Page 13 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Anyways, I heard your father gloating about what happened, and he plans to make a bid for the land in a week’s time if Silver Paw can’t find an alpha. Just wanted to give you the heads up.” With this warning, Simon leaves my office, and I catch the scent of honey before the door closes. Marilyn was listening in on the conversation.

I try for an hour to focus on my work, but thoughts of Kaylee and Silver Paw fill my mind. If Kaylee went anywhere, it would be Silver Paw. I know my uncle has connections there, friends of his he went to school with. If he got into contact with his friends, the friends would go to their alpha and recommend that my aunt and uncle be allowed to join. Add on Kaylee, with beta blood, and it’s a trio of strong wolves joining a weaker pack.

I groan, closing my computer down, and run my hands through my hair. All I have done is think about Kaylee since she left, and I need to stop that. She is no longer mine to want. I have to marry Marilyn.

Knowing I will not be able to focus anymore, I save the files I am currently working on and shut down my computer. It has been days since I last went for a run in wolf form and right now, I desperately need one.

Walking to my office door, I open it slightly, leaving just a small gap before quickly undressing and tucking my clothes into a drawer in my desk. Stretching, I prepare myself to shift, thinking about my black wolf form. Within seconds, my bones have realigned themselves and I stand on all fours.

[If anyone is looking for me, I went for a run,] I link Simon. If no one can find me while I am out, they will look for him.

[Okay.] His reply is short and I scoff, pad to my slightly ajar door, and use my paw to pull it open further. I take the steps three at a time, needing to hurry outside and feel the wind in my fur as soon as possible. I get lucky when I reach the first floor and notice the front doors are open. Taking this as my chance, I let out a bark of warning before rushing outside, noticing some packmates on either side of the steps watching me. I ignore them as my paws carry me to the forest, where I instantly disappear in the shadows the trees provide.

I take a deep breath of the fresh forest air, disappointment filling me when the scent of cinnamon and sugar is no longer there. Kaylee loved the forest. Loved running through the trees. I knew the route she always took when going for her morning and nightly jog. It is the route I am running now.

I wind through trees and shrubs, past a small creek where Simon, Kaylee, and I would splash around as pups. The last place I end up at is the small pond under a willow tree. Kaylee’s favorite tree.

Shaking my head, I try to dispel the thoughts of her, but she is my mate. Each day since the rejection, I find myself thinking about her more and more. Find myself questioning if rejecting her was the right thing or not. My brain tells me I did what I had to. Accepted the orders my father gave me, to protect Oak Fur. But my heart longs for Kaylee. For her laughter and smiles. For the way she moaned my name the night of her birthday.

[Lucas are you okay? You’ve been gone for three hours,] Simon’s voice fills my mind as I walk closer to the pond. Bending down to take a drink, I pause as I notice my reflection. The scars are no longer as red as they were, the skin nearly healed. Even in wolf form, they cover my face, crossing my muzzle.

[Lucas?] Simon calls, and I whimper, backing away from the water and sitting on my haunches.

[I regret it,] I call back, allowing Simon to feel the pain in my words.

[I regret rejecting her.] Silence follows my words but then I hear it.

[It’s too late, man. Kaylee will never take you back.] Closing my eyes I let the honesty of my friend’s words sink in before I reply.

[I know, Simon. I know.]

13

Kaylee

“Kaylee!” Turning to the sound of someone calling my voice, I spy Marco running towards me with a deer—a buck to be precise—over his shoulders. I laugh as the antler of the buck he caught hits him upside the head, and he stumbles before slowing down to a walk.

“Nice catch, the pack will enjoy the meals this buck will provide,” I praise my friend. Three days have passed since our arrival at Silver Paw, and like clockwork, the Werewolf Council sent a representative with a notice the day after the attack. Since Marco is the current highest-ranking wolf in Silver Paw, he was the one to receive the notice before the representative left. We all knew what it was. It was a letter stating Silver Paw has seven days to find a new alpha and Luna, or the pack will turn rogue and the land will be seized. The letter was a low blow to the wolves of Silver Paw and caused many to break down, but Miss Ameliastepped in, reminding everyone that there is work to be done and homes to rebuild. That we all needed to be strong.

“I know. I can’t wait for some good deer stew.” I laugh again at his childish enthusiasm and tell Marco to put the buck on the to-be-butchered pile. With the Silver Paw pack being directed by Miss Amelia and David in the restoration process, I decided to work with Marco and a few of his men in organizing a hunting party to refill the food storage of the pack. Marco would lead three warriors in the hunting part, while I worked with three omegas butchering the animals they bring back.

“Royce caught a boar, and Ash and Edison found some fish in the river that they caught,” he continues as I turn back to the table I was working at. Earlier today, Royce, a scrawny yet muscular warrior, came in with a few rabbits he captured. The kills were neat, with him breaking their necks, and I was able to skin each animal carefully, saving the rabbit furs in case we need them in the future.

“Miss Kaylee, are you almost done with the rabbit for the stew?” a timid voice asks from my left.

“Just about. I have two more bones to take out, then you can have this last one, Evette,” I answer the omega with a friendly smile, before quickly removing the last of the bones. She thanks me as I hand her the rabbit, and disappears into the kitchen.

“It’s scary how good you are at handling knives,” Marco muses, as I bend down to look over the buck he brought me. I would say it is about two and a half feet tall at the shoulder, and maybe a good one hundred and twenty pounds. After looking at the antlers, I note that this buck is three years old, making the meat the perfect toughness for consumption. Lifting the buck onto mybutchering table, I notice that there are some teeth marks on the neck and sigh. Shooting it in the eye with an arrow would have been better so that I could salvage the hide.

“I know the kill is a bit sloppy, but I tried to keep it on the neck,” Marco explains sheepishly after hearing my sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s a good kill. You just need to learn how to keep them cleaner,” I note, getting to work with removing the hide from the meat. I ask Marco if he wants to keep the antlers, but he declines. I shrug, knowing that the pack could use them to create arrows or other items. As I work on butchering the buck, Royce comes and drops the boar onto the to-be-butchered pile and says hello. I hum a noise of acknowledgment, too focused to say anything, and he shrugs with a chuckle.

“I see our little beta here is hard at work, helping us prepare the meat,” Ash’s voice follows. I stop what I am doing for a moment to see what fish he and Edison caught and grin when I notice the trout in their hands. Each man carries six trout, for a total of twelve fish. They will make for a great addition to our stock of protein.

“Ask one of the omegas to fillet those in the kitchen. They aren’t as messy as game meat is to butcher,” I order the two, nodding in the direction of the kitchen door before looking down at the blood-covered stainless-steel table. Ash whistles at the mess I have made, noticing the pile of inedible organs in a metal bin beside my table.

“Why are you saving those?” he asks, and I smirk, looking down at the pile.

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