Page 4 of Denied By the Alphas

"Tyler, what are you doing?" I shouted over the music, tears streaming down my face. "You're supposed to be my mate!"

He laughed cruelly, his eyes cold as ice. "Run along, little omega. Only alphas in here.”

“She’s clearly not an alpha,” I said, glancing at the smiling dancer, who was oblivious to our argument.

“Well…”

"How about us?" I choked out, unable to comprehend his heartlessness.

“There is no us,” he said coldly, dismissing me as if I meant nothing.

“You kissed me, though.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Haven’t you ever kissed anyone before?”

The rejection hurt deeply. My heart ached as tears rolled down my face from his cruelty. Biting my lip, I rushed out of the strip club, never wanting to see his face again.

The memoryof that night still stung, and I hugged my pillow tight, trying to hold back fresh tears.

I really thought Tyler was my destined mate, but he’d shattered that dream with just a few words. Now, even after all these years, it was hard to give my heart to an alpha, and I never wanted to be in that position again.

chapter 2

. . .

Tyler

The wind whipped through the dark forest as we searched for the dead alpha. I shivered as I trudged alongside Axel and Jaxon, my packmates, and also guards, as we scanned the ground for any signs of Marrok, Henry's son.

We had been tasked with finding him, and the pressure was mounting.

“Do you think Marrok got lost chasing squirrels or something?” said Axel.

“Or maybe he’s off stalking some unsuspecting human,” Jaxon added, chuckling.

I gritted my teeth, anxious about the possibility of not finding Marrok and having to tell Henry the bad news. “This isn’t the time for jokes. We have a job to do.”

As we neared Marrok’s cabin, I spotted claw marks in the dirt.

“Look here,” I said, pointing them out. “Two wolves, by the look of it. It’s no surprise Marrok had enemies, and kidnapping an omega didn’t exactly endear him to others. Let’s follow these tracks and see where they lead.”

“Right,” Axel agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we found him dead.”

“Wish he was,” Jaxon replied.

We tracked the wolf footprints a short distance from the cabin. Marrok didn’t get too far before he was taken down because I suddenly saw a shallow grave hidden among the trees.

My heart thundered in my chest as Axel dug up the muddy earth with a shovel, revealing a gruesome sight—a wolf's head buried beneath leaves and twigs. The killers hadn't even bothered to bury it properly.

“Marrok,” I whispered, picking up the severed head by its matted hair. The features were shrunken and twisted in death, but I recognized him all too well. A wave of relief washed over me; as much as I hated to admit it, the world was better off without someone as corrupt and dangerous as Marrok.

Still, this would only serve to push Henry into a frenzy. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

“Yes, Tyler. How’s the search going?” Henry answered.

“Henry, I’ve found your son. He’s dead,” I said simply. There was no sugarcoating it; there was no proper way to say it.

“Dead?” Henry asked softly, his anger palpable. “The packs are getting out of control, and Iwillfind them.”

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