(Willa)
The next day when he didn’t show up, made it harder. Even though I tried to convince myself that it was for the best and mentally prepared myself for him not to show up, my body still tensed, and I felt a flurry of nerves whenever the time neared that he used to come in.
“What happened to prince charming’s dark twin?” Cali asked after the third day he didn’t show.
I gave her a smile, or tried to, to show just how unbothered I was, and shrugged.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
She crossed her arms, studying me. I looked away. I didn’t know what she was looking for, but she was more perceptive than even I realized.
I hated that I was mad at him. I hated that I was already starting to lean on him. I needed to figure out how to do all this by myself without relying on anyone to be there for me.
Or maybe that’s what friends were for. I relied on Cali, and I didn’t see that as a negative thing.
It was too much to sort through, and I didn’t know why I felt the way I did. I felt anger. I felt the hollow burning ache of rejection, even if it was a shadow of what I felt with Nolan. It was a feeling that I, unfortunately, knew I.ntamately.
I was mad at him for leading me on. Or maybe I did by not accepting his date. But did I want someone who would disappear after a week of me not accepting him?
It was my fault.
He was too good for me. I’m sure he realized that now that the initial shock of the mate bond wore off. He’s probably back in his polished penthouse apartment and forgot I even existed—a single mother who could barely pay her bills and had no pack to call home.
F.uck, I was feeling it all.
(Caspien)
“Alpha Dracos.” Alpha Jasper drawled; he was sitting across a table with his Beta and Gamma standing behind him.
He looks like a d.amn villain - Holden linked me, and I couldn’t disagree.
These lesser Alphas clung to power so much that it consumed them. Anyone that felt that they didn’t have full control got desperate, and it lead to unpredictability.
I didn’t like that.
My power didn’t come from my aura or bloodline, I ran a tight pack, yes, but I ran it fairly. My members had everything they needed and more. No problems of theirs were too small, and I took into consideration their ideas and needs.
That is what made Crescent Moon so strong; it wasn’t my power and position. It was what I chose to do with it.
“Alpha Jasper, so nice of you to meet us.” I took the chair across from him and Griffen and Holden to the chairs to either side of us.
I eyed his Beta and Gamma that stayed standing.
“You know why we are here. I don’t see the need to drag this out. This is a problem for both of our packs, and it makes us look weak. I don’t do weak.” I started leaning back, studying him. His jaw twitched, and I almost smiled but held back.
“I don’t either. That's why I called this meeting.”
“Agreed to this meeting.” Griffen corrected him.
“You let your Beta speak like that?" Alpha Jasper snorted, “To another Alpha?”
“He may speak however he chooses, whenever he chooses. I made him my Beta for his opinions and his expertise, not to pretend to be security," I said, pinning him with a stare. I felt Griffen loosen up next to me.
“I don’t think this needs to drag. We need to figure out the problem, whether it is on your end, my end, or both." I gave him that much. I knew it was his fault. “Rogues cannot slip into the city, they shouldn’t slip into any pack territory, but a city poses a threat to more than the pack members themselves. Rogues are unpredictable and cannot be trusted around humans. My pack members that live in the city live in peace with humans. I will not let anything jeopardize that.”
“Living in fear, that doesn’t seem like a very powerful move.” Alpha Jasper stroked his slick beard. “Have you thought of just exterminating them?”
“The humans?” I asked. I couldn’t fully mask my surprise.
“Hm.” Alpha Jasper nodded.
“No,” I answered immediately, “There is no need.”
“You said you had to hide.”
“I said no such thing,” I countered, “Let's get back to the point. There are rogues slipping between our borders that need to be dealt with.”
Alpha Jasper sighed and motioned to one of his men to pour him a drink. “What is your plan?”
What was my plan? This was his problem. His negligence made it a problem for us.
“Here is what I propose. We can work out details tomorrow.” I nodded to Holden, who produced a folder and slid it over to Alpha Jasper. “Review this plan and contract. Since we aren’t allies, I want to make sure that we have some legal recourse if either of us back out of this.”
Alpha Jaspers' eyes widened for a second. “Of course, we wouldn’t want that.”
He stood, and his men left.
This short interaction was draining. Anything that took longer than it should because of other people’s egos grated on me.
“This is going to be a long agreement,” Holden sighed.
Griffen groaned and grabbed his phone to probably text Nora.
I instantly thought of Willa. I hoped she was safe. I wished I could talk to her even for a moment, but I knew that she probably didn’t even notice my absence.
(Willa)
I’ve come to terms, slightly, that he wasn’t coming back.
A small part of me was happy that he didn’t reject me because I don’t think we could have handled that. Iris whimpered in my mind at even the thought of rejection.
When Nolan rejected us, it was even harder for her than it was for me.
Our wolves needed their counterparts on a deeper and more primal level than our human part did. We needed our mates, as well, but it was different. Our wolves didn’t feel complete without them, and as much as it hurt me, Iris took even longer to recover. Part of me wondered if she ever would.
My body didn’t fill with adrenaline when it neared the time he used to come, and that was a good sign. I could breathe for the first time in a while, knowing that my body caught up to what my mind already knew.
We could get past this. We’ve done it before in a much worse situation. Every day would only get easier from here. I felt lighter at that realization.
“Why are you so? I don’t know..” Cali tilted her head. “Smiley?”
“First off, I don't think that's a word. Secondly, I just feel good, I guess. I feel optimistic.” I shrugged.
“That’s what I like to hear.” She gave me a rare genuine smile. “Break in fifteen, okay?”
I nodded and turned back to finish cleaning my section, thinking of what I wanted to eat today.
The bells at the door rang, and everyone froze, this time myself included.
His scent hit me harder than it did the first time. It was sweet but woody and too familiar already. It made me feel like I was walking through the forest after the first rain of spring when the flowers started to open.
It felt calming. I felt calm.
My wolf howled with joy as his churning blue eyes settled on mine.