Her Loving Alpha's Strange Rejection

No Pain in Black Fang Pack

Lucas

I glance over at Addison worriedly as we park in front of the packhouse. She doesn’t wake and I can see the exhaustion on her face. I clench my fists wishing I’d given in to my instincts and marched through that wedding punching that fucker’s lights out. I could have ruined his pretty face for today’s happy little event. If Addi hadn’t needed me more, I would have. Even now Ranger snarls seeing his baby sister in agony.

'Jo, I’m bringing her upstairs now. Did Dr. Morley drop off the pills?'

'I have them. On my way. How is she?'

'Asleep, exhausted.'

'I’ll order dinner to be sent up too.'

I lay Addison on the couch, covering her with the soft white throw blanket. As I do, I look carefully at her. I c**k my head to the side, and I hear Ranger stir. No… it can’t be… My heart clenches for her.

'It is.' He rumbles out. 'Jagger is an imbecile.'

Now I really wish I had punched him. I sit, trying to figure out what to do next for her.

'We could shift and be back within an hour. Go knock his dumbass out cold.'

'Don’t tempt me. Our mate is on the way though, and might not like that.'

Joelle walks hurriedly into the office, her blonde curls bouncing wildly and stops short at the sight of my face.

“Honey, you look like you are in agony. Is she hurt?” Her concerned brown eyes meet mine, and I shake my head.

“Not physically. But there are some things she hasn’t told us yet. Let’s wake her. I want her to eat and tell us what she left out.”

I lean down and gently shake her shoulder. She stretches exactly like she did as a little girl and my heart aches, wishing I could bundle her up in my arms and soothe her like I used to when she would get hurt. Go beat up the bully on the playground who made her cry.

'Except this time, we might rip his heart from his chest.' Ranger adds darkly.

“Hey, Addibug.” I call her softly. She takes in where we are as she sits up, and Joelle rushes over to hug her.

“Hey, Jo.” She says, hugging my mate tightly. “Where’s Hayden?”

“He’s asleep already. I have his nanny watching him for a bit in case he wakes. Dinner is here. Why don’t you come sit and eat, then we can talk?”

Addi nods.

“Aren’t you going to tell us the worst?” She looks at me giving nothing away except her shoulders square up. I’ve always known that move to mean she’s holding something in. I glance at her stomach pointedly and see her close her eyes for a second.

“I’m pregnant.” She confirms quietly.

Jo gives a strangled gasp, “Does Seth know?”

Addi gazes at us both sadly. “I didn’t even know until I collapsed after he claimed Aubrey. Trisha ran bloodwork and found it. She was coming in to tell me when Seth and Aubrey showed up. Thankfully she said nothing yet.” She pauses and frowns.

“What is it, sis?” I ask gently. “Addi.” She swings her gaze to me. “That is a true Alpha pup. His mate is not from a ranked family, so he’d want that pup if he knew. That is probably why he was so eager. Do you plan to tell him?”

I want her to keep it from him for now, but it’s not my choice. Forever will be wrong though and I recognize that as a father though I wish that scumbag wasn’t part of this.

“No, I never want him to know. I will not have her raising my pup and he would never let me keep the baby from him.” Addi’s eyes are fierce as is her tone. There are those fiery Alpha female genes she possesses. My father raised her to be badass and strong and she lived up to his expectations. Addi has never been one to put up with nonsense though this is a bit of a different animal. And the fact she is pregnant, her hormones… yeesh. I might not be the biggest threat to Seth West when her emotions really come into play.

“Listen, I wholly agree, but never telling him may not be realistic. That pup is the heir to Thunder Moon Addi. If you ever want them to have a claim for it, then you will need to reveal their true parentage. And being a true Alpha, it will be difficult not to have their rightful inheritance. To not lead a pack. An Alpha with no purpose. You are familiar with Hayden and his aura already.”

Addi and Seth both were Alpha born, like my mate Joelle and I. Pure Alpha genes in a pup make for very dedicated Alpha tendencies.

Fierceness and the need to protect are multiplied about a hundredfold in a true Alpha. There are not as many anymore because it seems Alpha children are not mates as often as they used to be. My mate is an Alpha female, and I was actually surprised when Addi was also a mate of an Alpha. Our cousin Gavin is mated to a beta female, and the other five Alphas I work with are mainly mated to gammas or betas.

She nods. “I know. I will tell him later, but not now. I want nothing to do with him or his new mate. The pain is too fresh, and I might slice her heart out if I had to deal with her over my newborn pup. Owen doesn’t know, but Grams figured it out. She promised to keep it from everyone, but I was still worried about the Alpha command. The witch who came to visit made it so that Grams wouldn’t remember I am pregnant until after I give birth even if he commands it.”

