Page 59 of The Alpha's Chosen Outcast

I’d thought this town and this job would be a good place to hide. Looking around the room at that party, I realize I am wrong.

So now, here I am, surfing the web for my next hideout. I have to head to work in a few minutes, and I actually dread it. What was once my sanctuary has become my own personal hell.

Jessie keeps trying to get me to go public as the designer for Violet’s gown. She’s been getting calls about it since the wedding.

Apparently, the press wants to talk to me and learn about my process—especially the design process and working with a Hanover. Everyone knows that the Hanovers are wolves.

They know that Trey’s father was an Alpha and that Violet is important to the city and the pack. They’re all beating down Jessie’s door to find out if the designer is human.

That’s part of the hell I’m in now. None of my friends or coworkers have said anything yet, but I can tell they want to ask.

I can see that they suspect me of being a wolf. Part of me wants to bear my claws, show my snout, and get the reveal over with, but my human side is locking that down.

I don’t need even more complications in this mess. Every day, I have to hold back the raw desire to hop on a plane and head back to the city to be with my mate.

I feel his pull all the time, even more, when I run in the woods. My wolf wants to be with his, and the hundreds of miles between us don’t matter.

I thought that time and distance would end the connection since we technically hadn’t consummated it. But it feels like it’s getting stronger every day.

Sometimes, it’s physically painful not to be with him because I know he’s my mate, and he’s meant to be mine. Sacrificing that bond is proving to be much harder than I imagined it would be.

I can’t do this. I can’t deal with this pain and still pretend like nothing is wrong at work. I email Jessie and tell her I’m not feeling well, then get back to my search for a new home.

I’m looking at a little condo in the PNW that I might be able to afford if I sell anything of value I currently own. I start looking for jobs in the area that might make that easier…and then I feel it.

It’s like the pain in my midsection goes away suddenly. I feel a sense of peace and close my eyes to breathe. I smell him then, which sends memories through my brain in rapid succession.

I see the first time I met Trey, him setting up plates of Chinese food, laughing, and talking about silly things. I see him kiss me. I see the hard length in his pants.Mine.

And then I feel him. So close.

I turn around to find him down on one knee. I have no idea how he got into my house, but I don’t care. He’s holding a beautiful shiny ring with the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen. I hadn’t told him where I was.

How did he find me? Was it Jessie? She promised she wouldn’t tell anyone where I lived. One of my friends? No, they wouldn’t tell him that either.

The questions vanish from my mind as I return to reality where Trey is here, on one knee, holding out a ring and waiting for me to catch my breath.

“Heather, you know this is more than an obligation. I know you feel it, too. I know you felt the snap when our mating bond set in. What you may not have realized is that it’s not going away. We’re bound by fate, and no matter how far you travel or how much you try to shake this bond, it will always be with us both.”

I drop down into the chair behind me and stare at him. He continues.

“You’re part of my pack, my family. I don’t care about exile laws or what the elders have to say. I put them in their places. I’m Alpha, and you’re my mate. They’ll just have to get used to it.”

Everything he’s saying is true. I can feel it. And every part of me wants to be his.

“Will you marry me?” he asks huskily.

I nod. My head feels like a bobblehead. “Yes,” I say through tears.

He takes my extended hand and slides the ring on my finger. He rises before me. This whole thing seems surreal. What happens next? I have no idea.

Before I know it, I’m in his arms. I can smell the woods on him, the fur of his wolf, and a trace of city grit—like dirt and steel. I bury my face in his chest, and he holds me closer.

It occurs to me at this point that we’re completely alone here. If Trey is here to protect me, and I’ve accepted his hand in marriage, it means that no one is coming after me.

We don’t have anywhere to be right now. No one will be knocking on my door anytime soon.

Then, I look up at him, my chin still on his chest. His lips are on mine instantly, then his whole mouth, his tongue, and mine mingle, and warmth spreads through me. His hands are in my hair, and I start walking him over to the couch.

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