Page 8 of Bullied By the Alpha Wolf

I did not fear this human. Quite the contrary.

Lilacs. Lilacs in the summertime.

My mind reeled as I looked down at the woman shoved to my feet. It had been twelve years, and despite how ragged she looked right now, Kit was as beautiful as ever.

Her wavy, chestnut red hair still hung around her round, sweet face, and the deep blue of her eyes peered up at me with the same sapphire shine as they had when we were both living with the Edwards pack. My eyes flicked down to the fullness of her heart-shaped mouth, and something cracked behind my ribs.

“You?! You’re the Alpha?”

Kit’s eyes went wide, and my two wolves exchanged looks with each other before Lupe came up to my side and whispered low, “Do you know her, Kaiden?”

I rolled my lips between my teeth, sucking in a breath as I nodded once. “I do. This is Kit, formally of the Edwards pack under Jet. We…grew up together.”

***

I fucking did it now. What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I have to fucking tease her so much?

Kit had run off somewhere, and I stood there in the activity center feeling like a royal piece of shit because I couldn’t just talk to her like a normal person. My wolf growled as I let her run away, and I sighed.

The asshole was always trying to run the show now, and dammit, if I didn’t hate it all the damn time. Maybe that was why I was constantly pushing against my instincts, deliberately doing the opposite thing.

I wanted to feel like I had some semblance of control in my fucking life. It had been years of just having things “happen” to me, and I was sick of it.

But Kit…she didn’t deserve that shit. She was…amazing.

“Great, look what you did now! Ugh,” Sandy groaned. “Just get out of here, both of you.”

My skin itched like a shift was coming, and I knew I needed to get out of there. Worse, I knew I needed to follow her. Kit was running off because of me, and I really should apologize. Ugh, this was going to suck.

I took off from the room, not bothering to wait or listen to whatever Grayson was on about. I’d catch him later, anyway.

Yanking off my shirt as I ran, following Kit’s scent, I dropped it to the grass and started on my pants as I kept moving. As soon as the clothes weren’t an issue, I shifted, letting my wolf come free.

He burst into action, sprinting after Kit’s scent—lilacs.

It wasn’t too long before I caught up with her at the little trailer she and Grayson had been allowed to use since she was human. I watched Kit gather up a few things, knowing that she was getting ready to leave the territory altogether.

Do something, you moron. She’s going to fucking leave the pack. Stop her. Tell her she’s your—

But then the door to her trailer was swinging closed behind her. She ran off again, going straight for the wood and not looking back. I followed behind her, sticking to the shadows where my black fur would blend in.

Why wasn’t I running up to her? Why was I letting Kit get away again without fucking owning up to my bullshit and admitting that I thought she was fucking perfect?

Frustration and anger boiled in my veins, and I nearly lost sight of her as Kit turned east and headed deeper into the trees.

I couldn’t get closer; something was holding me back, and I was trapped there, following along behind her in wolf form like an idiot. I wanted to talk to her; I needed to apologize, but instead, I was just hovering here in the background, doing nothing to make the situation better.

Because you’re a fucking coward, I thought. Come on, Kaiden. It’s now or never.

Getting up the nerve, I launched myself forward, ready to cut off Kit’s path and shift back so we could finally talk. Just as my front paw took another step forward, I stopped in my tracks.

The smell of the air changed, the tainted darkness of gasoline and alpha energy humming through the air.

I couldn’t follow her. This was Collins territory. Which meant exactly one thing.

I’d missed my chance.

***

---