Page 40 of The Alpha's Chosen Outcast

“Now.”

There, in the heart of Central Park, we turn together. It’s not the same as turning with the pack like we did on full moon nights before I was exiled, but it is better than turning alone.

Since we’re not out on a full moon night, we don’t become full wolves—more like wolf/human hybrids. No one who comes across us will dare to mess with us.

I run alongside Violet on all fours, looping through the trees, feeling the earth beneath my large paws, and smelling everything in this patch of woods. That’s the thing about Central Park, it makes you feel like you’re not in the city. It’s our own little piece of paradise.

Before the wolves came out, this place had a lot of trouble attached to it. Now it’s ours. Tonight, it’s only for me and Violet.

The time that passes could have been an hour or a year. I don’t care at all. When we barely have any breath left, we change back and go over to the Shakespeare garden to lay amongst the flowers and bask in the scents of night.

Violet turns her head toward me and reaches out her hand. I reach back and take it in mine.

“I don’t care who you marry, Heather. If you’re Trey’s mate in any way, you’re my sister too. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I squeeze her hand, but I don’t turn my face to her. I don’t want her to see the tears rolling down my cheeks. I’m glad we did this.I needed it more than I realized. But it was also impulsive, kind of stupid, and acting on instinct.

My mind goes back to that night with Trey when I also acted on instinct. I can’t act on any feelings I may have for him again, regardless of any bond we have.

The facts still remain. In a few weeks, I’ll either get married, get murdered, or disappear once again.

Chapter 12

TREY

This whole thing seems pointless with every new prospect I find. Heather needs to marry, fine, I can accept that. But I can’t let her marry someone who is cruel, or older than my own father, or who won’t give her any freedom.

I know I felt that bond snap into place when we met. I know that’s what spurred us on the last time we were together.

But I’m not an Alpha, and I can’t marry her. Father seems to be growing weaker every day, and that means it may not be long before I’m Alpha myself. I still can’t take that risk.

She doesn’t have time—a few weeks at best, not even a month. My role as her mate could be to protect her still, to be her friend, her person.

I’m not exactly sure what that means in the long run. Right now, it means that I need to make sure she stays alive.

I can’t explore what the mating bond means if she’s dead, which brings us back to these men—the Alpha suitors she’ll have to choose from. Each of them appears worse than the last. She’s running out of time, though.

As I go through the files, the wolf inside me becomes increasingly enraged at the thought of one of these men even getting to touch my mate.

I want it to be me, and there’s a part of me that has hoped my father would go to his final rest sooner rather than later so that there wouldn’t be a question about which Alpha should marry Heather.

But she doesn’t have that kind of time, and I can’t gamble her life on that possibility. As much as my wolf is pounding in my mind not to let this happen, I have to ignore that impulse.

I need her to survive. I need her to be here. I can’t leave my pack. And I can’t lose her either.

I see one of my friends from a Midwest pack has logged on to our Alpha Circles Discord. We use private channels to talk there and build business relationships.

I’ve been vetting Alphas under the guise of possible new trade deals. As an executive at my father’s company, that’s part of my job. It should pose no real suspicion for ulterior motives.

I want to grease the wheels, so to speak, and maybe talk Heather up as one of my friends before I bring up the idea of them marrying her.

I checked my Discord messages and saw that my friend in the Midwest pack is getting back to me about some questions I asked. I want to know more about his Alpha and how he behaves with his pack.

The message is disappointing. My friend says that his Alpha is incredibly strict about the old laws.

I know that this loophole we’re trying for is part of those ancient laws, but if this guy is strict about it in the first place, he wouldn’t want to work with me after I didn’t report an exile in my territory the moment she arrived. He’d just as soon kill her himself, let alone marry her.

Another potential suitor who isn’t going to work. Not to mention another Alpha I can’t do business with either.

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