Page 58 of Rejected By the Alpha

62

Kaylee

Little voices bring me out of my sleep, and I smile as I listen to Lace and Henry giggle by the bedroom door. I can smell the scent of raspberry jam on toast, and have a feeling the two pups have brought me breakfast.

“Shh. You’re going to wake her,” Adam chimes in quietly, most likely trying to get his siblings under control.

“I am already awake,” I call out, shuffling in bed to sit up. Henry and Lace look at me with slight pouts and I spread my arms open, the two pups rushing to the bed and climbing in to hug me on either side. Adam shakes his head, coming forward with the tray filled with breakfast food.

“How did you sleep?” he asks, motioning for his siblings to give me some space as he sets the tray across my lap.

“Better than I thought I would,” I admit, taking the mug of tea and sipping on the hot liquid. While I eat, I ask the pups how their training went while I was away, Lace excitedly telling me that Kurt taught her and the other pups some self-defense moves, and I watch as Adam winces. I have a feeling the older pups were asked to be sparring partners, and that Lace used her new moves on her brother on more than one occasion. Henry tells me he and Adam went on a walk in the forest every day, but only around the center of the pack. That they helped the omegas gather herbs, medicinal plants, and mushrooms. We avoid the topic of me being kidnapped, and I am grateful for that. I could tell by the way that all three of them clung to me last night that my being gone had been hard on them.

I had become their big sister, teaching them to gather in the forest, how to hide when a rogue or dangerous wolf was near, and babysat the younger two when Adam wanted to be a regular teen and Amelia and David wanted a night out at the same time.

“So, what should we do today before Amelia and the others return home?” I ask the three, Adam sitting on the foot of the bed now that my breakfast is finished.

“Watch movies?” Henry suggests, making me nod.

“Sounds like a plan. Should we get snacks?” Adam laughs at this question, giving me a‘no shit’look as he and Lace say yes to the question, and I stick my tongue out at him. Telling the three pups to grab the snacks and I will meet them in the living room, I quickly change into some sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Hannah told me to be on bed rest for at least a week, and I plan to do nothing but laze about David and Amelia’s house the whole time.

Dressed and ready to relax with the three I call my siblings, I climb down the stairs only to stop when a familiar scent of mint and vanilla fills my nose. I shouldn’t be surprised, as Lucas is the cousin of the pups, but part of me is not ready to see him for a few days.

“You need to leave,” Adam states, his voice filled with disdain. Shocked by the tone of the fifteen-year-old wolf, I creep toward the entryway to catch a better glimpse and find Adam blocking the door. Lucas looks annoyed at being blocked, but I realize that Adam is doing this for me, and I can’t help the love I feel for this pup’s protection.

“She is my mate, I want to make sure she is okay,” Lucas tries to reason. He sounds desperate, like seeing me is the only thing that matters to him right now.

“She is yourEX-mate. You rejected her, remember?” I stifle a laugh at the sassiness Adam displays, wondering if he got his sass from Amelia. Before Lucas can reply, the door is slammed shut and the sound of the lock clicking into place follows. Silence settles, and I debate whether or not to move toward the bathroom when Adam pops up beside me, a sheepish look on his face.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted to see him or not yet,” he admits quietly, and I figure he noticed me watching from my hiding spot.

“I don’t. It was a complicated rescue, and there are some things I need to work through before I see Lucas again.” Ruffling Adam’s hair, I wrap my arm over his shoulder and frown. The kid has grown so much since turning fifteen, his werewolf genes kickingin to prepare him for his shift next year making him grow taller. Sooner or later, he will be towering above me.

“So, I did the right thing?” he asks, with a relieved smile.

“You did the right thing, kiddo. Now, let’s go pick a movie before your siblings suggest something.” The two of us make our way into the living room, Henry and Lace already putting bags of chips and cookies onto the living room table. Adam rushes to the kitchen, coming back with a basket full of juice and soda for us while I decide on a movie.

With everything ready, I curl up on the sofa, Henry and Lace on the floor in front of the table full of snacks, and Adam on the other side of the sofa as I press play and the movie starts. I try to focus on the film, to relax and enjoy the moment, but my mind starts wandering to what Lucas is doing right now. Why he would come to check on me, and if he really is trying to make things right with me. I know I will need to talk to him, to get the answers I need and to see where we go from there, but I also need to observe him. To see if his guilt and remorse are as real as they appear.

If he really regrets hurting me and can regain my trust, then I am willing to give him a second chance.

63

Lucas

The urge to kick down the door is strong, as I had scented Kaylee just inside. I know she was watching me talking to Adam. Know that she knew I was here to check on her, but she still allowed that little shit of a cousin I have to slam the door in my face. I know I deserve it, deserve the cold shoulder from Adam and his siblings, but it still stings when they are my only family here. Letting out a sigh, I rub my hand across my face while reluctantly leaving the porch. Marco had sent me a text last night telling me to be at the pack house by ten in the morning to meet the warrior I will be shadowing, and so I woke up early to see Kaylee before then. Who would have thought that my cousins would block me from her?

Making the trek towards the pack house, I nod and wave to the wolves already out and about. Some are heading to work at the nearest town, others to patrol the pack border for any threat. Since it is a Saturday, the pups will either be shadowinga member of the pack to see if they want to become a warrior or hunter, while the rest will be helping in the small gardens that provide fresh fruit and vegetables to the pack. I am glad Kurt told me all of this, and even happier to know that everyone here works together, no matter how small the task.

Ivory Fangs is peaceful too. There is no fear of someone trying to stir trouble, just because they think they deserve more for being stronger. Here, you earn your promotions through training and actions. It’s how a pack should be. It’s how I wish Oak Fur had been. Stopping, I look at the pack house in the distance. It is old, similar to a larger Victorian-era mansion, but it has stood the test of time with only minor repairs, from what I learned about the pack last night through Kurt. Its white bricks are aged; the roof has been repaired and replaced by the previous alphas—when this pack was then known as Silver Paw—who brought the pack into the modern age.

A few wolves rush by me, one yelling over their shoulder that breakfast at the pack house is available if I am hungry, and I find myself running after them. Our group of three soon arrive at the pack house, and join the lineup at the buffet.

“You’re Lucas, right?” the one who called out to me earlier asks, as he passes me a plate and we go down the line picking food to eat.

“Yes, I am,” I answer, scooping hash browns onto my plate.

“Great, that saves me the hassle of tracking you down,” this wolf laughs, patting me on my shoulder. For a moment I want to swat his arm away, but something inside me tells me to wait and see what he wants.

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