“That’s helpful, though a bit disconcerting, as they have that ability. What about Trisha?” I frown.

“She refused, so she could help me if I needed her. She is thinking of leaving the pack because of this. Revealed that to me yesterday when she came to check on me.”

I shake my head sadly at that piece of news. The pack members do not deserve to suffer because their Alpha has gone bonkers. I wonder if I’ll have transfer requests from this. I’ll deal with that worry later.

“If he shows up, I’ll deal with it.” I say confidently but watch her eyes blaze giving me hope.

“I intend to be able to lay his ass out flat if I need to the next time we speak. I will have to wait until after this pup is born, but I will be back in training like I was before.”

I chuckle shaking my head as I picture it. “Maybe you can go challenge him for his pack and take over as Alpha. I fully believe you could kill him with the rage you will feel. Never mess with mama wolves.”

“I don’t want his damn pack. But I’d like to humiliate him in front of it. Return the favor.” She says darkly.

Glancing at Jo, I let out a sigh. “That means you can’t stay here long. Once you begin to show someone here, you could tell a friend there about your baby bump. Our packs are too intertwined unfortunately. I’d rather you be here so I can protect you.”

“I already thought about that. What if I go to Pale Moon pack?” She would think of Gavin, our cousin’s pack.

“No, he knows you’d go there too.” I sit back and think. “But Danica’s old pack would be an option. Her sister Halley is still there. She’s a tough fighter too. I’d feel a little better if you stayed with her and her family. We can get you back here in a year or two. Use some second chance mate story and that’s their pup.”

I watch the hurt flicker over her face. Her pain is too raw for this kind of talk. I get up and put her on my lap to cradle her in my arms.

“Sorry, Addibug, it’s too soon to talk like that. Let’s just enjoy being here for a few weeks and go from there. Hayden is going to love having his Aunt here.”

Jo comes over and wraps her arms around both of us. “And I’m going to enjoy a few weeks of some close sister time. Honey, we should let her rest. And talk about tonight….” Her voice trails off and I know where she’s headed. I link Dr. Morley.

‘We have a complication Dr. Morley. Can my sister have the pills if she’s pregnant?’

‘Yes, Alpha but only one instead of two. And I’ll see her first thing in the morning at the packhouse.’

‘Thank you.’

I nod at Jo, and she clears her throat. “Owen said Seth has plans for tonight, and we know it will cause you a lot of pain. Dr. Morley gave us some pills that will dull the pain when he… marks her. Do you want to take them?” She holds Addi’s hand tightly, and I watch her eyes lower. She takes a shaky breath and nods.

“Only one pill he said, Jo.” I let her know as she opened the bottle. Addi swallows it, and Jo leads her off to her room to get her settled. I lean back in my chair, hoping she will be safe. Gavin is going to want to eradicate Seth and his pack too. Another fun addition to my day, I snarl to Ranger.

‘We can go and kill Jagger and be back before lunch. With the rage I feel now, he wouldn’t even get a chance to shift before I sliced his head off.’ Ranger says with extreme malice.

‘Joelle wants to roast his balls. Maybe we should let Gavin and Maximus join us.’ I say wryly.

Addi

I wake to the sound of my nephew singing. He is right outside my door, and the sound of it brings a smile to my face. Pure sweet innocence. The door opens a tiny fraction, and I see him peeking around it. He spots me smiling at him and comes racing in jumping on the bed and landing on my legs.

“Aunt Addi!” His little voice exclaims, and I envelop him in a hug.

“Hi Hayhay! I have missed you.” I tell him as I inhale his sweet little boy scent.

“I mist you. You came to see me! Where Unka Sefff?” His big blue eyes look into mine and I reflect these are the moments that will continue to break me. Innocent questions because my life is so tied to his.

Hayden loved Seth. The feeling was mutual. He always brought him a toy and played with him. They would build Lego cities and block towers for hours, my mate being as excited and entranced with the toys as Hayhay. It hurts knowing he will never see his uncle again, especially if Lucas has anything to say about it.

“He couldn’t come, little man. Only Aunt Addi this time.” That’s good enough for an almost three-year-old.

He nods smiling sweetly. “Alphas are busy busy. Daddy takes me on a special day dust da two of us once a week.”

Another pang to my heart as I realize my pup will miss out on Daddy treats and special days. I can picture it so vividly; Seth would grin mischievously as he hauled them off to sneak doughnuts from the kitchen before spending the day with them. Delight would radiate from him as he spoiled them with attention because that was his true gift to those he loved. I can see him grinning as he sets them on his desk… or at least my Seth would have. I take in a shaky breath and clutch my chest. Will this pain ever cease or at least lessen? Even I’m beginning to get on my own nerves at this point. I know it’s only been a week, but I have never been a weepy emotional female. My father raised me to be tough and not show weakness or dwell upon it.

