Rejected and Regretted

Three

☆ AVRIL ☆

For a moment, my mind went blank as I was held prisoner by Koen’s intense gaze. I hadn’t expected to meet him so soon, under these circumstances, and it caught me off guard. Mixed feelings, which I fought to keep hidden behind an emotionless expression, awakened inside me.

A hint of joy surfaced at the sight of him. Shivers ran through me as my mind inevitably tried to picture how our life could have been had he accepted me. For a brief second, I could have sworn I felt the urge to touch him, as if the mate pull I barely had the chance to experience had been set alight again, but that’s all it lasted - one second.

While it was true that his face reminded me of the love I used to dream about when I was younger, it also reminded me of who I was back then. Weak. Helpless. Submissive. I hated that version of myself, and I dreaded what I would have become if I had stayed with him, the cruel alpha who left an untrained omega to fend for herself. That’s when anger hit, reminding me of how I truly felt about him, overshadowing whatever positive emotion I initially felt.

Koen was despicable; as of now, he was merely a means to an end.

“Alpha Koen!” the guard spoke again, breaking the trance we both seemed to have been under. His chin touched his chest with how far forward he bent his head in the presence of his leader. “I’m terribly sorry for allowing this mutt to disturb your run,” he spat the word, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. So many insults, yet so little action - I guess it was true that dogs that bark seldom bite. “We tried to send her off, but she’s stubborn.”

To my shock, Koen scrunched his brows, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. Was he mad at his guard? No, I quickly discarded the option. I must have been the target of his fury, even if his next question made my confidence waver.

“Send her off?” the alpha repeated, seemingly annoyed. “Why would you send her off? Avril was once a member of this pack.” As he turned to me once again, his features softened. “Whispering Hills will always be open for you. You and your friends are welcome to come inside.”

All I could do was blink in utter bewilderment. What kind of game was he playing? He was so eager to exile me five years ago, I failed to see why he would be this welcoming now.

“We can’t trust him,” Kea reminded me, her hackles raised in alertness. “Play along, but keep an eye on him.”

“I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him,” I reassured her. “Don’t worry, whatever he hopes to achieve with this act, I won’t fall for it.” Inhaling a short breath, I let my shoulders slouch to appear more relaxed, proceeding to nod at Koen. “Thank you. The Azure Smoke Pack appreciates your kindness.”

His eyes widened. “Azure Smoke?”

It took him a second to digest my revelation. Little was known about my pack. Aside from being fairly new and small, making it hard to find information about us, we also liked to keep to ourselves. The less other groups knew about us, the better - it was how we had managed to survive until now. However, the one thing we couldn’t keep hidden - neither did we want to - was how powerful we were compared to other emerging packs. I was sure that mentioning our name would pique Koen’s interest.

Still facing him, I nodded. “I was sent as a representative by our alpha. She would like to discuss a possible alliance with Whispering Hills.”

Those were my first two lies, and I was impressed by how convincing I sounded. The visible curiosity in the alpha’s expression was further proof he had believed me.

“Please, follow me.” Koen pointed with his head in the direction of the heart of the territory. Just then, I caught the shadow of a smile on his lips. “Though I believe you still know the way to the packhouse, don’t you, Avril? After all, you grew up here.”

What was that about? I opened my mouth to reply, but the annoying guard was faster. “Would you like us to escort them, Alpha Koen?”

“That won’t be necessary,” my former mate immediately waved him off. “Avril and her friends are not a threat to our pack, and they shall not be treated as such.”

Once again, I was taken aback by his response. This definitely wasn’t the reception I was expecting from him. On the other hand, I guess it made my work easier, so I just went with it.

***

“Here we are.” The alpha held the door to the common office open for us, but just as I took a step forward, he stopped me. “Uh, Avril…” I watched his gaze shift to Theo and Elijah, who were right behind me. “Would you mind if we talked in private?” I c****d my head to the side, trying to read him as he went on. “I understand you are the sole representative of the Azure Smoke Pack, right?”

I looked at my men over my shoulder, hesitating for a moment before replying, “Yes. The alpha didn’t want to send me alone, so she sent two of her warriors with me for protection.”

“Well, I assure you we will be safe inside my office,” he insisted. “I’m used to discussing business one on one, from alpha to alpha.” I chilled at his sentence, thinking for a moment that he had figured me out, until he continued, “Or in this case, from alpha to alpha’s representative.”

