Page 12 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
He takes his seat without offering me a chair. I know better than to sit.
His fingers steepled, he studies me. “What do you want, Astra?” His voice is cold, dismissive. Like I’m vermin he is forced to deal with.
“I want to leave the pack.”
The words hang in the air between us. For a moment, Alpha Gareth’s carefully controlled expression slips, revealing genuine surprise that quickly transforms into what looks suspiciously like relief.
“Leave?” He leans back in his chair, and I swear I see the ghost of a smile. “And go where, exactly?”
“There’s a human man willing to marry me.” My voice remains even despite my racing heart. “Someone who wants me.”
Now he does smile, but there’s nothing warm about it. It’s predatory and mocking at the same time.
“A human.” He says it like he’s savoring the words. “How fitting.”
I wait, unsure what response he wants. The silence continues, and I can feel his satisfaction radiating across the desk.
“You understand what this means?” His voice takes on an almost pleased tone. “If you leave to marry a human, you renounce all ties to this pack. You will never be allowed to return. Not for visits, not for emergencies, not for anything.”
“I understand.”
“Your mother’s bloodline dies with you. Any claim to pack heritage, any rights you might have had—gone forever.”
My chest tightens at the mention of my mother. At the way he says it, like he’s relishing the idea of erasing every trace of her legacy.
“I said I understand.”
He stands abruptly, moving to a window that overlooks the settlement. “Your grandfather thought he was so clever, youknow. Using his strength to protect his daughter’s dirty little secret.” Gareth’s back is to me, but I hear the venom in his voice. “He should’ve handled the problem when you were born.”
My blood turns to ice. Problem. That’s what I’ve always been to him—not a person but a problem that should have been eliminated.
“My grandfather is dead,” I say quietly, my hands clenched at my sides. “You don’t have to drag him into this.”
“Yes, he is.” Gareth turns to face me, and I see the cold, contented look in his gray eyes. “And now, his last mistake finally removes itself from my territory.”
The casual cruelty in his words hits me like a physical blow. I’ve always known he despised me, but hearing it stated so plainly makes my heart break.
“You’re certain about this human?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know what you are?”
This is where I pause. If I reveal that Andrew is aware of our kind, he will be killed.
“No.”
Gareth nods slowly, his satisfaction evident. “Then I suppose there’s nothing more to discuss.” Returning to his desk, he pulls out a piece of official pack stationery with more enthusiasm than the situation warrants. “You have until the end of the week to gather your belongings and get off my land.”
“That’s it?” The words slip out before I can stop them.
He looks up from the paper, his expression sarcastically surprised. “What did you expect? A tearful goodbye?”
Heat flashes through me. “I expected...some acknowledgment that I’ve served this pack faithfully for years. That I’ve risked my life gathering herbs nobody else would dare collect.”
“Served?” He laughs humorlessly. “You’ve been a drain on pack resources since the day you were born. The herbs you collect barely cover the cost of keeping you alive.”
“That’s not true—”
