Page 45 of Rejected and Regretted

“Avril,” he uttered, his tone slightly different than usual. There was surprise in it, as well as in the way he blinked a few times. He shifted in his spot to face me properly, raising his voice. “What are you doing here?”

Averting my gaze, I sheepishly replied, “I couldn’t find you anywhere.” Again, I immediately mentally scolded myself.Why the hell did I say that? Stupid!

I stole a glance at him in time to witness his eyebrows raise as his surprise deepened. He seemed even more shocked than I was. Then, the lines of worry staining his face faded as a light smile played on his lips. I watched him swiftly climb down from the spot where he was sitting, slowly walking toward me until he was standing right in front of me.

A glow emerged in his eyes as he questioned, not with amusement but in a serious tone, “Were you worried about me?”

Entranced by his proximity, and the sudden relief that washed over me once I finally found him, I was captured by his bright emeralds. My lips parted to answer him, but this time, I was quick enough to stop them before the truth slipped out and made me appear even more pathetic.

Instead, I ignored him, arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing here? Does anyone even know where you are? The pack is starting to wonder where the hell their alpha went.”

Koen clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening a moment before they left mine. I had never seen him like this, and it hit me. Hard.

“Gregor knows,” he revealed. “And I came here to…think.”

I hesitated for a moment, dreading the answer I might get, but I still had to ask. “Think about what?”

He ran his hand through his hair, a distressed breath pushing through his lips. “There’s friction between Whispering Hills and Opal Moon.”

It took me a moment to recall the name he mentioned - it belonged to a neighboring pack, with whom they had been enemies for as far as I could remember. Confused, I observed, “Hasn’t it been that way since your father’s rule?”

He nodded, yet his face let me know there was more to this story before he continued, “They killed one of our sentinels yesterday. For trespassing, supposedly, according to Grayson.” From his tone alone, it was evident he didn’t believe the other alpha’s claim. “I have a feeling that was not the end of it. There was something about his aura… It’s like he has something darker planned.”

His face contorted with puzzlement and torment, so intense I could feel it as if his feelings were my own. Shifting his gaze to the tree, he added, “I’ve been up all night trying to study all of the possible scenarios and how I could better prepare myself, just in case. I don’t want Grayson to take me by surprise.”

“You spent the night out here?” I whispered as if it was a loud thought.

For the first time, the mighty alpha appeared so vulnerable before me. Normally, I would take the way he carelessly let his every emotion show as weakness. It should disgust me. I would never let anyone see me in this state; when you’re a leader, letting your walls down, even for a second, gives your enemies a chance to stab you in the back.

Yet, the way Koen chose to let me see the truth about his inner conflicts only made me feel…honored. Even though he hadn’t heard about me for the past five years, even if I wasn’tpart of his pack anymore, he was comfortable about being vulnerable around me. He had hidden away in the woods, far from the eyes of his pack mates, but he didn’t seem the least concerned about hiding from me.

And it touched me in a way I never expected.

Suddenly, the man chuckled, pulling me from my thoughts - but his gesture lacked any joy. “You think I’m out of my mind, don’t you?”

I should, I thought to myself. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. All I felt was sympathy for him. He had no one he could be open with.

In a way, I could relate to the feeling. While I did have Theo and Elijah, as well as a handful of friends I truly trusted at Azure Smoke, I still struggled to show them a more vulnerable side of me. My past had taught me to never show weakness, and I couldn’t let go of it.

“No,” I replied, taking a step in his direction. Why was I moving toward him? “I think you’re a good alpha who is concerned about the safety of the wolves you’ve sworn to protect.”

My statement came as a surprise to the both of us. For a minute, Koen just stared at me in silence, the tension slowly leaving him, evident in the way his shoulders relaxed. Did my words have that effect on him? There was a hint of gratitude in his eyes, and once I caught it, I felt awkward.

“So, uh…” Clearing my throat, I searched for an excuse to change the subject. “You missed training today.” He arched his eyebrows, puzzled. It only made me more nervous, causing me to blurt out, “Why don’t you spar with me? I heard it can help blow off steam.”

Still confused, he simply said, “I don’t want to hurt y-” Before he could finish his sentence, I landed a punch on him. “Ouch!” he complained, though a smile threatened to curl over his lips.

“Come on, didn’t you say you wanted to teach me self-defense?” I pressed, assuming a fighting stance.

Despite hesitating, he eventually gave in. “Alright. But you let me know when you’re getting tired.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. “As you wish, Alpha.”

We began by circling each other, but our sparring match lacked any seriousness. I didn’t bother reading his moves, nor could I sense him trying to study me. Knowing he was still reluctant about coming at me, I decided to lunge first, throwing a mock punch that he easily dodged. He countered with a playful swipe at my side, which I easily avoided.

Our movements were more dance than fight. It was something I had never done with anyone, yet the situation carried a familiar rhythm I found myself falling into effortlessly. Koen followed suit, in harmony with me as if it was natural to him, though I had a feeling it was a first for him, too.

"You know," I said between dodges and jabs, "I think you're going easy on me, Alpha."

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