Page 48 of Rejected By My Shadow Alpha
Drew
War was coming, but for now, I would give her space. I retreated to my pack's safehouse, letting the silence between us settle like dust.
I could feel it deep in my bones—an ancient instinct humming beneath my skin, restless and sharp. The air had changed. The silence between each heartbeat stretched longer than it should. Something was shifting and circling, and this time, I wasn't going to be caught unaware.
Not like my uncle, the last alpha, especially now that the threat wasn't just outside my walls but inside them.
I stood on the balcony of my bedroom, bare-chested as the early morning breeze rolled in, cool and breezy in the summer. Below me, my territory looked peaceful, deceptively so. I tapped the screen of my iPad, flipping through the CCTV feeds scattered around the compound. Each camera glared back at me, vigilant and still. The angles were tight and precise, showing every pathway and every entry point. I had secretly installed them. No one knew about it.
Paranoia wasn't just a reflex anymore. It was survival.
The security feeds in my office had been compromised. Someone had bugged them. Someone close, someone in my pack.
Jay.
The thought tasted like acid in my mouth. I'd watched him carefully for weeks now. There were subtle signs and unexplained absences. It made too much sense, the strange delays in his reports, the way he dodged certain questions, the look in his eyes when he thought I wasn't watching. I clenched the iPad a little too hard. I could confront him, drag him in, and rip the truth out of his throat if I had to. But no, not yet.
If Jay was just a puppet, then someone far more dangerous was moving pieces behind the board, someone I hadn't seen yet. Someone was hiding in plain sight, and I had to find out who. If I moved too soon, I'd lose my chance to expose them all. My jaw tensed. I'd protect Ruby and Liora with everything in me. I'd burn the world if I had to. There was no middle ground anymore. I'd made my choice.
I turned away from the balcony, tossed the iPad onto the bed, threw on a shirt, and headed to my office. Every step I took, my mind drifted uninvited but persistently to Ruby, to the heat of her skin, the softness of her alluring lips, the wildness in her eyes as we fucked, and the way she trembled in my arms, soft and vulnerable. I'd touched heaven that day…and hell too, because she pulled away again, her walls higher than ever.
She was protecting our daughter. I understood it, but damn it, my wolf still clawed to get to her. I couldn't lose her again, but if I wanted her trust back, I needed to find out who leaked the intel on Alex that orchestrated the rogue attack on him. Alex's attack wasn't random. It was a message.
Someone in my pack had fed Alpha Alfred our plans. We had a mole in our pack, and that betrayal made the ambush possible.If I wanted to protect Liora and earn Ruby's trust, I had to follow that thread. I had work to do.
Lena was in the hallway when I came down the stairs, a coffee mug in one hand and her tablet balanced in the other. She glanced up as I approached and smiled warmly at me, her maternal demeanor calmed the storm within me.
"Hey Alpha," She greeted, her tone respectful and warm. "How are you this fine morning?" she asked, falling into step beside me.
"Hey Lena," I replied with a smile. It had been a while since we talked. The last time was the day I spoke to her about Ruby and me on our way to reveal I was the alpha and alive. We walked the remaining distance in silence.
Inside my office, she moved toward the windows, drawing the curtains just slightly to let in the early light. I sat at my desk, leaned back in the chair, and exhaled slowly, my fingers steepled in front of me.
"You look like you haven't slept in days," she finally said, turning from the window and sipping her coffee.
I gave a dry chuckle that held no humor. "I haven't," I admitted, my eyes fixed on the edge of the desk. "There's too much at stake."
Lena didn't respond right away. She set the mug down gently, watching me over the rim of her glasses, her eyes gentle and concerned. "How's Ruby and Liora? Any progress?"
I hesitated, cautious about how to answer, my mind still reeling from the fact that I could trust no one in my pack now. Lena had been understanding about my past with Ruby and even sympathetic to my plight. She had been really helpful in convincing Ruby to let me help. But this...thing between Ruby and me was fragile, unspoken, and mine to protect.
"Liora's recovering," I said eventually, my voice quieter than I intended. A flicker of that day crossed my mind—the derangedwolf, teeth bared, Liora's scream. I forced the image down. "She's still weak, but stronger than I expected."
"And Ruby?"
I paused, cautious not to let too much out, yet I needed to know who I could trust and who I couldn't at this point. "She's…still angry." My throat tightened. "And I can't blame her. I rejected her once. That kind of wound doesn't just scab over. It scars deep."
Lena nodded her head, her eyes soft and gentle. She walked to the vacant chair and folded her arms, concerned. "So, what are you going to do about it, Alpha?"
I looked at her, and her expression was calm and kind. Her eyes held a sort of pity for me. I felt my muscles relax. Lena was one of the few wolves in my pack I could talk to, aside from Alex and Jay, my beta…well, until he decided to turn on me.
I leaned forward, my gaze fixed on Lena, and I whispered, "I'm going to marry her."
Her brows arched in surprise, her expression still concerned. "Alpha…have you thought about this?" She paused to let her words sink in. "Have you told her?"
I sighed and leaned back. It would take a lot to convince Ruby to marry me. "No." I ran a hand over my face. "Not yet."
"Then why say it like it's decided?" she asked, her tone amused and light.
