Page 2 of My Ruthless Alpha

Looking away for a moment, her green eyes returned to mine. “Sorry for showing up like this…but Colton wants to see you. He sent me here to tell you.”

My heart nearly stopped at that, eyes widening as a flicker of anxiety moved through me. “…He what?”

She sighed, troubled expression deepening. “He’s requesting for you to leave Margo here while you go to him…I think you know why.”

I swallowed hard as it felt like thorns punctured my lungs, leaving my head to run through hundreds of questions at once. I couldn’t even find the words, only stared at Sydney, feeling lost. Some sort of guidance to ease how deeply that idea terrified me.

To my dismay, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I already knew what Colton wanted.

Ever since he took over leading the pack, he made his interest incredibly clear…and given how he didn’t have a Luna yet, it was obvious that he would eventually be looking for one.

While I should be flattered to be wanted by an alpha, I didn’t want him that way, and I knew I never would.

Even if it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a new alpha to fight for and win his title, the way Colton came in so suddenly and just took it…brutally killing the old alpha and his Luna in one shot…it didn’t sit right with me. Especially not with how respected the two of them had been.

His arrival shook everything up, making it difficult to look past that.

I didn’t even want him as an alpha…it was out of the question for me to want him as a mate.

At the thought of it, a wave of overwhelm hit me at once, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“To make matters worse, I heard rumors that he’s planning on announcing you as his mate and Luna to the pack soon,” Sydney added while her eyes expressed every regret she had on my behalf. “He’ll expect you to go along with it regardless of what you want.”

That information felt like a stake right to the chest, and I could’ve sworn my heart stopped on impact.

“I can’t…” I said weakly, looking at Sydney like she was the one person who might be able to keep my sanity intact. “If he wants me as his mate, he won’t want Margo in the picture at all. Dealing with someone else’s child would hurt his image and likely his pride...I can’t just abandon her, but he’ll expect me to. And with him being the alpha…”

“I know,” Sydney said with remorse and sadness in her voice as she put a calming hand against my arm. She sighed and did her best to be strong when I couldn’t be. “He’s the alpha, and it would be next to impossible to say no…especially knowing him.”

Letting go of a shattered breath, I felt as the tears gathered in my eyes. “The thought of anything happening to Margo…of me having to give her up all for a man I don’t want…I can’t handle it. I can’t stand it.”

“And you shouldn’t have to,” she reaffirmed me, well aware of how important my daughter was to me. She had been there for me every step of the way when it came to my pregnancy and giving birth, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it allwithout her as my rock. “You shouldn’t have to give her up for anyone. No decent alpha would expect that of you.”

Her words only validated my thinking, and the more I lingered on the idea of being without my little girl, the more it became apparent that I could never do it. I would go insane. I would become a shell of myself, and I’d never get that piece of me back again.

Margo was my everything, and I’d be damned if I let anyone take her away from me.

Even if that submissive part of my wolf was telling me to stay and do whatever my alpha asked, it wasn’t as loud as the maternal instinct within me screaming to put my own life on the line before I could even consider giving up on her.

It didn’t matter. The desire to appease and prove my worth in the pack meant nothing if my daughter couldn’t be around.

“I can’t stay…I have to leave,” I said, nearly shaking from how terrified and angry I felt. “I need to take Margo and go before he does anything.”

While Sydney’s eyes reflected a deep sadness, I could still see her deeply rooted understanding. She knew better than anyone how critical that decision was for me.

“Of course,” she murmured, expression sad as she thought it over. Regardless of that fact, she gave me a look of determination that helped to spur me on. Gently, she put her hands on my arms and looked at me straight-on. “You just need to be prepared for the outcome…if you run and deny Colton despite his intentions to name you his mate and Luna, there will be consequences. You won’t be able to come back here, and there’s a high chance he won’t let it go. You know how his pride is.”

Swallowing hard, I was well aware of what she meant. Pulling in a brave breath, I nodded. “I know…but it’s a risk I have to take. Regardless of how he might retaliate, I need to get Margo away from here.”

“Do what you need to. I’ll cover for you…when he asks me, I’ll say you were already gone and act like we never talked about this.”

Despite the spiking anxiety within me, her reassurance and help allowed me to breathe a little easier.

“Thank you…really. It means a lot to me,” I said, wasting no time pulling her in for a hug. “I’ll miss you.”

The shakiness in her voice gave away how much it affected her, too, as she embraced me. “I’ll miss you too…it won’t be the same without you two here, but I understand. Protect your little girl.”

After giving her a gentle squeeze and pulling back, I let go of another deep breath and wiped my eyes. “I will. Above all else, I’ll keep her safe.”

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