Page 11 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Let’s go see what is going on,” he whispers, running his fingers through my fur before he stands. The two of us exit the safety of the trees, David taking the lead while I stay slightly behind him to the right.

“Hello?” he calls out, catching the attention of a few wolves. Men and women in both human and wolf form quickly surround us, and I slowly lie on my stomach, doing my best to appear as non-threatening as possible. These people have definitely been through a lot, by the state of their pack. The last thing they need is two rogues on their territory.

“What do you want, Rogue?” a male asks, his gaze hard as he glares at us.

“We were actually here to meet with your alpha. I am David Saint, and my family and I were supposed to join the pack sometime this week,” David answers this wolf with his hands in the air. I nod in agreement, my tail thumping gently on the ground as I rest my head on my paws.

“Do you have proof?” this man continues to ask, his disrespect towards David starting to piss me off.

“I do, but my phone is in my truck. We smelled blood and smoke on the wind, and came to investigate.” The wolf that is questioning us sizes David up, his eyes dulling, and I realize he is mind-linking someone.

“I will follow the both of you to your vehicles. Three of the warriors will join us,” the man states, as his eyes return to normal. David looks at me with a raised brow and I stand, sticking close to his side.

“Is she going to shift?” the man asks as three others step forward, all males with wounds littering their bodies from whatever—or whoever—attacked them.

“My niece prefers to stay in wolf form,” David answers. Warmth spreads inside me as he calls me his niece, and I let out a light yip of agreement. With our group of two growing to a group of five, David and I lead them back down the gravel road to where we left our trucks. The man who questioned us introduces himself as Marco Giovanni. He informs us that a rival pack by the name of Shadow Moon attacked Silver Paw over a land dispute, killing many of their wolves. My hackles rise as I think back to the scene we left behind us. How the stench of blood and death took over the pack, and how many looked at us with fear and anger. I understand now why Silver Paw was left in the state we found it in.

We reach our trucks quickly, Miss Amelia and the pups waiting outside the vehicles for us and I realize David must have linked her that we were coming with some guests. She hands David some clothes and he thanks her, quickly dressing as he introduces his family to Marco. Lace tugs at my ear playfully, the little girl asking me if I can give her a piggyback ride, but her mother chides her into standing still before telling me she left my driver-side door open, with a dress on the seat for me to throw on. I rub against Miss Amelia’s leg in thanks, before running towards the driver's side of my truck and shifting back to my human form. I find a blue sun dress waiting on my seat, and I quickly throw it on, as well as a pair of flats that I usually keep on the passenger side before I return to the group.

“Looks like everything is in order,” I catch Marco saying with a sigh of relief. He hands David back his phone, the wolf looking at his packmates before turning to David, Miss Amelia, and me.

“I won’t sugarcoat what happened. Our alpha, Luna, and their pups were killed in the attack, and our pack is on the vergeof turning rogue without a leader. We can’t offer much right now, but if you could help us with our current predicament, that would be amazing.” He is no longer hostile towards us, and instead, Marco looks sad and defeated, like the life and energy inside him has vanished. My heart breaks at the sound of sadness in his voice, and I turn to look at Miss Amelia who has the same sympathy in her eyes that I feel.

“We are outsiders right now, so I am not sure how Silver Paw will react. But we will do our best to help,” Miss Amelia calmly replies, placing a hand on Marco’s shoulder. He flinches for a moment before relaxing, his body feeling the calming touch of an alpha-blooded wolf and accepting it.

“Thank you. These three are going to return to helping the pack, but I can lead you the back way so the pups don’t see the mess we are in.” David nods, telling his kids to ride in my truck with me, as he and Miss Amelia will take Marco in theirs. With everything settled, the three Silver Paw warriors shift and disappear into the forest to return to their packmates, while we climb into our respective vehicles. I follow closely behind David’s truck, and true to Marco’s words, we take a left turn at a fork in the road and drive in the opposite direction of the massacre we witnessed.

After twenty minutes of driving, we pull up in front of a large two-story house, the one I recognize as David and Amelia’s new home. Marco promises to show me the cottage I will live in tomorrow when the pups and I join them on the porch.

“Right now, the pack needs me. I am the head warrior, and the strongest wolf in the pack. The Wi-Fi is already connected with the password on the fridge, and there is some food in the pantry,” he explains as he begins to walk away.

“Wait. Adam can watch his siblings. David, Kaylee, and I will come with you to help,” Miss Amelia calls out. David and I look at one another before I nod. What Silver Paw has gone through is horrendous. These wolves need all the help they can get.

“Are you sure?” Marco asks in disbelief.

“Yes, they are,” Adam answers without hesitation.

“Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I will get Henry and Lace settled in. You go help our new packmates,” he reassures his parents with a smile on his face. I feel pride at seeing how leaving Oak Fur has changed Adam for the better. His alpha blood is able to flourish now, without Ramos’ influence over him.

After telling the three pups to stay inside, Miss Amelia, David, and I follow Marco towards the pack house of Silver Paw to help them sort out the aftermath Shadow Moon left them in.

11

Kaylee

Looking down at the clipboard in my hand, I sigh and close my eyes. It has been two hours since we agreed to help Silver Paw, and I am already feeling the toll of what was left from the attack. Miss Amelia gathered the able-bodied, with the help of Marco, and asked for a report of damages, wounded, and the deceased. Sadly, we were met with hostilities until Marco vouched for us, stating that Alpha Liam was the one to invite us to join the pack and that we were here to help now.

After that, we gathered the reports needed, but it was clear that without leadership, only the bare minimum had been done. Miss Amelia went into action, telling the she-wolves to gather all the pups into the school, to keep them away from the site. Anyone sixteen to eighteen were tasked to go to the pack hospital, to help with cleaning and dressing the wounded.

I volunteered to help organize the dead so the funeral arrangements could be made right away, while David volunteered to help survey the damaged buildings. It turns out that while Marco was confirming our information, two of his men were organizing wolves to put out the fires, so that became one less thing for us to worry about.

Now, after the initial role organization, I am left standing in front of rows of dead bodies. Each one is covered with a white sheet, a tag on their left big toe being the only indication of who they were. I have a team of four hunters helping me, these wolves used to carrying dead bodies when they hunt prey and bring it back to their pack, but I can see the toll that carrying their own dead has taken on them.

“Why don’t we take a break?” I suggest as an omega comes towards us with a basket in hand. I can smell the scent of food, and could desperately use the light meal. The wolves agree, and we walk a distance away from the bodies, meeting the omega and thanking him for the meal. Sandwiches and water greet me when I open up the basket, and I hand each wolf a bottle of water and two sandwiches.

The meal is spent in silence as I survey the area. Most of the debris has been cleaned up by David and the small team he has, while Marco is left to direct people to the various locations we have set up. If their home was destroyed by the fire, they are given temporary residence at the guest house for visiting packs. If they had minor wounds, they are told to wait at the pack house where minor wounds are being dressed. Any wounds that need immediate attention are sent to the pack hospital. Finally, in front of the pack church, the bodies of the deceased were being brought to me by the four men I have helping me. They wouldtell me the person’s name and pack rank. From there, I would create a tag for them, and tie it to their toe before the body is added to our growing pile.

The only bright side I can see is that no one is under the age of eighteen.

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