Page 23 of Rejected and Regretted

For a moment as our eyes locked, the world around us seemed to disappear, time stopping altogether. The only remnants of battle were the splashes of blood staining both our coats, and our chests heaving in unison from the effort. Other than that, it was easy to get lost in those aquamarines.

It made me breathless.

However, our fantasy was soon disrupted. Kea shook her head, hopping off of Col to allow him to stand as well. As my counterpart pulled himself up to his feet, he stepped closer to her, but it was not the time, nor the place.

Before we could do anything, Kea bolted off, presumably to run to safety. Col was ready to follow her when a large beast suddenly stepped in front of us, blocking our path. The creature stood defiant, his yellow eyes narrowed in a dangerousglint, though it failed to intimidate us. My wolf matched his opponent’s stance as soon as we realized who he was.

The alpha of Midnight Sun Pack, Angus.

With a primal roar, Col launched himself forward, closing the distance between them in a blur of motion. The beasts’ snarls mingled with the clash of teeth, each of our blows met with equal force.

Angus was a seasoned alpha with decades of battle experience on his shoulder. I couldn’t compete with him in that department. Nevertheless, being younger than him, I was faster; sharper. All I needed was to use that to my advantage - and Col didn’t hesitate.

As soon as my wolf found an opening, he seized the opportunity, driving his opponent back with a series of well-placed strikes. Bloodied and battered, the Midnight Sun alpha faltered, his strength waning beneath Col's relentless assault.

And then, in a decisive moment, Col delivered the killing blow without hesitation, his claws sinking deep into his opponent's throat with a savage precision. Angus’ beast let out a choked gasp, blood oozing out of the newly-opened gash and pouring through our paws. His eyes widened in shock a final time as he crumpled to the ground, life draining from his body.

Silence fell over the battlefield as Col stood victorious, his chest heaving with exertion. With the death of their leader, the remaining members of Midnight Sun Pack became vulnerable, ridden with pain from the loss of their alpha.

After that, it was an easy win for Whispering Hills.

15

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A V R I L

When Koen expressedhis desire to keep me away from the fight, I was initially taken aback. It had been years since the last time I sat out of a battle, and the idea felt weird to me. Yet, it wasn’t long before I remembered that, to everyone here, I was an untrained omega; it was only natural for me to stay with the other pack members who couldn’t fight. Still, I couldn’t deny that watching the alpha shift and march into battle while I was escorted to safety made me itch.

I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t fond of the idea, though. The sentinels made sure to throw insults at me, shoving me to move faster at any opportunity they got. Like every other wolf at Whispering Hills, they despised me. I suspected the only reason why they kept leading me to the safety bunker was because they were afraid of Koen’s threat.

Koen. Flashes of him transforming into his beast and bolting away flooded my mind. I had seen how relentless he was just yesterday when he harshly punished Angelica without hesitation. Judging by how his men followed his orders despite not agreeing with him, it was obvious he imposed respect too. But was he strong enough to beat the alpha of Midnight Sun?

Shaking my head, I instantly scolded myself.Why should I care?If he went down, it would be easier for me to get whatI needed from this pack. Yet, if he was indifferent to me, why did the idea of him being taken out in combat make me so apprehensive?

Before I could figure out my confusing feelings, the sentinels suddenly came to a stop. Kea perked up her ears in my head as we both grew wary of our surroundings. Not even a second later, a group of Midnight Sun warriors came out of the shadows, immediately launching themselves at Koen’s men.

We had been ambushed.

The chief sentinel was the first to go down, surprised by two wolves who tore his body to pieces. Those were soon stopped by the other men, and before my eyes, a fight broke out. I stood at the center, constantly looking over my shoulders, making sure I wasn’t vulnerable while I tried to grasp who had the upper hand.

The situation didn’t look good for the sentinels. Although they managed to slow the enemies’ advance, the numbers weren’t in their favor. It became obvious that they would lose, and the attackers would come for me next.

Amidst the bloodbath, I was conflicted. I had no doubt I could take down the enemies, but at what cost? I should prioritize protecting my fake identity. Deep down, I knew the correct choice would be to seize the opportunity and make a run for it. We weren’t far from the bunker; I could hide there until the battle was over.

Nonetheless, as the urge to stay and fight - a consequence of my alpha genes - mixed with Kea’s restlessness after being caged for days, I lacked the strength to contain her. Just as the last sentinel fell, my she-wolf broke free, jumping straight into battle.

Swift and silent like smoke, full of energy and thirsting for blood, Kea ended all of the remaining adversaries in the blink of an eye. Carefully, she examined the fallen sentinels, searching for signs of life. Thankfully, a few of them were still alive, butunconscious - which meant they hadn’t witnessed our masterful strikes.

The sentinels should be safe until help arrived, as long as they stayed down. No Midnight Sun warrior would scavenge the battlefield for half-dead wolves while they were occupied fighting capable pack members. I, on the other hand, had better keep moving.

My first instinct was to mindlink my friends to ensure they were safe.“Theo. Elijah. Where are you?”

“Alpha,”my beta was the first to reply, though I could sense his mate opening up to my connection as well.“We’re closer to the south border. We were worried about you. Should we come to you?”

“No, I’ll meet you there,”I told them as Kea rushed to their encounter.

Then, I spoke directly to her,“We should lay low. I know you want to fight, but-”

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