Rejected and Regretted (Ashen Wolves #1)

10

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A V R I L

“That’s the least genuine smile I’ve ever seen,” Kea reprimanded me.

I resisted the urge to frown. “What did you expect? I’m not genuinely happy!” I argued.

Though I couldn’t deny that having Koen bring me here did stir something inside me.

I still remembered the first and last time I’d been here. Not that it was utterly memorable; it was just one more incident among a sea of times when I was picked on by other pack members. But it was the first time I stood up to my bullies.

Chad was the name of the gang leader. He and his minions had been tormenting me at every chance they got for a few months, and I’d had enough. When I saw him walking toward the exit of the packhouse, leading his group of annoying mutts, while I was cleaning the bottom floor, I saw an opportunity to get my revenge. I didn’t think twice before sticking the broom right in front of him, too fast for him to notice it. He tripped and fell face-first on the floor, hitting the ground so hard his nose bled. To everyone else around us, it looked like an accident; no one could tell it was a carefully-crafted plan.

Well, no one except for Chad. I barely had time to celebrate my success; just as fast as he had fallen, he was back on his feet. Next thing I knew, I was running for my life, with no idea where I was going. By the time I made it here, I was out of breath, and I knew they would be able to catch me soon. Out of pure instinct, I started climbing, only to find myself trapped before I could even feel the relief of being safe.

Fourteen-year-old-Koen stumbled upon me shortly after. I was scared to accept his help, afraid he would hurt me like everyone else always did. Instead, he took me in his arms and brought me back to safety.

I remembered how flustered I felt in his embrace. As an Omega, I had only ever looked at him from a distance; I wasn't supposed to approach him. Yet, he came to me, like a knight in shining armor. From that day on, I saw him as my savior - until he destroyed that image the moment I turned eighteen.

Either way, I hadn’t realized how Chad and his gang had indeed left me alone after the incident until Koen mentioned it. Was it true, though? It made sense, but I couldn’t begin to understand why he would care to defend me when his father clearly didn’t think I deserved it.

“You could at least try to be convincing!” Kea continued to scold me, pulling me back from my brief trip down memory lane.

I frowned internally, but before I could start arguing with her, Koen’s voice caught me by surprise.

“You know, I missed that smile,” he half-whispered.

When I looked up at him, the glisten in his eyes stunned me, making it even harder to process his words. Did he really mean that? The question crossed my mind, but I shrugged it off almost immediately. He was obviously just trying to be nice because he wanted to get on my good side. Right?

“Seems like I was convincing enough,” I teased Kea, who rolled her eyes at me, but remained silent in defeat. Silly wolf .

“Anyway, uh…” Koen cleared his throat, once again catching my attention. “It’s getting late. You must be tired.”

I nodded eagerly, though not for the reason I anticipated. This time, I didn’t yearn to leave Koen because being near him made me sick, but rather because I couldn’t stand how confused his incomprehensible kindness made me feel. I needed to be away from him before he drove me mad.

“I’m sure you have to be up early tomorrow too,” I agreed, and he sighed tiredly in confirmation.

What appeared to be a hint of disappointment flashed in his expression before a smirk quickly overshadowed it. “Do you still need my help to get down?”

Kea squinted her eyes in annoyance. The alpha in me didn’t appreciate the challenge, even if his tone was lighthearted. Still, I forced a smile, though I was sure it was even less convincing than my previous one.

“I’ll be fine on my own this time around, thanks,” I politely declined - or at least I tried to, but my sharp tone might have given away my vexation.

Koen let out a short chuckle before raising to his feet again, jumping down without hesitation, and I prepared myself to do the same. Thanks to werewolf dexterity, a fall from that height posed no threat to us, as long as we landed correctly. Unfortunately, maybe because I was in a rush to prove that the little scared omega had grown, I got up too fast and ended up slipping on the branch where we had been sitting. Losing balance, I fell backwards with a loud gasp.

As I plummeted downwards, my heart raced in terror, the rush of wind deafening in my ears, yet all I could do was brace myself. While a cat-shifter might have been able to work around this situation and land on their feet, my reflexes weren’t quick enough to avoid the inevitable crash.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact, but instead of the harsh jolt of the forest floor, I felt strong arms wrap around me, catching me right on time.

Adrenaline still rushed in my veins when my eyes flew open in shock, meeting Koen's wide-eyed gaze as he held me securely against his chest. His muscles tensed beneath me, absorbing the force of the fall effortlessly. My heart drummed in my chest, but not because of fear. I was out of breath, though that wasn’t the reason why I found it hard to speak.

