Rejecting the Alpha

I almost dragged Vander off to his bedroom then and there, but he cut me off, saying something about how there were things he needed to do if I was going to have any surprise at all that night. I regretted suggesting he should make it special, instead I should have just demanded that he mark me when he had half-seriously offered.

As he walked off, his excitement for me obvious, I watched the way he moved. I doubted that he had the raw strength of Alpha Gavriel, but Vander was lithe and his muscles flowed with a power that was more subtle, but undeniable. Everything about him appealed to me, not only physically, but who he was as well.

A couple of months ago, I had thought my life was over, but once I broke free from the alpha, and even more once I found Vander, my hope began to grow again. I knew my family would not want me to be miserable and afraid forever, they would want me to find happiness again, if possible, and it seemed like it might be.

I made my way to the alcove, with its long tall windows and its full bookshelves, and I took the most recent one I had been reading back to the comfortable armchair and opened to my bookmark. Even though I had the page in front of me, I couldn't really keep my mind on the story, because Vander kept wandering into it and distracting me.

If I had found Vander before Alpha Gavriel, I was increasingly certain I would have assumed that he was my mate instead of the alpha. If the alpha hadn't marked and claimed me, I probably would be feeling the bond with Vander as much as I had with him, right? If I had met Vander first, I never would have imagined that there was another mate out there for me, and I would certainly have been happier for it.

While the situation between us was still unique and confusing, I did not care why anymore. Every moment I spent with Vander, I cared about him more, and I thought about the alpha less. One day, I was increasingly certain, that other male would be only a terrible memory. I would remember my grief, and those who I had loved and lost, but he would be nothing but a footnote.

After a couple of hours of fairly unsuccessful reading, Vander returned and told me that I had an hour to get ready and wouldn’t tell me much more than that. I smiled and did just that, showering and digging around my clothing to find something that would make me look good. It was still a new experience to have a mate who I wanted to please for the simple joy of his happiness, and I revelled in it.

I wore a cute sundress Lys had given me in a box of other clothes she had offered. It faded from pink to white and as I inspected myself from multiple angles, I imagined that Vander would like it. He wouldn't give me any hints about what we were doing, so I just hoped that we wouldn't do anything that would wreck it.

Throwing on some makeup, I left my hair long and loose, just in case we ended up running around as wolves for whatever reason. I wasn't ruling anything out.

When I came out, Vander was waiting for me, wearing a grey shirt and nice pants, and he looked delicious. His eyes raked over me as I neared, and I smiled because that had been the exact reaction I had been looking for.

"You look so good I think I need to cancel our plans."

I smiled at his words. I was tempted to tell him to go ahead and do just that, except that I was curious what he had come up with. "If your plans are half as good as I'm hoping they are, I might just come home with you tonight."

"That is a lot of pressure."

"Everything I've seen you do so far has given me very high expectations, Delta." I fluttered my eyes at him and smiled playfully.

"Well, I am hoping for more favourable reviews from you."

I walked out the door, exaggerating the swinging of my hips just a bit to keep his eyes on me as I preceded him. "I look forward to needing to give you more."

Vander followed behind me with a chuckle.

A couple of minutes later, we were in his sporty grey car and driving out of the pack territory. He definitely had a thing for his vehicle. "I like your car, Vander."

"Oh? Thanks," he said, with a grin, .

"Could I drive it some time?" I asked, more because I wanted to hear his answer than because I actually had a huge desire to drive. I smiled at him and batted my eyes teasingly.

"Sure you can." He grinned at me. I wondered if he knew I had been just testing what he would say.

"Thank you, Vander," I said, in my most sweet tone. Would he actually let me?

"You're welcome. I'd let you drive now, but you don't know where we're going."

"Nice excuse," I said, teasing him.

"If it's true, is it still an excuse? You can drive us at the end of the night if you want, Kylie."

"Oh? Really?"

"How could I say no? And if it gets you to come home with me at the end of the night..."

I laughed. I was pretty sure he didn't need to let me drive to lure me home with him. Where else could I possibly want to go?

A bit more driving and we were in the nearest human town. I was only slightly familiar with it, having gone into it on only two occasions for supplies, and I had kept my visits as short as possible so that no one would remember me. I didn't want anyone to be able to give my description if Stonemason wolves came looking for me one day.

I was being paranoid, but telling myself that didn’t really help. That niggling fear hung at the back of my mind even though I knew it was unlikely he would find me this far away. It was also unlikely that Alpha Gavriel would slaughter a human town for harbouring me since that would undoubtedly bring the might of the hunters down on his pack, and maybe even all wolves. From what I'd heard, the hunters were always looking for an excuse to interfere more.

"What are you thinking, or more likely, worrying about?" Vander asked me, cutting into my wandering thoughts.

"Nothing much. Just imagining Stonemason wiping out this human town and the hunters declaring war. Nothing too exciting.”

"Deep thoughts."

"If anyone were going to start a war with the hunters, it would be him. But I guess not, because it wouldn't be 'good for Stonemason'." I sounded bitter and I couldn’t help it, since ‘good for Stonemason’ reasoning had destroyed my family.

"I'm surprised he couldn't see that hurting you was bad for Stonemason."

I shrugged. "He really did not understand, I think. He looked confused a lot. Really when it came to anything involving hurting me. He couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just get over it and move on.”

Vander growled, and I glanced at him in surprise. He usually was so in control of himself.

"Sorry, Kylie, but he just..."

It was obvious how angry talking about the alpha made Vander feel. "Sorry, for bringing him up when we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves together."

"No need to apologize, I did ask, didn't I?" he said, but there was still some tightness in his voice as he pulled into a restaurant parking lot.

"Maybe, but still," I said, as he parked the car. Once he shifted into park I looked directly into his warm eyes. "If you're jealous, you don't need to be. I would pick you over him every time. I never felt anything like this towards him. We'll probably never know exactly what's happening with the bond between me and the two of you, but ours is just as real as what he had with me. More real, because I actually like you, want to be with you, and so I choose you. I love you."

He kissed me then and I lost myself in his touch, heat flooding me, making me want him all over again, my worries scattered.

When he broke off, he said, "I love you, too, Kylie. You're mine, and I’m yours, as long as you want me.”

I couldn’t imagine not wanting him, not now that I had found him.

He got out of the car and opened the door for me. We walked inside the restaurant, and I was curious what else he had planned.