“Your daddy loves you so much. Let’s go see about breakfast.” I brush my teeth and follow him down the hall. Jo and Lucas are sitting at the family table as we join them. Hayden jumps onto his dad’s lap eliciting a happy chuckle.

“How did you sleep, Addi?” Lucas says.

“Surprisingly well. I didn’t feel anything though.” He glances at my neck and frowns, “Your mark is still there. Something must have happened…” I see him grab his phone and start texting.

Ten minutes later his phone buzzes and he reads it quickly his face frowning once again.

“Owen says there was a massive eastern border breach, and Seth had to deal with it. Now he’s leaving because the council summoned him about it. Won’t be home for three to five days.”

I sigh. Honestly, I’d rather get it over with, the pain and the sadness that will come when I lose my mark. Rejection is described as akin to dying so I’m really not relishing that fun. I run my fingers over it gently and wish it filled me with joy to see it. All I can think is it’s a ticking time bomb reminding me my mate bond will implode like the rest of my life.

I watch them all leave. Lucas to his office, Jo to take Hayden to pup playtime then her duties. I wait for Dr. Morley.

“Addison you look very well considering.”

“Seth was called away last night, and I felt no pain, so he didn’t mark her.”

He nods slowly, “I see. You can take the pills preventatively if you want. Only one still because of the pup. Nessa back yet?”

I shake my head wondering if she’s gone for good. She whimpered a few times yesterday but then was silent again.

“I am sure Dr. Trisha already warned you that an Alpha wolf will feel the pain of a mate betrayal about a hundred times worse than a regular wolf.”

“She left out the magnitude, but she said it was shielding me from compound grief. Dr. Morley, you don’t think she might leave me permanently when he marks her?”

“It is not unheard of to lose a wolf when a mate dies or a painful rejection occurs. But it usually depends on the strength of the wolf and the human. You and Nessa are both forces to be reckoned with so I would imagine she will be back.”

“Thank you, Dr. Morley.” He takes his leave giving me a tiny bit of hope. I do not want to lose my wolf because of that asshole. If I do… then I will ask Lucas to go kill him only because I won’t be able to shift and do it myself.

“If Nessa does not return before he marks her, Addi. I need to warn you that you may go into a human coma or something worse.” He takes a deep breath pinning me with an intense stare. “You could lose your pup.”

My hand instinctively goes to my stomach. “Nessa needs to come back Addi. Start talking to her a lot. Remind her of that.”

As I walk outside the hospital, I decide to take the path by the forest. As I am near the edge, I hear a low menacing growl.

Turning quickly I start looking for the source. My feet begin backing away rapidly so I am not at the mercy of the forest’s limited visibility.

I link Lucas quickly. 'Something is snarling at me in the forest.'

'What the f**k Addi? I am on the way with warriors.'

I finally catch a shadow of movement. It’s a large black wolf. An Alpha with very light green eyes. I growl lowly wishing Nessa hadn’t left me defenseless. There’s no scent and no breeze right now. The air feels weird actually. Like something heavy is traveling through it. He faces me and I wonder why something seems off.

I watch as those eyes meet mine. There’s something sinister about the way his eyes look around us. Then they narrow, and his snout lifts toward the air. He gives an almost wolfy grin before c*****g his head to the side. One paw stamps the ground, and I take a step back almost like he’s challenging me.

Lucas says, 'Almost there.'

I focus back on the wolf as the air changes again. Something sweet fills my nostrils, and I watch the wolf dissolve like an illusion before my eyes. Weakness takes over my entire body and dots start appearing again. Just like in Seth’s office, I think before I see nothing.

“Addi! Wake up, please!” I hear Lucas and slowly open my eyes.

“What happened?” I sit up, and he breathes deeply.

“You fainted I think. What did you see?”

I describe the weird wolf and he frowns hard glancing at his Beta before addressing him.

“Larkin, get a team to scour the forest. I want to know if anyone has snuck in.” He walks over with his Beta and they begin examining the ground. After ten minutes, he’s back at my side.

“No paw prints or any scent, Addi. I don’t smell anything sweet either besides the flowers over there.”

He gazes at me with concern and I realize he wonders if I imagined the entire thing.

“I swear I saw him, Lucas. Or at least my brain thinks I did.” I tell him frustration taking over my voice.

“Addi, I believe you always. But I do wonder if you’ve been through too much and need a few days to relax.”

“Maybe.” I tell him as I bite my lip. Maybe something is seriously wrong with me and my brain.