And for a moment, I was too entranced to be bothered by how vulnerable I looked.

Koen’s eyes remained fixated on me a while longer, and I couldn’t find the strength to break my gaze away either, until he finally began lowering me to my feet.

"Are you alright?" his voice was a low rumble, filled with concern as he steadied me.

Goddess, what was I doing?

Swallowing, I fought to find my focus, breaking away from his embrace to put some distance between us. “Y-yeah,” I stammered, still a little shaken - from the near miss, or the proximity with Koen, I couldn’t tell. Shaking my head, I added, “Anyway, we should probably head back.”

Even as I began walking toward the main square, I could feel the alpha’s intense stare on me, but he didn’t say another word. I didn’t know if it was good or bad, as it made my confusing thoughts louder. Only once we reached the packhouse, when we were about to part ways, did he break the awkward silence that followed us all the way back.

“By the way, Avril, I wanted to let you know,” he started, his voice low, “I’ll be leaving early in the morning with my beta to a business meeting at another pack,” he revealed, and my ears immediately perked up. “We shouldn’t be gone for longer than a day, but you can make yourself at home.”

“Avril, this is perfect!” Kea cheered, our thoughts synchronized.

Without Koen and his second-in-command around, it would be easier to sneak into the upper floors of the packhouse, where the treasure I was hunting was likely hidden. I’d just need to wait for his gamma to be far from the main square again, and if the schedule at Whispering Hills hadn’t changed, he should be out on a hunt with a few warriors tomorrow morning. That would be my chance.

“Oh, okay,” I replied, trying my best to hide my inner excitement with a neutral expression.

He flashed me one final smile as he whispered, “Goodnight.”

And I rushed indoors, ready to spend the night awake sketching out my next move.

In the morning, right after I made sure Koen and his beta weren’t around, I called up my team to share the news with them. Once I filled them in, we headed to the common area, where we scattered around to wait for the gamma to leave for the hunt. Sitting in a chair in the living area, I pretended to read some random magazine I found lying on the table. Although my eyes were locked on the pages I often flipped to appear engrossed in its content, I used my peripheral vision to remain attentive to my surroundings.

Ten minutes into my wait, the feeling that I was being watched forced me to peel my eyes from the magazine in my hands. Looking up, I found a man pouring himself a cup of coffee. For some reason, he was staring straight at me.

It took me a moment to recognize him. He had changed quite a bit since I’d last seen him, but then it struck me - it was Chad. The moment he realized I had noticed him, he looked away. Just as he finished filling his cup, he turned around and walked away.

I couldn’t help but remember what Koen had told me the day before. It seemed the lesson he taught the bastard had stuck. Even after all these years, Chad didn’t dare come up to me, or do anything other than shoot dirty looks at me.

Then, my attention shifted to another man crossing the main floor - the gamma. I discreetly followed him with my gaze until he left the building. Shortly after, Theo linked me to confirm that he had disappeared from view after gathering his men. My beta also assured me he would stay put and let me know if the gamma returned, while Elijah moved to stand guard by the stairs.

As most pack members headed to the cafeteria for breakfast, movement at the common area died down. When there was no one else around, I seized the opportunity to climb to the second floor of the packhouse, where the beta suite was located - that was where I would begin my search.

Moving quietly was one of my pack’s signature abilities, and I used it masterfully to make it to my destination without making a sound. As I climbed the final step, the beta suite’s door coming into view, I realized only a few feet separated me from my goal. If the relic I needed to retrieve was inside this room, I could finally flee Whispering Hills. It could rot in hell along with Koen, whom I’d never have to see again.

However, instead of bringing me peace, the last thought made my heart tighten.

With a grunt, I forced my eyes shut. Focus, Avril . Now was not the time to let him break my concentration, not when I was so close to completing my mission.

I took a quick look around to confirm I was alone before I prepared myself. Standing in front of the door, Kea lent me her strength. One of my nails elongated, acquiring an opaque black color as it transformed into a wolf claw, which I used to pick on the lock.

While I could have easily blasted the door down with sheer force, the resulting noise would not be good. Lockpicking was trickier and demanded more time, but I eventually managed to get the door open as silently as possible. Yet, just as I pushed it open, I froze as my eyes landed on something I did not expect.

There was someone inside the beta suite.