybe it was something we created and forgot about.”
“Jace?” Gabriella called glancing for sight of him.
“I’m here, Gabby.”
“Make sure the children don’t see me like this.”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, jogging ahead.
“I can’t believe he let you go in there. Some protector,” Jackson growled. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this person as a guard and couldn’t understand his brother’s reasonings for bringing him in.
“Let me?” Gabriella let out an airy laugh, closing her eyes. “I don’t have to seek anyone’s permission here, Jackson, especially not to help someone.”
“I’m going to protect you, Ella.” His voice was almost a whisper. She opened her eyes to see him looking straight ahead. A strange expression rested on his face but not one she wanted to investigate further.
What a day this had been already. She almost died in a mysterious underground water cave. Her ex-boyfriend came home after five years and was taking his place as the alpha of the pack. And to add to the confusion, she ended up kissing him ... well, he kissed her. She had no idea what any of that meant, or even if it had to mean something. But what she did know was that right now, in his arms, she felt an inner peace that she hadn’t felt in years.
Note:
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The Alpha's Reflection is updating twice a week on i.n.k.i.t.t. it will eventually go to a.ma.zon after it is complete and fully edited.
Aksara