Page 35 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Very. Who knew your pack knew how to make alcohol?” he muses, a rosy tinge to his cheeks. It seems this visiting beta can’t handle his liquor.

“We didn’t, at first,” I admit, turning to watch as some of our new wolves approach Shadow Moon with jars of liquor, offering them the drink. These are the ones that came from Oak Fur. Amelia knew the original wolves would have a hard time interacting with our guests, and asked those we initiated from our old pack to help smooth things over between Ivory Fangs and Shadow Moon. It was a smart decision she made, as these Shadow Moon wolves tentatively accept the alcohol before opening and chugging the bottles without a glass. I wince, watching as a warrior starts coughing from the strong alcohol, while everyone laughs.

“So how did your pack gain this awesome drink?” Titus pulls me back from watching the terse interaction become friendly, and relief fills me.

“Our pack has grown, and we had a few experts,” Marco answers, sending me a wink. I roll my eyes, but send him a thank you through the link, knowing that the information of Oak Fur wolves joining Ivory Fangs is sensitive. Not just anyone can know about them, for both their and our own safety.

“Well, when you decide to open up a liquor store at the borders of your pack, let me know. I’d love to purchase this.” Titus waves as he waddles over to his packmates, and I turn to glare at my friends. No wolf should be that drunk when we only set out the weaker of the alcohol.

“Marco did it,” Royce instantly rats his friend out, making Marco glare at him.

“It’s only the thirty-five percent proof. Not my fault Titus can’t handle alcohol meant for werewolves,” he shrugs in defense, before excusing himself to grab some of the meat roasting on smaller spits by the bonfire. I send a note to Amelia about our pack intentionally getting Shadow Moon drunk and catch her trying not to laugh as she talks to a few of our wolves.

The sudden feeling of being watched forces me to suppress a shudder. The gaze contains desire, greed, and dominance, and if it weren’t for my own strong blood, I would have caved under the pressure. Turning to where the source of the gaze comes from, I notice Alpha Jordan staring at me, lust clearly shining in his eyes. He doesn’t hide his intentions towards me, and instead smirks when he notices I caught him. Raising the bottle of moonshine in a toasting motion, he brings the bottle to his lips and takes a long swig, not taking his eyes off me. Royce comes to stand beside me, his own anger radiating off of him, and I warn him to rein in his emotions.

“I don’t like him,” my friend states, and I retract my gaze from the visiting alpha and turn to look at my friend.

“Neither do I.” With a tacit understanding, Royce becomes my guard as we mingle with the wolves. By now, the Shadow Moon wolves have become more amicable with the drink and are dancing with the other drunk wolves to the music Alexander plays. I imagine that Titus and Alpha Jordan will be shocked to learn our DJ is also our lawyer tomorrow, and suddenly think that getting our guests drunk was a brilliant plan. It will leave their actions wide open for us to scrutinize at the meeting.

“What made you so happy?” Royce asks as we grab some soda from the cooler.

“I could kiss Marco for his pettiness in getting Shadow Moon drunk,” I giggle out, taking a sip of the Coca-Cola.

“He would like that,” my friend deadpans, causing me to nearly spit out my drink. Deciding to ignore that comment and not open up the discussion to the box of ‘what are we’ that is happening between Marco and me, I tell Royce to enjoy the party, as there seems to be no threat. He is about to leave my side when my cell phone rings, and I take the device from my pocket. Simon’s image shows on the screen, and I smile.

“Hey—”

“Hey, Lilac. I just wanted to let you know I am forwarding an email to you,” Simon cuts me off, using my pseudonym and alerting me that Lucas is in the room. I pause and grab Royce by his arm, dragging him into the pack house and away from prying ears. Another ping from my phone alerts me that I have an email, and I look at the screen for a moment before bringing it to my ear once again.

“Got it,” I state cheerily, in a British accent that makes my voice sound a little more high-pitched than usual. Simon lets out a chuckle before explaining he needs to go, but to share the email with my alpha. Before I can say goodbye, the line clicks off and I sigh. Crisis averted.

“So, what did he send you?” Royce asks as I look at the time on my screen. Eleven at night.

“An email. Want to hide in my office for a bit?” I ask in turn, grinning. Whatever Simon sent hasgotto be good.

“Sounds like a plan. Should I link Amelia to join us?”

“Nah, let her play diplomat. Shadow Moon’s alpha gives me the creeps,” I shrug, trekking up the stairs. Royce and I quickly make our way to my office, and I instantly make a beeline for my desk. Signing into my computer, I pull up my email and find the newest one Simon sent. Royce and I look at each other when I realize the original sender is Lucas, and I pause. Simon wouldn’t have sent this to me unless it was important.

With a sigh, I click on the email, and the first thing to start instantly playing is a very lewd video that has my jaw dropping.

“Is that…?” Royce asks, as my shock morphs into a grin.

“Yes, it is.”

36

Kaylee

Sitting at the meeting table in front of Amelia and David, I watch their faces as their expressions morph from shock to curiosity, to disgust, to shock again. I can tell that they were in the dark just as much as I was about all this new information, including the abuse Lucas faced at Ramos’ hands, and pity fills me for my ex. With two hours before the meeting between Alpha Jordan and us to discuss the attack his father performed on Silver Paw and the reparations owed to us, I decide to link the two to meet me in the soundproof room and bring my laptop.

“Who else knows about this?” David finally asks, breaking the long silence. Removing the mug of coffee from my lips, I look at the alpha couple and notice a heaviness in their eyes. This information is a lot to take in, even for me. But if this is all true, then that means Lucas did what he did to protect Oak Fur.

“Royce, but if you look at the CC list that was sent to this fake email, you can see that Lucas sent it to all Oak Fur wolves, alphas, and a few council members. The list also includes Nathaniel Cross of Blood Oath.” I watch as David quickly moves his fingers over the laptop buttons, his body slumping in his seat as he starts laughing.

“Kid definitely got his guts from his mom,” he laughs. I roll my eyes, resuming my action of drinking my coffee. After reading the email with Royce, I made him swear an oath of secrecy until Amelia or I told the pack. He was begrudging at first but understood the turmoil it would cause with so many Oak Fur wolves joining us.

I think about Lucas and his mom. I remember the Luna, remember her carefree attitude with a strong sense of justice. I was there at her funeral, but that’s all I can remember about her.

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