Page 74 of Rejected By the Alpha King

Staring at me, Dean smiled softly. “My dad was right about you. You don’t like to delve too deep, do you?”

Annoyed, I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

“It’s not the bar that Parker wanted me to have, Anna. It was you.”

Finn growled, and my wolf was right there with him. Immediately, Dean held up his hands. “No, no. Shit, no, not like that. I’m sorry. I should have been clearer. Not take you as a mate but take you away from here if you needed it. Protect you. That’s what I’m offering you.

I’m a strong wolf. If you want to leave, we can change your name, leave this place, and I’ll protect you. That is what my father wanted.”

Stunned, I gripped my beer bottle. Parker had asked Dean of this? If Dean had come just a few months ago, right after his father had died, I would have even considered it.

Considered, but not gone through with it. Dean might have been Parker’s son, but I didn’t know him. I would have never put my safety in the hands of a strange man.

“You’re shocked. Did you not think my father loved you?” Dean asked softly. “He had a hard shell around him, that was for sure, but he did. Your safety was his priority. You were the daughter he never had, and that is why I know you were not responsible for his death. I think.

You brought some joy in his life. I’m almost jealous. I could never do that.”

“I am shocked,” I said finally. “And I would be a fool not to keep your offer in mind, but Jax is my mate. It’s a difficult situation to navigate, but I owe it to my wolf to navigate it.”

And I owed it to Parker. He was the one who told me that when Jax could give me a chance, I should take it.

“Good,” Dean said with a grin. “I’ve done my part with the offer. I’ll be here for a little bit longer, but before I go, I’ll give you a way to contact me. My cell isn’t always reliable in the woods, but there’s a hub that keeps messages for the wolves that live in my area.”

“A hub?” I grinned. “How civilized of you.”

“We do our best. Plus, I’d like to keep in touch with you anyway. We can swap stories about my dad and help keep his memory alive. And the offer is open anytime you need it, even if it’s a few years from now.”

“An offer,” Jax drawled from behind me. Dean’s eyes widened, and I stiffened. Finn was the only one who didn’t react, probably because he’d seen Jax standing there. “And just what offer would that be?”

33

Jax

So Dean Hewitt wanted to be Anna’s savior. Wanted to save her.

From me.

Fuck that.

Knowing damn well the offer that Dean had just made to Anna, I waited for the asshole to have the guts to say it again to my face. He had paled several shades, but he stood and nodded his head. “You have to know that I don’t mean any disrespect,” he said evenly. “My father was concerned that your pack would never accept her. On some level, you must feel that too. If she can’t stay here, she should have some place to go. I can protect her.”

“Your father has been dead for months. What took you so damn long to get here?” I demanded as I walked up behind Anna and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t jump, and for that, I was grateful. My wolf, furious that someone else was thinking of taking her away from me, was lashing out. My power reached to every wolf within the vicinity, but she wasn’t shying away.

Progress.

“I only just learned about it right before I left for here,” Dean admitted. “I’d been gone longer than usual.”

“And if she needs help, will it take you months to come to her? I just want her to know all the details.”

“No, sir. I’ll check in more often.” Finally meeting my eyes, Dean frowned. “You want what’s best for her, don’t you?”

Dean had changed since I’d released him from my pack. Then, he’d been low in the pack, hurt that he hadn’t lived up to his father’s expectation, and angry.

The wolf before me wasn’t angry. He’d found his power and grown a little harder in the world. The man before me was more like his father than he probably wanted to admit.

“You were told not to approach her. I could revoke your access to my land for this,” I reminded him softly.

“You could. I do apologize. It was a risk, but I saw a female entering the bar and recognized her. I didn’t know that Anna would have a bodyguard. I was worried.”

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