Page 21 of Rejected and Regretted

“No better time than now!” he promptly replied, his eagerness taking me by surprise. “Since I haven’t trained today, how about you join me?” So, that was why he didn’t spar with his warriors - he was planning on ambushing me.

“Sounds perfect.” I turned to him with a fake smile. “Thank you for your kindness, Alpha Koen.”

“It’s no trouble,” he reassured me. “In fact, it’ll calm me to know you’ll be capable of defending yourself if someone tries to hurt you again while I’m not around.”

What now? I halted, struck by utter confusion. Thankfully, Koen didn’t seem to notice my reaction as he kept walking. Was I supposed to believe that the man who threw me to the wolves five years ago suddenly cared about my safety?

“Are you coming?” the alpha pressed when he finally realized I had stopped. Shaking my head, I quickly rushed to his side, pretending nothing had happened.

Koen led me out of the main square and into the heart of the woods surrounding his territory. I recognized the spot as his private training area where I had met him a few days ago.

Turning to face me, he asked, “How much do you know about combat?”

I grimaced, feigning oblivion. “Not much.”

“Okay. Let’s start with the basics.”

Koen began his lesson by explaining the fundamentals of self-defense, and I listened attentively as if I didn’t already know all of it. Once the concepts had been laid out, he proceeded to demonstrate various techniques, emphasizing agility, speed, and precision. Then, we finally moved to simulated combat.

“Alright, let me see what you can do,” he encouraged me, assuming a defensive stance.

I took a deep breath, pretending to be hesitant. Truth was, I knew exactly what to do to seem like an inexperienced beginner, but I had to appear unsure. Without any assertiveness, I advanced toward Koen, my fist balled up as I prepared to hit him with a punch on his chest. Given how imprecise and predictable my move was, I was certain he would easily block it.

What I didn’t expect was for him to grab my wrist and, in a swift movement, turn me around, capturing me in his arms.

My back pressed against the solid warmth of his body, his proximity sending my heart into a frantic rhythm. I had never been this close to him, and it caused a surge of conflicting emotions to wash over me. Reluctance and apprehension warred with an unsettling sense of comfort; safety. Shocked, I didn’t even try to break free.

Holding me captive against him, Koen’s soft voice echoed next to my ear. “You shouldn’t go straight for the chest. It’s easy to block and, even if you manage to land the hit, the sternum is solid. Chances are you’re just gonna break your hand.”

I could hear him, but the effect he had on me made it hard for me to make sense of his words. All I could feel was his touch, and all I could smell was his scent intoxicating me, leaving me even more numb.

Then, I sensed his hand moving down the side of my body, lighting my skin on fire as it slipped underneath my shirt. I swear I could feel electricity sparking from the tip of his fingers at his direct contact. They came to rest at the pit of my stomach, just below my ribcage. The sensation lit a fire within me, awakening deep desires I never knew existed.

“Right here,” he continued, his voice barely a whisper, capturing my attention. “This is where you wanna strike. It’s soft and causes more damage. A good hit will leave them breathless, giving you an opportunity to escape.”

As he finished his explanation, I thought he would let go of me - I desperately wanted him to, even if part of me prayed he wouldn’t. But he didn’t. Instead, he leaned closer to me, his nose almost touching my neck.

“Avril…” he cooed, sending shivers down my whole body.

Yet, before he could finish his sentence, a loud siren shattered the quiet.

The atmosphere quickly shifted. I felt Koen stiffen against me before he finally released me, though never letting go of myhand. When his eyes met mine, they were filled with a blend of worry and seriousness.

“What’s that?” I asked, startled, still sensitive from the rush of emotion.

“It’s the alarm,” he answered. “Whispering Hills is under attack.”

14

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K O E N

As much as Iwished I could say otherwise, Whispering Hills wasn’t a safe, peaceful pack.

It wasn’t uncommon for us to suffer attacks. We had an impossibly long list of enemies, courtesy of my father. His impulsive, reckless, and aggressive way of leading, led the majority of the other leaders to despise him, a consequence of thinking he was above everyone else.Iwas now the one paying the price.

Since taking over as alpha, I had been working hard to fix my father’s mistakes. I constantly organized political meetings with other leaders, often giving without asking for anything in return. However, as determined I was to regain their trust, fixing decades-long feuds took time.

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