Page 5 of Betrayed By the Alpha Wolf

“What ‘done?’ What does that mean?”

Grayson stepped forward, holding out his hands in surrender. “You agree to pretend to be mates for as long as it takes me to either become Alpha or lose the trials. Afterward, you’ll never have to see me—or anyone that might be around me—again. Deal?”

The bitter laugh was as potent as acid, and I felt every beat of it etch through my soul. But so much worse than that was the tiny flicker of blue light that I knew still lived invisibly behind my ribs.

It pulsed, barely noticeable against the pain coursing through me each moment. I’d dulled that voice in my head that called out for him—my wolf. And the repeated drivel of “mine” had faded into the background, along with my ability to shift.

Thank you very much, you stubborn bitch.

Ever since the mate reveal ceremony, however, that voice was chiming in my head again, and my wolf didn’t want to let go of any chance to be around Grayson; her futile desire to change the asshole’s mind pure insanity.

Still, I had to admit that ending this once and for all, having an Alpha’s promise to leave me alone—or even Jet’s Beta if Grayson lost—was as good as gold.

“You promise to give me your word, a pack or Alpha’s bond, that you will leave me be? That you will never darken my doorstep with your miserable face ever again?”

Grayson swallowed, his scent going acrid and burnt. I couldn’t quite tell what he was feeling upset about. To me, it was equally likely that he hated the idea of having to pretend to be mates as it was that he didn’t believe he could do this.

But after a moment, he stepped forward, holding out his hand as he met my eyes, which obviously pained him.

“Yes.” He nodded once. “I promise to leave you alone. I will never speak to you or see you again unless it is strictly necessary for the survival of the packs. Do we have a deal?”

I couldn’t tell if he meant it. Grayson’s scent was too messed up with a buttload of yuck to make heads or tails of it. It didn’t help that the flickering mate call, still pulling at threads that had been all but severed, sat in my stomach like lead.

Why does he have to smell like the Winter Solstice?

My hand shook, so I quickly reached forward to shake Grayson’s hand. As we clasped them together, that horrible zing knifed through my chest, and I nearly fell to my knees.

I was going to need so many pills to make it through this.

“Deal, Grayson Edwards.” I snarled, yanking him forward and using my other hand to grip the front of his shirt. “But don’t expect me to be your doting mate just so you look good. I’ll stand there and do my job, but I will not be blowing smoke up that inflated ego of yours. We get this done, and then I never want to see you again.”

Grayson’s throat bobbed as he swallowed several times. It took him a good long moment before he spoke.

“As you wish, MacKenzie Edwards.”

He shook my hand and then pulled himself away, turning on his heel and going straight for the door. Neither of us said another word as he exited my room, and as soon as his last step crossed the threshold, I slammed the thing shut behind him.

It looked like I was still able to slam the door at him after all.

Chapter 2 - Grayson

It was morning again, and I could still feel the sting of Kenzie’s verbal whip across my skin. Every second in that room with her had been torture, and I knew that I was an asshole for even thinking that. She was the one with the actual rejection to deal with.

Fucking fuckity fuck.

I groaned, rolling over onto my back and scrubbing my hands over my face. Today was supposed to be some “mating” ceremony to ensure that Kenzie and I were together, and we both knew we had to go through with it if we wanted this whole fake-mates thing to work.

Which, you know, would be a lot easier if she weren’t youractualmate.

My skin was itchy, and the tension that crowded my muscles refused to back off. Aside from being either asleep or drunk or in the rare fight that cropped up, I was never relaxed lately. The stress was constant, and the nagging part of me had to wonder if I really was cut out to be Alpha.

I’d seen Jet lead and protect his pack my entire life, and the job looked like stress served up on a silver platter.

But apparently, I was a glutton for punishment because I still wanted it.

Standing up and stretching, I decided to take a shower. I needed to get my suit for the ceremony from Kaiden. He’d told me to swing by a little later in the afternoon when Jet and the other Alphas had all gotten settled at his compound since he was the closest to the Williams.

Looking over toward the clock on my nightstand, I realized that it was already ten. I needed to get a move on if I didn’t want to be late to my own mating ceremony. Kaiden’s was an hour’s drive away, and we needed to drive another thirty minutes from there to the Williams compound.

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