Page 34 of Rejected By The Alpha Heir

I miss her.

It’s hard to admit to myself, but it’s true.

“You should find her,” Vincent says, finally. He turns to me and claps his hand on my back. “Clear the air. Find out what you need to know. This is an opportunity Austin, for closure…or whatever else you might need. As your friend, I advise you to take it. You never know if you’ll get another chance.”

He walks off, whistling a jaunty tune, leaving me with even more complicated emotions and thoughts.

Another chance.The words echo in my brain over and over again.Is that what I want?

My wolf howls in my chest, his pain lacing through me.

In the years Yelena has been gone, he’s been quieter. Our connection has been strained. I thought his grief would pass eventually, but it never did. I was eventually able to put my own feelings aside and focus on my ever-growing pack duties, but to my wolf? Our mate was gone.

Nothing would ever change that.

When I accepted the engagement to Sylvie, he refused to acknowledge it. For the first time in my adult life, I had to force myself to shift so that she and I could run together as wolves.

Our engagement may be settled according to our packs, but my wolf wants nothing to do with it. I kick at a pebble on the ground in frustration.

What if you never feel anything ever again? What if she’s the only one who brings out your wolf and makes you feel complete? What if she’s the only woman you’ve ever loved? Can you really go through the rest of your life without feeling that again?

I think about that for a moment, and the realization hits me so hard that I actually stagger backward from the intensity. I know that my wolf needs Yelena in our life, but so do I. I miss the little things, like coming home after work and seeing her working in the kitchen or waving to me from the front porch. The way shesmiles up at the sun when she reads on the porch. The scent of her shampoo in our shower.

I missher.Living without her has been a sort of half-life, and I can’t go on like this. A future without her just feels bleak. The last time I truly felt happy going home was in the weeks right before she left.

I have to fix this.

I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling nothing, ignoring my wolf, and just….existing.

My wolf swells in my chest, urging me to go to her, and finally remedy what I broke so many years ago.

I give in to the urge and take off down the road at a light jog.

With any luck, I’ll catch Yelena at Callie’s house and maybe we’ll be able to speak privately.

For the first time in years, my chest feels a little lighter, like there’s hope again. A small sliver of sunshine on a cloudy day.

I wave to my fellow packmates as I pass them down the dirt road on my way to Callie’s place. With each step I take, I feel my heart expanding.

This is the right choice.

I know it. And so does my wolf.

Just as I reach Callie’s driveway, I sense her. My wolf perks up, anxious for our reunion. I still haven’t figured out what I want to say to her and how I am going to fix this, but I go to unlatch the gate and make my way up the small brick walkway.

It’s quiet over here. Callie preferred to live slightly away from the main pack. The large trees provide shade over the tiny front porch. I smile slightly when I see the empty rocking chairs. I’d spent many an afternoon sitting next to her, rocking on those chairs.

“May you be at peace, Callie,” I whisper into the wind.

A loud bang disrupts the silence, and I stop, suddenly alert. Soft footsteps pound the dirt behind the house. Quickly, I round the corner, and I see Yelena flying down the path toward the forest. She glances over her shoulder, and I’m taken aback by her expression.

She looks terrified.

Before I can say anything or do anything, I watch as she leaps into her shift and heads into the woods.

All of my senses are going haywire. What could possibly have spooked her? I debate what to do. Finally, I move to where she has shifted, and gather her clothes, before shifting myself and following her. My wolf and I have a profound need to know that she’s okay. By following her, I can protect her.

I move through the woods at a light jog, following her scent. She’s upset with me, but I refuse to allow anything to harm her. Not now. Not ever.

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