Page 5 of Alpha Scorned

I jumped when Connor’s hand slipped under my arm, his strong grip urging me to my feet.

“W-what?” I stammered. Surely a Prime couldn’t read the minds of his subjects...could he?

The brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen narrowed on my face. “I felt Owen’s pain. The only thing that could cause him that level of pain is you. Stone is blocking you from the door and you are glaring at it like you are ready to smash through it.” His grip tightened. “And I won’t let you because you have done enough damage to my brother. Now. Is it true? Did you reject him?”

I remained silent.

“Selina. Look at me and tell me the truth. Did you reject Owen as your mate?”

A wave of compulsion washed over me.Ah, fuck.“I did. But...” I fought so hard to try and speak past the compulsion to just answer that question. Behind me Devon’s cry echoed down the stairs.

“But what?” Connor urged, his massive arms crossing over this chest, just like Stone’s had been.

My mouth dried out. I couldn’t tell him before Owen. I owed Owen that much. Besides, I didn’t know Connor well enough to be certain he wouldn’t throw us out. Other supernaturals lived in this castle with the King and his brothers, but there were no humans. My shoulders sagged, defeat a bitter taste in my mouth. “Nothing,” I whispered and dropped my gaze to Connor’s folded arms.

The weight of his regard almost drove my spine to bend, but somehow I found the strength and kept it straight. He inhaled then huffed a little. When I looked up his eyes had turned totally black, just a flame in the center of them. “Are you well, little wolf?” asked Prime.

I gulped, my palms sweating. If this predator sensed my wolf wasn’t responding, I had no idea what he’d do. My heart slammed against my ribs at a hundred miles an hour.

Shane growled. He might not be my lover, but he was still my Alpha, and that meant he’d protect me, even from his King—until he realised my wolf had deserted me.

“Shane...” growled Connor, keeping his gaze fixed on me. “Why are you so scared of me, Selina? You never have been before.”

It was more a question to himself. Devon chose that moment to release a loud screaming cry.

“I-I’m not, I’m just so sorry for hurting Owen. I know he’s your brother, but I can’t be his mate.”

“Why can’t you? Don’t you feel the same? The Mother doesn’t make mistakes in her matches for possible mates or soulmates, you know that.”

“I do know that, but I don’t feel anything for him. I can’t leave everything I know, Prime, not for a male I don’t want to be with,” I lied. Prime could scent a lie, but I hoped the scent of my increasing fear and stress would hide it. In the background, Devon continued to wail, sending my anxiety sky high. Prime looked deep into my soul. My wolf stirred and whimpered a little. Connor nodded to himself, his voice almost gentle as he spoke. “I know you suffered at the hands of the demons, little wolf, but you are not fooling me. Still, no one can force you to accept Owen. In time, you may get the opportunity to explain why you did this, but right now I think you and Shane should both leave. This is Owen’s home, and you being here will only cause him more distress.”

I nodded, but my heart was breaking. I could still feel Owen’s mouth on mine, his touch, his scent. I hung my head as I blinked back my frustration and tears. The Mother might have marked us as soulmates, but the demons had made it impossible for us to be together.

Prime receded and Connor’s gaze softened. “Go and sort out your son, Selina, while I have B’nar arrange a portal back to Canada. It’ll be within the hour.”

I turned away from my Prime, my whole body weary all the way to my soul.

Shane’s regard was heavy, as was Connor’s, but I no longer cared. I had rejected my mate, and it crushed me. And now he would never understand why. Perhaps it was better that way, so he wouldn’t try and find me. If he thought there was even a small chance for us, he’d ruin his life for me, and I couldn’t let him do that. Wearily, I climbed back up the stairs, hoping that Shane would leave me to calm Devon alone. I couldn’t cope with his inevitable questions right now.

Once back in the room, I closed the door, crossed to Devon, picked him up and cradled him close. Owen’s scent lingered on him and for the first time since I’d escaped my torture at the hands of the demon general, I allowed tears to fall.

Devon squirmed and snuggled his face into my neck. His movement released a fresh wave of Owen’s scent, one that mingled with his own. It was that which shattered me. It was the irony of my messed up life that struck the hardest; if I hadn’t been captured by a demon general and tortured until my soul was destroyed, I never would have had Devon. Nothing could take Devon from me, but it was thanks to my broken soul that I lost Owen. So, how can I be grateful for my son while hating the loss of my soulmate, when both came from the same hell?

My legs gave way and I sank onto Devon’s little bed. Staring out at the ocean, I rocked my son, drinking in the tranquil view and letting it soothe me. The fact that it was the very view Owen had picked for me was bittersweet. I swallowed the ache in my throat.

Prime hadn’t called me out on my lie, though he had sensed it. I knew it the moment he’d touched my wolf. With no time to think about his reasons, I dried my tears and began to pack.

Twenty minutes later Shane had a bag in each hand, one of mine and one of his. “You ready?” he asked gruffly.

I nodded, unable to look him in the eye. He’d agreed to lie to everyone about our relationship, understanding that I wasn’t ready for a mate, but he’d almost got himself in a challenge for his support. He could have just come clean to stop everyone glaring at him like he was the enemy, but he hadn’t. His support was staggering.

I swallowed hard and inhaled the faint scent of Owen that lingered in my son’s hair. I forced back the pain this brought. Crying wouldn’t help. It was better this way. A clean break. If I never reconnected with my wolf again, at least Owen would have a chance at finding another mate. Ahh, Mother Wolf, that thought sent such searing pain to my chest, I almost screamed. Instead, I bit it back, shoving it deep down inside.

B’nar studied me with his eerie pale eyes. I briefly met his gaze before dropping my attention to the floor. It was better just to keep my gaze down. No one could read me, or feel like I was challenging them. And I wouldn’t have to see their judgment.

“It’s ready,” B’nar said.

A shudder rippled through me at the sight of the swirling portal. Portals pulled at the spirit inside a shifter, able to tear them from our human bodies unless we fought it. I squared my shoulders and scowled at the swirling vortex of Fae power. My wolf might be hiding from me and the world, but she was still mine. I’d protect her no matter what.

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