Goddess, I had to learn to keep my cool. Holding back a sigh of relief, I agreed, “Of course.” Just from Theo’s and Elijah’s faces, I could tell they weren’t comfortable with leaving me alone. “I’ll be fine with Alpha Koen,” I told them, hoping they would understand what I meant - that I could definitely defend myself against my former mate should he try anything.

Thankfully, they caught my drift. Although reluctant, they both stepped away, watching me closely as I disappeared into Koen’s office with him.

Once the door was locked, I never took my eyes off him. Despite lacking any fear of him, I was unwilling to be caught off guard. Until I learned his true intentions, I would stay vigilant, attentive to his every move.

Koen pulled out a seat for me, offering me a glass of water before sitting on his own chair behind the desk. For a moment, he just stared at me in silence, observing me, as I waited for him to initiate a conversation. Was he trying to read me too?

“Avril,” he called at last, catching my attention. “How have you been?”

Great. It seemed we were doing small talk.

“Good,” I replied simply, not bothering to ask the same about him, as I didn’t care at all.

“How has Azure Smoke been treating you?” he went on.

Rage got the best of me, and without thinking, I spat, “Much better than Whispering Hills ever did.”

His face immediately fell, in a reaction I assumed was shock at my rude reply. s**t, I cursed myself. I was here to convince him my pack sought an alliance with him, but if I didn’t hold my tongue, I would blow any chance I might have. And returning home empty-handed was not an option.

Desperate to correct my mistake, I blurted out, “Sorry, what I meant was-”

“I know what you meant.” Koen cut me off, facing his desk. “You’re right. Whispering Hills treated you poorly. I’m glad you’re living a better life now.”

I searched for signs of dishonesty in his features, but I couldn’t find any. Was he telling the truth? Could he really be happy for me? Don’t be silly, Avril, I scolded myself. He was probably just too good at lying.

“Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “What is your alpha’s proposal to me?”

I raised my head in relief. This part I had rehearsed over and over - I wouldn’t mess it up. “As you might know Azure Smoke Pack has no allies. Despite having received numerous proposals, they were all turned down, as none of them were deemed worthy in the eyes of our alpha.”

“And Whispering Hills is?” he wanted to know.

“Your pack is traditional and long-standing. Both are traits an emerging pack like mine seeks for its first alliance,” I clarified.

“I see. What are you willing to offer us?”

“Azure Smoke might be much smaller in size compared to Whispering Hills, but I’m sure you’ve heard about how fast we are growing. That’s because we have the best warriors,” I observed. “In exchange for your support, we are willing to lend you a few of our men.”

He was thoughtful for an instant. “Not a lot is known about your pack. Why should I believe you?”

“You don’t have to.” I shrugged. “Another reason why my alpha sent Theo and Elijah with me was so they could show you what they’re capable of.”

“Alright. I’m interested,” he gave in - much sooner than I expected, but I’d take it. However, as he leaned over the table with his fingers intertwined, I realized our conversation wasn’t over yet. “The only thing I’m still curious about is why your alpha didn’t come to me in person?”

Already expecting that question, I relaxed against my seat, the answer on the tip of my tongue. “Two reasons. First, she doesn’t want to reveal her true identity yet…” Well, that wasn’t a lie. “Second, she wants to know she can trust you first, which is why she sent me. Since I was once a member of this pack, she trusted me with the task of evaluating if you are worthy of her loyalty.”

“Fair enough.” Koen nodded. “You and your friends are welcome to stay as long as you need, though I hope I can change your perception about us soon.” He made a brief pause. “Avril, Whispering Hills isn’t the same as it used to be. I didn’t like the way my father used to rule, and I made sure to do better.”

That we would see. I resisted the urge to scoff, instead forcing a smile, “It’s good to know.”

He stared into my eyes for another second before sighing and rising from his seat. “Well, if that is all…” Heading to the door, he opened it for me.

Theo and Elijah, who were standing guard on the other side, immediately turned to me, eager to make sure I was okay.

“I’ll link my Beta and have him show you to your guest suites,” Koen informed me just as he walked past me. “As much as I would like to do so myself, I unfortunately have other matters that demand my attention.”

“Of course,” I acknowledged, trying to sound sympathetic. “I’m sure your luna is also wondering where you are.”

At my statement, Koen stopped dead in his tracks. After an instant, he revealed, to my utter shock. “Whispering Hills doesn’t have a luna.” Before I could process what he said, he shot me a glance, a profound warmth in his eyes as he added, “At least not yet.”

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