Page 71 of Rejected By The Alpha Heir

He shakes his head, finally raising his eyes to meet mine. I reach to touch the gash on his face, and he flinches, backing away from me. I freeze. Someone has clearly hurt this boy before.

"Let me see," I say gently, putting my hand down. The wolf inside him is still on edge, wary of my touch. "It's okay, I want to help. What’s your name?"

“Gage, ma’am,” he manages, his voice thick with pain. “I’ll just go home. Won’t be no trouble.”

He struggles to his feet, holding his arm at a funny angle, and tries to walk off.

I stand, following him.

“Where are you going?” I ask, worried. “I trained as a healer and am a nurse. I could help you.”

He stiffens and shakes his head. “No, I can find my own way home.”

I continue to walk next to him. “Where’s home?” I ask, eyeing him. “What pack do you belong to?”

He stops and looks out over the parking lot, scanning for something. When he doesn’t find it, his shoulders drop, and he looks down at the ground.

“Highland Pack,” he mutters before taking off again.

Highland Pack. Our sworn rivals.Seeing him here like this puts me on edge, but the boy is clearly the victim in this scenario.

He’s a child, and an injured one at that. I can’t leave him to make his way home. Highland Pack boundaries are at least ten miles away. That’s too far to walk.

“Hey, wait up,” I call after him, digging my keys out of my bag. “I can drive you part of the way.”

He shakes his head and moves faster, forcing me to jog after him. “Can’t you at least tell me your family’s name? Can I call someone for you?” I persist.

He doesn’t answer, just darts across the parking lot.

I curse and give chase. My mother's instincts are screaming at me to protect this child and not let him disappear. I’m so focused on the boy that I don’t notice the two shadows that cross my path until it’s almost too late. I skid to a stop, narrowly avoiding crashing into two people, a man and a woman.

“Sorry,” I say breathlessly. The hair on the back of my neck prickles.

I look up and find myself face-to-face with Sylvie and her friend from the Highland Pack. They block my path, sneering down at me.

"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Perfect," Sylvie sneers. “What are you doing with one ofourpups?”

Her friend sizes me up and down disdainfully.

"Excuse me," I say, trying to step around them.

Sylvie blocks my path. "Don't think you're better than us just because Austin chose you," she hisses.

I hold back a frustrated growl. "I don't have time for this," I say through gritted teeth. "Now move."

Just then, I hear a yelp and see Gage collapsed on the ground, clutching his arm. Another wolf is standing over him, his leg poised to kick him. I look on in horror.

"Please," I plead. "That boy needs help. He’s injured, and he’s fromyourpack. I was only trying to help him."

For a second, Sylvie softens, glancing at Gage. Then her eyes harden again.

"He's Highland Pack. None of your concern. He’ll heal. Clearly, we raise our boys tougher."

I stare at her in disbelief. "He's just a child!"

Her friend cracks her knuckles menacingly. "Time for you to scamper back to your pack, little Luna."

I feel my hackles rising in response to the clear threat, but I force myself to take a deep breath. Getting into a brawl here would only make things worse.

---