Page 39 of Outcast
"You want me to believe that this mess of a girl is supposed to protect the shifters of the world?" he sneered. "What a joke."
Wait...how did he know that?
Looking at Jameson as he spoke, I spotted annoyance and a hint of fear on his face, "Father, I promise you that—" but he was cut off quickly.
"No. Clearly you've been ensnared by her with whatever mate bond you think you have. I won't hear anymore of these childish tales!" He spoke with finality, ending the conversation and turning to leave.
My voice cracked slightly as I asked, "How do you explain my powers then?" I couldn't help the annoyance that bled into my words.
Surely he couldn't deny what he and the pack had witnessed in that training yard.
Halting in his tracks, he looked over his shoulder at me. "We'll talk when you can manage to stop crying about losing your wolf. I doubt you could manage any display of power in your current state."
"This is serious, Alpha! Selene visited me during my first shift and explained the direness of our situation. I need to get my wolf back, or we have no chance."
"Calm down. They can't just disappear," he scoffed, turning back to glare down at me like I was an insolent child.
Rage built in me at his blatant disregard for the impending war. I was tired of him treating me like I had caused his mate’s death. I was done being spoken to like a child just becausetheyraised me to believe that I was a human.
All because of him.
Selene's confusion over him not scenting my wolf popped into my head, and I couldn't contain the suspicion that he had known I was a shifter all along.
There was no way an alpha as powerful as he claimed to be wouldn't have sensed it.
I jumped to my feet, the blanket falling off and pooling around my ankles. "Stop acting like you're so all knowing!" I yelled as his face darkened at my defiance. "For the Alpha of Alphas, I find it very odd that you never scented the wolf within me. My entire life could have been different if you had just done your job."
His dark green eyes glowed for a moment as he snarled at me, "Don't you dare speak to me like that ever again! I could have kicked you out of the pack as a child and left you to die out there."
Seth's scent hit my nose as his hand rested on the small of my back, calming me down enough to take a deep breath and answer with a clear mind. "Oh, I know, you made sure to remind me of that often. What you put me through with your disapproval and condescension made my life hell, and I just had to suck it up and accept it. I had to tell myself every damn day that at least I was alive. How fucking pathetic is that?"
Milo attempted to step in front of me as the alpha stalked towards me, but I gently commanded him, "Step aside, please."
He tensed before doing as I asked, leaving me looking up into the sneering face of the alpha before me. Reaching out, he poked me in the chest roughly to emphasize his words. "You are weak. You always have been and you always will be, no matter what powers you acquired. Our goddess is an idiot for placing her faith in you."
Milo and Seth let out sounds of displeasure at the disrespect in his tone, but I held up a hand to halt them. Channeling the strength my wolf had imbued me with, I looked up at him and tested where his priorities truly lay, "You are blinded by your pain from Maya's death, but are you willing to risk the lives of every shifter to continue to harbor your misplaced hatred for me?"
His lips thinned to a small line as he grimaced. "The elders should arrive any moment. I’ve gathered them from their homes. They will hear your story and make an unbiased decision on how to proceed."
Shocked by his calm and sensible answer, I cocked my head to the side and furrowed my brows in confusion at the personality change.
"Thank you, Alpha," Jameson called from his place by the desk, sitting back in his chair as he did.
With a grunt, the alpha turned and joined Jameson at the table, pulling forward a thick leather bound book and dismissing us.
Milo held me in his arms for a few moments before allowing Seth to do the same. Pulling back, I glanced between them, despair finding me once more as I reached for my wolf but was met with silence. "How is it possible that I can't feel her anymore?" I inquired, willing myself to stay calm while the dam I had erected between my fragile emotions and my head threatened to burst.
Seth reached out and gripped my chin, forcing me to lock gazes with him. "Kitten, listen to me." My lips parted slightly, and I found myself leaning into his demanding touch and smoldering dark blue eyes.
A knowing smirk crossed his face before he continued, "She isn't gone. I know it feels that way for you right now, but we just need to get through this meeting, and then we can focus on coaxing her back out."
Heat emanated from behind me as Milo locked me between himself and Seth. His breath tickled the outer shell of my ear as he whispered, "We can coax her out in whatever way we need," before nipping at my neck with his blunt teeth.
"Can you save that for your love nest?" Jameson snapped, shattering the sexual tension building between the three of us, which I'm sure was his intention.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I didn't bother giving him a verbal response as I pondered what the hell his deal was. He was so hot and cold, and I couldn't just forget about the glimpse I'd gotten into his soul this morning.
The part of me that remembered our incredible friendship before Maya died wanted me to fight to bring that back—to show him how beautiful life could be if he could just allow himself to let go of the guilt and anger he carried around constantly.
