Page 48 of Rejected and Regretted

“This is strictly business-related,” the alpha assured me, looking straight into my eyes. There were no signs that he was lying; his heart rhythm was normal, his breath wasn’t hitched. Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t fully believe him. “Whispering Hills is in desperate need of new alliances. It’ll be extremely helpful if you accompany me as a representative of Azure Smoke…” He made a brief pause. “Especially if you act as if we’re already allies.”

I was shocked, but not because he was asking me to lie to other leaders. Although his explanation actually made sense, it was not something I thought Koen would propose, not with the way he had been treating me lately. He wanted to use me for his pack’s benefit.

Maybe Kea was wrong about him after all.

Either way, I found some comfort in his words. Perhaps he was just messing around with me and would finally keep his distance. Still, leaving with him for a weekend business trip would mean postponing my mission yet again.

But, did I actually have a choice here? It might have sounded like a request, yet considering what an important role I would play for the future of his pack, it seemed like I couldn’t refuse.Especially if I wanted him to believe I had any intention of forming an alliance with him.

“What do you say, Avril?” Koen pressed, his penetrating gaze demanding an answer.

Holding a sigh behind a fake smile, I finally gave in. “It would be an honor.”

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K O E N

“Great,” I said,not letting half of my appeasement show in my contained half smile. If I appeared too thrilled, she would second guess her decision, and I couldn’t afford having her change her mind. “We leave by noon. Be ready by then.”

Her eyes widened. “What?!”

“Sorry about the short notice,” I blurted, already heading to the door to see her out. No, I actually wasn’t sorry at all - I had planned to invite her at the last minute to give her less time to ponder about it. Opening the door for her, I gestured for her to leave. “See you in a couple hours, Avril.”

As she confusedly walked past me, I grabbed the empty coffee cup from her hands. She stopped halfway through the door, her mouth opening. For a moment, I was afraid she would argue, but thankfully, she didn’t. She slowly pursed her lips and left.

With her back to me as she disappeared down the hall, I finally released the sigh of relief I had been holding since she’d said yes.

The excuse I had come up with to want Avril to come with me had been nothing but a lie, well-crafted enough to have her believe me. The truth was that I wasn’t comfortable leaving her at Whispering Hills in my absence, especially after whathappened the last time I was out for a few hours. But I knew she would never accept my request if I told her that.

I had almost thrown away the little progress I had made with my former mate when I tried to kiss her in the woods. At least it made me realize that I was moving too fast. She clearly wasn’t ready to talk about feelings yet, but I noticed she was more than comfortable discussing politics. That was unusual for an omega, but I had always known she was not ordinary.

Shortly after Avril was gone, Gregor reappeared. He didn’t even try to hide the displeasure on his expression as he stepped in front of me. I eyed him for an instant, anticipating the unavoidable argument I was certain would come, before finally moving aside to allow him back into my office.

Not even a second after I closed the door, securing our privacy, he began, “I don’t like this.”

“You’ve been quite hard to please these days,” I replied in a mocking tone, marching back to my seat.

Gregor remained up, arms crossed, a frown across his face. “Why are you so adamant about bringing this omega with you?”

I could feel the disdain in his tone when he spoke about her, and I didn’t appreciate it. “Like I told you, I think she can help us make new alliances,” I rasped.

“Do you now?” he answered, unamused. “Seems to me you just can’t stay away from her. You’re always by her side. You invite her to private pack events. You-”

“Quit beating around the bush!” I demanded, my alpha aura expanding as I failed to control my anger. “If you have something to say to me, say it.”

He took a deep breath before boldly revealing, “I don’t like how close you are to her.”

“That so?” I scoffed.

I thought he would back down, but he raised his head instead. “She’s a weak omega. You were right to reject her, and Ihope you’re not going back on the decision you made five years ago,” he observed, though it sounded more like a threat. By now, Columbus was enraged, thrashing like a ravenous beast inside my head, fighting me for control. It was hard to focus on what Gregor was saying when my wolf was losing it, yet I still heard him say, “There was someone who could actually help us at the meeting - your Luna. I don’t get why you let Nerine go.”

“That’s none of your business!” I growled loudly.

A warning he dared ignore.

“With all due respect, Alpha, as this pack’s beta-” he tried, but I’d had enough.

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