Page 11 of Shattered and Saved

“In time, he could be,”she insisted.

I was ready to argue with her when Elijah’s voice interrupted our discussion.

“Good to see you again, Alpha Koen!” my gamma chanted with a smile.

Surprised, Koen took a moment before replying. “Elijah. Theo.” With a nod, he greeted them and briefly shifted his gaze to me, as if wanting to say something, but quickly turned his attention back to my friends. I knew he wanted to finish our conversation, but honestly, I was relieved it had to wait - it gave me more time to think about what to do.

“Koen, while you’re here, there are a few people I’d like you to meet,” I said, rising from my seat and gesturing toward my friends. “Although you already know Theo and Elijah, they aren’t exactly who you thought. Theo is actually my beta, and Elijah, his mate, is my gamma.”

After everything Koen had heard today, I guess he was beyond shock already. He didn’t even raise his eyebrows at my revelation. “That explains why you accompanied Avril to Whispering Hills,” he pondered. “And why you were so protective over her.”

“I apologize if we were ever a bother. We only had our alpha’s safety in mind.” Elijah grimaced.

Soon after, Theo stepped forward and shook Koen’s hand. “What happened to Whispering Hills was a tragedy. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.”

Elijah nodded in agreement. “We hope you feel welcome in our pack. You can stay as long as you need,” he added, unaware that I had already told Koen he didn’t have much of a choice. “If you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to come to us.”

“Thank you,” Koen replied automatically.

“Well, now that you know who they really are…” I began, inviting him to follow me with a head movement. “Let me introduce you to my hero and mentor.”

“Your hero?” he inquired, raising a brow as he stood up.

“The only living member of my blood family - my uncle,” I clarified. “He’s the one who found me in the wild, then trained me to take over him as the alpha.”

As we walked further from the heart of Azure Smoke’s territory and into the village, where my uncle lived in his cottage, we finally encountered pack members. Though they were focused on their tasks, they bowed their heads in respect as I passed by. From the corner of my eye, I noticed they didn’t extend the same sentiment to Koen. Their attention darted toward him, but not with friendly curiosity. The looks they gave him were filled with uncertainty, and even a hint of disdain.

The atmosphere shifted abruptly. I watched Koen’s reaction closely. He seemed to sense their disapproval, his shouldersstiffening as if bracing against a cold wind. There was something in his demeanor that told me he now seemed to understand what it felt like to be an outsider. It was as if my experiences at Whispering Hills were echoing back to him.

This certainly didn’t help him cope with his grief, which was evident despite his attempts to conceal it. I could see how much he was struggling. Strangely enough, I wanted to be there for him, to offer support. Yet, I found myself hesitating.

Although he had been more polite than he was when I came back searching for him the night before, Koen remained distant. His responses were curt, and his eyes often avoided mine. I could tell that the hurt from my recent betrayal still lingered between us.

As we moved through the village, I knew all I could do was be patient. I would continue to support him in any way I could, even if it meant giving him the space he seemed to need. My hope was that, over time, he would come to understand and forgive me, just as he had managed to convince me of the same.

Still, I couldn’t shake the fear that perhaps our actions had maimed our relationship beyond repair.

Deep inside my head, I barely acknowledged the figure approaching me until he called out to me, “Hey, Alpha! Fancy seeing you here.” When I focused my vision again, I realized that it was Waylon.

And I somehow knew this wouldn’t go well.

Koen immediately arched an eyebrow at me, while I pretended not to see it. “Shouldn’t you be working, Waylon?” I snapped, trying to send him off without saying too much.

“Ouch. Still want nothing to do with me?” he said, feigning offense. “And here I was thinking you had come here only to see me.”

“I have more important things to do,” I barked back.

“Duly noted.” He laughed, and I wondered how I could have possibly seemed funny. “Lucky for you, Alpha, I’m not proud. I’ll be here whenever you want me.”

I started walking away before he even finished his sentence, but just when I thought it was over, I heard Koen hiss, “Who the hell are you?”

Shit.

When I turned around, Koen and Waylon were staring daggers at each other. While the green in my former mate’s eyes sparkled with jealousy, the latter seemed furious that an outsider dared speak to him.

“What’s it to ya,outsider?” Waylon squinted his eyes in disdain as he took a step toward Koen. “You should stay quiet while you’re here.”

I didn’t realize I was growling until the sound caught the warrior’s attention. There was only confusion when he took his eyes off Koen to look at me.

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