Page 24 of Winning the Wolf

“Killick.” Caleb’s voice was raised in warning.

My insides quivered as I hunched in on myself. Killick’s aggression was high, and he was bordering on losing it. Caleb’s warning made it hard for me not to panic. If he was afraid that his new alpha would lose it with me, he must have been reading the signs.

“Go!” Killick roared, pointing at me. “Now!”

“B…but…” I stuttered.

Striding back to me, Killick bent low and snarled in my face. “You are hereby banished from my sight. Go home. I command you.”

Unable to refuse the alpha, even if I wanted to, I started to rise, almost headbutting Killick’s chin. He flinched away from me again, his gaze darting fire straight into my heart.

Caleb caught me when my knees buckled, his arms coming around my waist from behind. Killick surged forward and knocked him away, leaving me to steady myself.

“Her sister did this, she’s a traitor!”

Bowing his head, Caleb backed away, submissive to his alpha. The switch in hormones released from Killick was instantaneous, kicking in as soon as his father had passed. His wolf spirit and DNA would be expanding, growing in power in order to command his pack. Neither Caleb nor I could go against his wishes.

A whimper slipped from my throat as I turned, my heart breaking at the rejection of my alpha. It wasn’t about lust, it was deeper. An alpha became the centre of every wolf’s world until their fated mate was revealed. We were bred to be loyal and devoted to our alphas in order to survive as a pack.

Licking my top lip of the salty tears that dribbled down my cheeks, I hugged my arms around myself and quickened my pace back to the house. Killick had seen red, and if I wasn’t careful, he would kill me in order to avenge his parents… just like Jeremy had threatened.

Shit, Jeremy. If his claim had been true, Killick needed to know.

A shudder moved me as I glanced over my shoulder, almost expecting to see Killick coming after me, his claws extended. He still paced next to the pond, his back to me as he clenched his hands and moaned low in his throat. The emotion was threatening to overwhelm him. It was best for me to leave. Otherwise, he would take his anger out on me… by killing me with a bite to the neck.

Chapter Seven

Stiffening as the bell rang, I shot a quick glance towards the door. I’d been on edge ever since I’d arrived at the coffee shop, determined, yet again, to try and get back to some normality. Not that it was working.

“Thank fuck,” I muttered when Dinky strode past the shelves, wiping a hand down them to check they were dust free.

It had been three days since my last encounter with the new alpha. Luckily, Caleb’s handy sewing work had pretty much patched me up again.

My injuries were still causing pain, but at least I managed to sleep through the night, and walking was now easier. Killick had sent me one message to tell me to stay away from the headquarters and the pack. I was officially banished until an investigation had been carried out. I’d asked if I could open the café and he hadn’t replied. I’d taken that as a yes.

“I can’t…” Dinky started when she reached me. “…the alpha.”

I bit my lip and nodded towards a table near the back of the seating area. Three teenage girls sat staring, their pretty eyes puffy from crying. They had no idea what had actually happened to their alpha, only that he’d died. That was the beauty of being a younger member of the pack, they were kept in ignorance.

“Have you heard from Killick?” Dinky took the broom I’d been squeezing between my grazed hands.

“No.” Sighing, I moved to the counter and removed a caramel slice, chomping on it before offering the rest to Dinky.

She refused the sweet treat with a shake of her head, wincing when one of her dreadlocks caught on a nearby hook.

“I slept in my car the night of Phileas’ defeat,” I muttered, “and that’s when he told me I was banished. The next morning, I went home and tried to clean up the mess Jeremy had left. There was only so much I could do with these injuries.”

“He hasn’t returned?”

Swallowing down the last of the caramel slice, I almost choked. “He’s stayed away… for now. I’m petrified he’ll return, but I’m hoping he’s too afraid of the consequences considering he was probably the one who killed…”

My sentence trailed off when one of the girl’s got up from her seat and came over. “Are you still having the band on Saturday night?”

Her long blonde hair was tucked behind her ear, which was adorned with a crescent moon and star earring. Oh, to be so young and carefree.

“I doubt it very much,” I said, shaking the crumbs from my fingers. “It wouldn’t be respectful. Plus, the alpha needs to be b–”

“Respected!” Dinky interrupted urgently. “It wouldn’t be right. I’m sure it’ll be rearranged for a later date.”

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