Page 8 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Everything about this is wrong,” I said.

Killian sighed in exasperation. “Leah, I understand why you weren’t pleased to see me today. But what’s done is done. You need to get into this car,” he said. “There is plenty of time for us to hash everything out, but I don’t think standing in the middle of the street is the best place for us to have a conversation.”

He had a point. Reluctantly, I got into the passenger seat and allowed him to shut the door behind me. I took a deep breath, trying to dissuade myself of the feeling that I had just exchanged one prison for another.

When I first met Killian, he’d belonged to the ruthless Moonstone Pack. It had been a point of contention between us that our packs were essentially at war with one another, to say nothing of the acts of violence that his alpha committed against wolves throughout the region. I didn’t know what became of Killian after Alpha Aiden Moonstone changed his ways with thehelp of Luna Madi, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d followed his best friend, Jasper, in the creation of an even more ruthless pack. I felt sure that I was walking into a home that was just as vicious as the one I had just been freed from.

Killian was silent on the drive away from Sparkle Hollow as he took me toward my new home, and I decided to allow the quiet to continue. I had plenty to be upset with him about, but I also knew he was right. What was done could not be undone. We were mates, for better or worse, and starting an argument in the car wouldn’t change anything. It felt better to suffer in silence than to listen to his justifications and explanations for the past.

Eventually, I felt myself dozing off, my forehead pressing against the car window while Killian drove. After a few hours, I felt the car slow down and opened my eyes to see we were entering a small, quaint town.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Pinedale,” Killian said.

He didn’t elaborate, but I watched as he confidently turned onto a side street without the use of a GPS. This must be where his pack resided.

The car wound its way through the streets, eventually stopping outside a large building that read “Community Center” on the outside. Killian killed the engine and hopped out of the car, walking around to open my door for me.

“Before we go inside, I want to let you know who you’re about to meet,” he said.

My heart dropped in my chest as I pictured the horrible monsters that were surely waiting inside for me.

“Pinedale isn’t like Sparkle Hollow,” he explained. “Besides the humans that live here, it also is the home to three separate wolf packs.”

“Three?” I asked, my voice rising in pitch despite my attempts to hide my unease.

“The original pack belonged to Alpha Nile Pinedale,” he explained. “They opened their town up to Alpha Jasper and the Dark Moon wolves. That’s a pretty long story, though.”

“And your pack?”

“My pack is a small offshoot of the Dark Moon wolves.”

“Wait,” I said. “Are you saying that all three packs are here? To meet me?”

“Not everyone… most likely,” he answered hesitantly.

He nodded toward the entrance, and I followed as he led me toward the large front door. My feet moved robotically as I did my best to control my breathing. The last thing I needed was to break down in front of my new pack—all the packs—and show them that I was a weak luna. My success here was dependent on how well I could act unfazed.

Killian opened the door, and I walked inside with my head held high. I expected to see a grungy atmosphere with smoke-filled air as tough wolves in dark leather milled about the room. What I saw instead was quite the reverse.

The room was immaculately clean and smelled like fresh flowers and clean linen. Long party tables filled half of the open space closest to the door, and just beyond were informal seating arrangements near a slightly raised dais. The tables were covered in green linen tablecloths and had centerpieces of white pillar candles and vases of fresh flowers. Milling around the room were a few dozen men, women, and children.

“Killian!” a voice shouted happily from our left.

A man in black jeans and a t-shirt walked confidently toward us, grasped Killian’s hand, and brought him in for a hug.

“Hey, Jasper,” Killian said. “I want to introduce you to my bride. Leah, this is Alpha Jasper.”

I wiped my hand surreptitiously on my thigh to remove any trace of sweat before reaching out to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you,” I said as confidently as I could muster.

“Welcome to Pinedale,” Jasper said. “We’re all glad you’re here. I hope my brother hasn’t given you any trouble.” He clasped Killian on the shoulder. “If he does, you just let me know, and I’ll sort it out for you.”

“No, not at all,” I said quietly.

Brother?I thought.I didn’t realize he and Jasper were so close.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur as I met more people in one day than I had spoken to in the past year. Everyone seemed kind and warm, especially the other lunas of the town. April and Violet hugged me tightly when we were introduced, and I felt my heart breaking as I realized I had spent my entire life missing out on this kind of camaraderie.

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