Chapter 26

Shera sat at the table and stared at Gerard, his eyes on the charts and the many files that sat on the table. Shera sat with the drones that were caught. A few still held the canisters and she had them removed to be looked at and studied. Gerard stared up at her finally when she cleared her throat and he frowned. "What is it now," he asked.

"It's not now," Shera sighed. He had been on edge and he hadn't slept the last two days. "You need to stop. Take a break, Gerard." He sighed and set the file down before sitting back and staring at her.

He looked ragged, exhausted from work for those hit by the attack three days ago. She could see it and she knew he hadn't gone to bed as she'd wake up to find him gone or not even messing up the sheets next to her. He rubbed his temple and his hand hit the table.

"Damn it," he barked.

"Gerard, you're tiring yourself out before you need to," Shera sighed. "I can see you do it." She thought for a minute, looking behind him through the window. "Let's go."

"Go where," he sniffed, "If we leave the pack will panic."

"Taj is here," Shera stared hard at him before she slowly smiled. "And it's the perfect time to go. The stars like to peak out slowly." He blinked and met her eyes, the scowl slowly losing creases as his shoulders relaxed. "I know you aren't as interested in them as I am but you did calm down while we watched."

"You relaxed then," he stated. It hadn't been a lie but Shera had read him while they were out there and if he knew it or not, he enjoyed it as much as she had. She stood up and walked around to Gerard, taking his hand and pulling. He followed without a word as she pulled him to the window and pushed it open. "We don't have time to spend outside," Gerard groaned.

"You rearing is beneficial," Shera countered. "Humor me please? I just want you to rest." Gerard sighed as she started out of the window, following after her.

"You're not going to let this go are you," he sighed.

"Why would I," she looked down at him and smiled before pulling up into the roof. "The pack is okay for now. I did the math and you have plenty of the pack to go with you whenever you decide. I can still keep those four that I've been teaching even." She stopped and looked at him after settling in the roof, Gerard pulling himself up. "Trust me, okay?"

He sighed as he walked over, sitting by her as she made herself comfortable. He laid back and stared up, his hand behind his head as the sky turned from an orange to a purple and then a dark blue.

"You know, we are going to have to start out tomorrow," he nodded. Shera shifted and looked upwards, placing her chin on her knees. She had known that from hearing everyone else talk amongst each other. She didn't want to think about it because part of it made her think of losing Gerard. She didn't want to think of it, not when Gerard was it.

"I know and I don't want it to happen but it will," she sighed. He stared and sat up, taking in her expression.

"What's this now? Finally being honest," he chuckled.

"Gerard, it's not funny," Shera snapped. He closed the space between them and put his arm over her shoulders.

"What's got you so up tight," he asked. Shera didn't want to say anything but he'd read her. He'd be able to tell what was bothering her by the small things he would get out of her.

"You know, I have my brother and my uncle but there's this little part of me that hasn't cared about them," she sniffed. "You actually succeeded in making yourself matter in the most annoying way." He snorted and his arm moved down to her waist, holding her tightly. "You have to promise you won't die okay?"

"A little forward, foxy," Gerard nuzzled the side of Shera's head and sighed softly. "What's gotten into you? I didn't think this would stress you out this much."

Shera sighed and rubbed her face before turning her head to him, "Gerard, what part of you've made yourself matter do you not understand?"

He fell quiet and then gave a soft chuckle, "Well haven't I gotten lucky, hm? Are you going to make me promise?"

"If that's what I have to do," she sniffed. He laughed and kissed her forehead before tilting her chin so Shera's mouth would meet his. Shera kisses him back and her hands found their way to his cheeks. She felt a shiver down her spine when his other arm pulled her chest closer to his and held her. She pulled away when his arms slid down to rest on her hips and he stared at her.

"I promise I'll come back to you," he whispered. He pulled the two of them back and stared up at the sky with Shera on his chest. "I'll come back I you and we can have that wedding we had agreed on." Shera slowly relaxed from being stiff and closed her eyes, taking in the scent that was purely Gerard. She slowly nodded off, not bothering to look up at the sky she brought the man up to see with her this time.

She woke up still against his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her and a blanket now over the two. She sat up slowly and stared at him, moving away the stray platinum hairs that got in his face. She could see the bags under his eyes and just how much everything had been stressing him out. She smiled a bit as she pulled herself from Gerard's grip. She put the blanket over him and made her way back into the apartment. She started moving around the kitchen, cooking whatever she could find in the fridge and pantry.

Thirty minutes later she heard him climbing through the window and yawning loudly. Shera turned around and squeaked at how close he had gotten to her. "Good morning," he grumbled.

"Good morning," Shera nodded. "I-I figured you'd want breakfast. I made coffee?"

Gerar dstared for a bit and planted a soft kiss on Shera's lips, her chest jumping as he moved away to get a cup of coffee, "Yeah." Shera went back to cooking as Lionel walked down the hall yawning loudly. He had been in the attack as well as they had, his injuries not as severe. The man stopped and looked between the two before slapping the back of Gerard's head. The coffee splattered on Gerard's face and chest, the man blinking as his jaw visibly clenched tightly.

