Page 14 of Rejected By the Alpha

I walked away from the table, heading outside of the clearing where I could be alone. Once I was out of sight, I slumped to the ground, placing my back against a tree trunk as waves of jealousy and hurt washed over me. Tears streamed down my face as I pressed a hand against my mouth to muffle the unbidden sounds of heartbreak.

“Leah?” a voice said.

I turned my head and looked up, finding a man around my age staring down at me.

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “I’m so sorry, I just… I…”

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, sitting down beside me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “I heard everything they said to you.”

A quiet sob came up from my lungs, and he pulled me closer to his side.

“I’m Andrew,” he said. “But everyone calls me Andy. I’m sorry to meet you like this.”

“Me too,” I replied quietly, wiping my eyes furiously with my fingers. “Which pack are you in?”

“Alpha Nile Pinedale’s. Those two women you just met are my cousins,” he said, giving an apologetic grimace.

“Are they always so…”

“Mean?” He finished for me. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“So, I have that to look forward to,” I muttered.

Andy squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll stay here with you as long as you need.”

Tears spilled down my face again as I realized he was being genuinely kind. Aside from Sienna, no one had offered me comfort before.

“Thank you,” I replied, leaning my head against his shoulder.

After a few moments, I took a deep, shuddering breath as the tears came to a halt.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, and he stood to his feet before reaching his hand out to pull me up as well. I stumbled a bit from light-headedness when I was upright, and he caught me in his arms.

At that exact moment, a deep voice growled from behind me. “What do you think you’re doing holding my mate?”

I whirled around in surprise to see Killian staring at me. His eyes were hard as he took in the scene. Andy’s hands were still at my waist as he stood behind me, and I realized exactly what this would look like.

“Wait,” I said.

Chapter 7 - Killian

Jealousy boiled up within me as I saw how close Andy was standing to my mate. His hands had just been around her when I had come around the tree that hid them from the rest of the party, and despite common sense telling me that nothing untoward had happened between them, I felt livid with the man.

“Wait,” Leah urged as she turned to look at me.

“Alpha Killian,” Andy began, “I was just helping Leah back to her feet.”

If he doesn’t back away from her right now, I’m going to rip his throat out,my wolf growled.

Everything in me wanted to transform and allow Rocky to eviscerate any man who deigned to look at what was rightfully mine.

He didn’t hurt her,I reminded my wolf as I attempted to quell the rage inside me.

I don’t care. He’s. Too. Close.

“He’s telling the truth, Killian,” Leah said.

---