Rejected

LIAM

The white-haired she-wolf nods and quickly shuffles out from behind my desk.

“Yes. Y-you must be Alpha Lynch.” Her voice cracks slightly.

“Please have a seat.”

I slide into the large black leather chair behind the desk while she takes a seat on one of the wooden chairs in front of me. I study her for a moment.

Deep-blue eyes, so bright they almost glow against her fair complexion, gaze steadily back at me. Unlike most new wolves I meet, she seems unaffected by my presence, and it intrigues me.

I breathe in. The scent of vanilla and lavender mixed with something uniquely her, fills the room. It’s intoxicating, and my wolf perks up, eager to know more about this woman.

“Why did you leave your pack?” I ask.

The question catches her off guard, and she hesitates.

“Um…well, you see… I-I was going through something, and I needed a fresh start.”

My brow raises, and I sit back, hands clasped in front of me and my elbows resting on the arms of the chair.

Ever since my brother’s death, the rogue attacks on us and neighboring packs have increased. I’ve doubled the patrols at our borders, but they still manage to slip past.

No one is sure of their motives, but rumors have been circulating. Stories about pups stolen from their beds. I can’t afford to take any risks.

“If you are to stay here, I’ll need more than that. I need to know if letting you stay poses a threat to my pack.”

She looks down at the ground, clearly struggling to find the words. I watch as her face turns red, and she shuffles her feet anxiously.

After a long period of silence, I sigh, losing patience with her. Her eyes dart up to me and quickly away, as if they can’t look at me directly while revealing why she’s here.

“I was rejected by my mate.” Her voice is low and broken, tears already falling down her cheeks.

I feel something shift inside me at seeing her pain, the memories of my own rejection rushing back but I push them away. Now is not the time to be soft. Not when the safety of my pack is in question. I frown, steepling my fingers and leveling my gaze on her.

“Why? What did you do?”

Her shocked expression confirms that I’ve made a mistake, asking a very personal question in a very accusatory way. She stands abruptly, rage radiating from her as she storms out of my study and right out the front door.

I quickly follow her, an apology already on my lips, but she’s too quick. I look around the sidewalk, scenting the air for her and following my nose to the right and down a side street. I spot her ahead of me, and she suddenly stops, looking around with an irritated glare.

“Ms. Delante, please.”

She turns, frustrated tears on her face. I hold up my hands.

“Please, Nadia. I owe you an apology. That was out of line. I understand if you’re upset with me, but it’s not safe to be out on your own. There have been…instances,” I hesitate, not wanting to share the problems of the pack with an outsider. “Please let me walk you home.”

An aggravated growl slips past her lips.

“Well, as my wolf has so kindly informed me, I went the wrong way. She’s usually quick to correct me, but I guess she was taking a nap or something.” She frowns, looking down and wiping her eyes. “I would appreciate a guide.”

My wolf lets out a delighted growl that she clearly hears. I cough, trying to calm him. I’m not sure what it is about this she-wolf that has him so excited.

“Your wolf isn’t the only one acting out of sorts lately.”

Her lips curl into a smile. A loud scream shatters through the cold, fall air disrupting the moment.

I look around us, searching for anything out of place when I hear bones cracking as Nadia shifts beside me. I turn, eyes widening as they take in the beautiful white wolf with glowing blue eyes standing in her place.

My wolf pushes forward just as another scream rips through the streets. Without hesitation, the white wolf tears off in the direction of the sound. My wolf’s paws hit the ground right behind her when the filthy smell hits me.

Rogues!

My wolf charges after Nadia, almost catching up with her when a black wolf shoots out of an alley and jumps on her back. Before I can reach her, she barrel-rolls, slamming the mangy wolf into the side of a brick wall, chunks of brick and mortar cracking off with the force of her hit.

She jumps to her feet. The dazed rogue sinks its teeth into her leg. She practically folds in half, wrapping her jaws around his neck and biting down.

I hear a loud snap, and his lifeless body falls to the ground as she takes off running again. I don’t have time to be surprised or impressed as my wolf surges forward, sprinting past the dead rogue toward the source of the screams.

We round the corner of an apartment building. The glass of its front doors is shattered. Nadia bursts through, paying no attention to the shards of glass littering the ground as she bounds up the stairs.

She does not stop and scent the air. She just runs as though her body already knows its destination.