"You're not married yet so knock it off you hound dog," Lionel snapped. Shera glanced over and sighed a bit, a smirk on her face. The last time Lionel was home it was her and her father he picked on. The man never did it to anyone else and it made Shera feel warm inside. Maybe he accepted Gerard as a brother, it would be the only explanation.

"Careful, pup," Gerard warned. "Your elders ever tell you not to mess with a man in the morning?"

"You're still a pup too. No title is going to fix that," Lionel sat down across the table from Gerard and put his feet on the table.

"Don't pick a fight you won't win," Shera called. Lionel snorted and pulled his phone out, flicking through it.

"Get your feet down," Gerard sighed, "This table is a collectible."

"Everything in this place is a collectible," Lionel rolled his eyes and waved his feet. Shera walked over with the plates, purposely elbowing Lionel in the head while passing him by. "Ow! What the hell, Shera," he barked.

"Feet," she sighed, "Off." He grumbled as he sat up, still looking at his phone. Shera put the plates down and sat next to Gerard as he tried to clean the coffee from his button up shirt.

"I need to go to the dry cleaners. Your brother ruined the shirt," he sniffed quietly. She leaned forward, pulling his head over.

"He likes you. Just ask him to take it," Shera whispered. Gerard blinked when she let go and sat back, his gaze moving from her brother to her slowly.

"That makes so much sense," he cried suddenly.

"What does," Lionel asked.

"Your sister is aggressive and it's because of you all," Gerard laughed loudly. Lionel looked up from his phone, a confused expression on his face. "Who knew siblings made for aggressive family?"

"You act like your mom didn't pop our pup after pup," Lionel snorted. Gerard's laughter slowly died down and Shera stiffened, forcing a smile to her face.

"Let's eat, yeah," she hummed. "It's too early to talk about this stuff, don't you think Lionel?" Lionel stared at her and slowly nodded, going back to his phone while he picked at the plate set in front of him.

"Sorry man. Moms tend to leave a lot huh," Lionel was nonchalant about it and the mood in the room made Shera antsy.

"Lionel, stop it," Shera sighed.

"Still picking her side," Lionel snorted, "Watch this runt, man. Make her pick between a girl or guy and she'll pick girl no mater the facts."

"Lionel," Shera blinked as she stared at him. He was acting up in a way that Shera hadn't seen before. He had never said something like that, even in an argument.

"I want to get it off my chest before I go fight with your dumb boyfriend," Lionel snorted.

"That's uncalled for," Gerard nodded, "No one asks to lose their mother and no one tells an alpha to think of their pack first." Lionel blinked at Gerard and then growled, making it obvious he was waiting for an explanation when he stabbed the eggs on his plate. "Do you know how your sister and I got engaged?"

"You wooed the easiest," Lionel retorted.

"It was an arranged marriage," he frowned and Lionel stopped short before looking at Shera. Her eyes widened and she leaned back, "No one told you, did they? Or uncle told you and you didn't want to believe it, right?"

"Tyrone just said that you were marrying the guy and that was that," Lionel stated. "I was making sure you weren't falling for someone who was going to do you wrong because last I remember, you didn't even flirt." He sat back.

"The pack was having issues with money and after invested your sister for territory, I went ahead and offered an alliance through marriage," Gerard explained.

Lionel rubbed his head, "That makes no sense. They would have called me home if there was that serious of an issue."

"Your sister made sure you were well off so you could see the world," Gerard informed him. Shera didn't know why but that made her feel bad as her brother stared. She felt he deserved to do as he and mother had experienced together and Lionel never reported that he missed home, just about his adventures. He was part of the reason she wanted to see the world too. "The alpha takes care of their own. Your sister stepped in to make sure you got what you needed to be happy."

Lionel stared at Gerard and then back at Shera before pointing at her, "You're stupid."

"Excuse me," she snapped.

"You didn't even tell me anything," Lionel cried. "I would have come home to help!"

"Uncle and dad were fighting nonstop. If I told you, you'd have gotten involved," Shera poked at her own plate, her appetite vanishing. "I didn't want you nor Lilly involved. It wasn't fair."

"You guys deserve to have a good life before you got sucked into this," Shera sighed.

"So mom knew there were money issues when she died and refused treatment as a buffer," Lionel's words were more of a statement than a question. Shera could only nod as the table fell silent and it was a few minutes before Lionel gave a loud groan, "How often were the two fighting?"

"Every week," Gerard confirmed.

"Who won?"

"Shera did," Gerard smirked and waved a hand at Shera who turned red. "She handed it to Tyrone because she was engaged to me and becoming the female alpha of my pack." Lionel nodded and and scowled a bit, moving to continue eating.

"So mom didn't want to die but she didn't want the pack to suffer," he mumbled. Shera slowly nodded and put her fork down. "How did you think of marrying the runt?"

"That runt held her own against me for a long time. I liked foxy's fighting style and her persistence," Gerard glanced at Shera and his smirk became devious.