Page 62 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Me and Lidia should have run when we had the chance, but she was devoted to Harvest Willow. She would never let anything hurt our pack.” I can sense the same regret and sadness in Kurt that I feel from Lucas. Luna Lidia was his goddess-given mate, and she was put in a similar situation as Lucas was. All because Ramos wanted power.

“Were there any survivors from Harvest Willow?” I ask, getting a small smile from Kurt.

“Last I checked, there are fifteen survivors. As soon as I heard what Ramos did, I had your parents watch Lucas while I rushed to the pack. It was destroyed, houses burnt down, bodies everywhere. But I found a few, hiding in one of our hidden bunkers. Mostly pups, with a few of the weaker warriors protecting them.” Amelia looks at me with understanding. She stands from her seat and joins Kurt, placing a hand on his shoulder as her blood hums. Its effect is soothing, calming Kurt, Lucas, and me down.

“Are they part of a pack?” she asks, Kurt shaking his head no.

“After what Ramos did, they were terrified to join a pack. Besides, no one would go against Ramos and accept them, evenif they tried.” His answer makes Lucas and I growl, surprising the others in the room.

“They are all cowards then. Allowing Ramos and Nathaniel to run amok and not get the council involved!” I practically yell.

“I agree, Kaylee,” Amelia answers, her back straightening as she looks at Kurt.

“Tomorrow, you and David will leave to collect those fifteen survivors. Tell them that Ivory Fangs is not afraid of Oak Fur, and that we welcome all in need of a second chance here.” Hope flashes in Kurt’s eyes as he nods, explaining he can call them tonight and explain the situation first. Amelia agrees, before she looks to Lucas and me, the two of us still clinging to one another.

“You two will need to start training. It’s only a matter of time before news spreads that Lucas is here, and that me and Kaylee are alpha and beta,” she states, her blood boiling as the threat of a war begins to loom over us.

“It is only a matter of time before Ramos and Marilyn launch an attack on us because of this fact alone, and it won’t end in a truce. Either we die at Ramos’ hands, or we kill Ramos and Lucas becomes alpha.”

“How long do you think we have until that happens?” Lucas asks, pulling me tighter against him. Amelia looks at me, worry and resolve in her gaze, and for a moment it makes me wonder why she hasn’t answered yet. Then it clicks. Due to Ivory Fangs needing to reorganize and restructure, we missed out on the Annual Assembly of Alphas this year.

“One year,” I answer, turning to look at Lucas.

“We have one year to prepare for war with Oak Fur.” He stares at me for a moment before a look of understanding passes over his face.

“You didn’t attend the Annual Assembly of Alphas, due to forming a new pack,” he states. Amelia and I nod. We have a year to grow stronger, to keep our identities a secret before the meeting. With the number of wolves that left Oak Fur for us, as well as news spreading that we offer second chances, we just might be able to win this upcoming war with Ramos and Marilyn.

67

Kaylee

Sitting in my office, I go over the emails that I asked Amelia to forward to me. After the meeting and learning both the real reason behind my parents’ deaths and just how ruthless Ramos is, I pulled away from Lucas, needing some quiet time. The bonfire was still going strong, but I did not feel like celebrating anymore. It was just over a year ago now that I became an orphan. I thought my parents were doing their job, protecting Ramos and Lucas—their alpha and alpha heir. Now, knowing that it was a scheme created by Ramos to get me out of the way, it causes me to wonder—just what else did I miss seeing, growing up in Oak Fur?

Luna Lidia was an amazing Luna, always striving for the good of the pack, and I always wanted to be just like her. She was close to my mother and Amelia, but never joined us for vacations. Now knowing that Ramos kept her under lock and key makes mewonder if this was the fate Lucas would have faced if he hadn’t left.

“Kaylee?” My office door opens and Marco pokes his head in with a worried gaze. I sigh, motioning for my friend to come in, and thankfully, he shuts the door.

“You okay? Everyone came back but you, and I got worried.” He makes his way around my desk only to lean against it while facing me.

“I am not even sure how to describe myself,” I sigh, giving Marco a sad smile.

“Okay is not even close to the right word. I feel far from it.”

“Want to talk about it?” I can feel the sincerity of the question and honestly, the idea of telling him how I feel sounds good, but I am still processing what I just learned. After hesitating, I finally decide to say something when Marco’s smile falters.

“Long story short, Ramos—the alpha of Oak Fur—might come after Lucas and I. We need to train our pack to be stronger and faster, in case a war breaks out,” I state in the end, watching shock fill Marco’s face.

“A war?” he asks in disbelief, pushing off my desk to pace.

“Why would Ramos start a war with us?” he demands, and for once, I see panic in my friend’s eyes.

“Because Lucas betrayed him, and I am alive.” Marco stops at my answer, turning to face me with a worried look.

“He sent Jordan to kidnap me, thinking that if he and I mated and I became Luna of Shadow Moon, Lucas would give up on me. In the end, it was Ramos and Marilyn having an affair that was the final straw for Lucas.” I decide to give him a small snippet of what was discussed, not ready to tell Marco or anyone about Luna Lidia and my parents’ deaths.

“So, we train?” Marco confirms.

“We train. We have about a year to prepare, before Ramos and the other alphas learn that Amelia is the alpha here and I’m her beta, when we show up to the Annual Assembly of Alphas. From there, Ramos will go to war with us,” I continue, not holding back my words.

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