Page 52 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Big brother,” Franco said. “I thought I smelled you skulking around here. Would you like to come inside?”

“Franco. Let them go,” I seethed.

“Oh, I don’t think I can do that,” he said. “My pack is here with me, and I promised them this territory. You know how it is, right?”

Indeed, now that the door was open, I saw that he had nearly twenty men and women—the very same violent and destructive shifters who had been following him for years—waiting inside.

“So that’s how it is?” I asked. “You saw me in town and thought you’d bring your posse to destroy what we’ve built here?”

“No, no, you’re mistaken. I’ve been looking for you for years. Ever since you ran away and turned your back on me, I’ve been plotting my revenge against you. Imagine my surprise when I heard the nameAlphaKillian Stone a few weeks ago. Finally, you were within arm’s reach. All I had to do was pretend that I wanted to catch up with you so I could scope out your territory, infiltrate your pack, andvoila!”

Franco finished with an interjection, twirling his hand as if he had made his plan magically appear in front of my eyes.

“So, everything you said to me was a lie?” I asked.

“You sound surprised.”

In honesty, I wasn’t surprised by Franco’s lying or scheming. The violence and disregard for life were par for the course as well. What I was surprised about was that I had fallen for his plan for even one second. My idiocy had jeopardized the lives of not only my pack but the packs we were in alliance with. Now I stood here, alone and severely outnumbered, trying to come up with a plan to stop him.

As Leah waited, hidden somewhere behind me, I realized that I had let her down as well. I refused to have my last moments be those of defeat or cowardice, especially witnessed by my mate. It was my duty to defend the helpless people in front of me. I only wished I had time to say goodbye to Leah before it was all over.

Run, Leah, I thought.

If she could escape, then I would gladly accept my fate.

Chapter 24 - Leah

I couldn’t see inside the building from my position outside, but from Killian’s body language, I understood that even he knew that he was outnumbered. So far, he had remained outside, but if he entered the building, there was no doubt in my mind that his life would be forfeit.

We need to protect him!Destiny shouted, trying to force me to change.

Fighting right now won’t help him,I pointed out.Even with my help, Killian and I are outnumbered. We have to go get help.

I can’t leave him!My wolf argued my point, seemingly unable to see reason when facing the prospect of losing our mate to his deranged half-brother.

I turned around quietly, shifting our focus toward the trees where the pack warriors still met.

Destiny, we don’t have time for this. Run for the other alphas. Right now.

With Franco’s focus still on Killian and the hostages inside the community center, I sprang into action. I shifted, hoping against hope that Destiny would follow my plan and get help. It was the only chance we had at saving Killian.

My heart soared as my wolf ran towards the trees, knowing we were doing everything we could at the moment. But the next moment, I felt a feeling of loss and grief wash through me. If we didn’t hurry, I might never see my mate again.

You were right, Leah,Destiny said.I needed your perspective to understand that this was the best plan. Now let me help you.

She pushed herself even harder until the wind whipped through her fur so fast, it felt like we were flying. The rhythmic beat of her paws on the ground and the feeling of speed were enough to wash the fear from me, replacing it with adrenaline.

We careened into the clearing at breakneck speed, sliding to a stop at the edge of the arena. The stunned faces of the three packs looked at us for a split-second before half of the wolves shifted.

“Luna Leah,” Jasper said in a loud, commanding voice. “What happened?”

“Franco is back in Pinedale,” I answered, shifting at once. “He and his pack have taken the remainder of the pack members hostage in the community center. Killian is trying to stop them, but he’s outnumbered.”

“How many are there?” Jasper asked.

I shrugged, feeling the panic rise up in my chest. “I don’t know. I didn’t see them.”

Without giving an order, the entire assembly shifted, following their alphas back toward town. Jasper and the Dark Moon Pack took the lead, while Nile’s Pinedale wolves took the right flank.

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