Rejected and Regretted (Ashen Wolves #1)

12

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A V R I L

When Angelica swung her open palm in my direction, I instinctively backed away, causing her to miss. A regular omega would hardly have the reflexes to avoid her blow, and she seemed to realize that. Dumbfounded, her eyes widened as she visibly tried to process what just happened. Still, her anger and eagerness to hit me quickly surpassed her confusion, and she prepared herself to make another move.

Inside my head, my alpha wolf was fuming with rage. “Let me out, Avril! I’ll put her in her place!” she growled, my skin itching as I felt her near the surface.

It took all of my strength to push her back. “As much as I’d love to let you tear her apart, we can’t afford to let anyone here see you,” I reminded her.

“There are no witnesses here!” she countered, fighting me for control. “Even if she tries to tell someone, no one will believe an omega was capable of beating her. Come on, set me free!”

“It’s too risky, Kea! They will never trust my word over hers,” I insisted, struggling to dodge Angelica’s next blow, having to divide my power between keeping my wolf contained and fighting the enraged female.

“Am I supposed to just let her turn you into her personal punching bag for the sake of your stupid disguise then?”

I stopped to think about what my wolf was telling me. The first time Angelica threatened me, I was willing to take a blow from her, because that’s what most omegas would do. However, like Kea had pointed out, there was no one around us this time. With my blood boiling, I didn’t feel like giving her the satisfaction of laying a hand on me.

Maybe I could mindlink Elijah and Theo. It would make sense for them to come to my rescue, since everyone thought they were warriors who had been sent with me for protection. Though I couldn’t say I’d be happy to let them fight my battles for me.

Just as Angelica came for me, an idea popped up in my head, casting the shadow of a smirk on my lips. Even Kea relaxed as she read my thoughts, not exactly content about having to stand down, but satisfied.

Before warning my friends, perhaps I could have a little fun myself.

As the girl advanced in my direction, I stood still. The smile on her face, a clear sign she thought she would finally succeed in hurting me, made what I had planned even more satisfying. I put my arms up, crossing them to make a shield in front of me, which absorbed all the impact of her blow - and even reflected some of it.

“Argh!” Angelica squealed, withdrawing her hand at the sudden pain.

Once again, she was taken aback. Her reaction brought me inexplicable joy. Perplexity creased her features as she struggled to comprehend not only how she hadn’t managed to harm me, but also how I had managed to cause her pain, even if indirectly. Yet, like before, her fury soon manifested as she let out a not very intimidating growl.

“Take the punishment you deserve, you good for nothing omega!” Angelica yelled before coming for me again.

The angrier she got, the more reckless and predictable her moves became. Every time she charged at me, I either dodged or blocked her hits easily. It lasted a few minutes, with me rejoicing internally whenever she grunted in frustration or almost fell down by herself after missing continuously.

But I underestimated just how low Angelica was.

In a dirty move I should have predicted, she faked trying to slap me, only to lower herself to the ground. Picking up a handful of dirt, she threw it in my face. Caught by surprise, I wasn’t quick enough to dodge or even close my eyes, becoming momentarily blinded. My lack of vision made it easier for her to finally land her first blow - a good punch to my stomach.

The air escaped me as the force of the blow sent me back a few feet. Instinctively, I recoiled, arms wrapped around my stomach. It didn’t exactly hurt, especially compared to everything I had already endured in my alpha training, but it made it hard for me to breathe for a few seconds. I readied myself to take her next hit, but instead, I heard a loud crack, followed by an ear-piercing scream.

As I forced my eyes open, I couldn’t believe who was standing in front of me.

Koen.

The alpha had his fist closed around Angelica’s delicate hand - the one she had used to punch me. Only now it was swollen, her twisted fingers leaking out of the man’s fist as she continued screaming.

It was my turn to be shocked as I realized Koen had broken her hand.

Through gritted teeth, he reminded her, “I told you not to touch her again.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha!” Angelica cried out, trying to retrieve her injured hand, in vain. “Please, have mercy!”

“Mercy?!” Koen growled. “Not only did you disrespect my direct orders, but you dared to hurt her. You hurt Avril,” he repeated, his voice deeper and harsher than I’d ever heard.

“W-why does it m-matter anyway?” she stuttered - from the pain or from fear, I couldn’t tell. “She’s just a filthy ome-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Koen at last released her hand, only to wrap his fist around Algelica’s throat instead. I witnessed in utter shock as he lifted her off the ground. Her desperate gasps didn’t phase him any more than her previous pain-filled scream did.

“Finish that sentence, and it’s your neck I’ll break this time,” he threatened in intimidating seriousness. Even from a few feet away, I could feel his intense aura.

Horror flooded Angelica’s eyes, while his glowed with nothing but rage - raw, unfiltered rage.

“I’m s-s-sorry.” Angelica’s voice was strained, each word a struggle to push out.

With one final growl, Koen dropped her. She hit the ground with a whimper, frantically gasping for air. Scared, she didn’t bother collecting her breath as she hurriedly crawled away from us, struggling to move in her weakened state.

Koen didn’t wait for her to disappear from sight to dart his head at me. Frozen in my spot, still trying to understand what had just happened, my gaze was captured by his. His previously dark green eyes softened, his rage now long gone, mysteriously replaced by worry.

My trance was only broken as he started towards me in quick steps, eager to close the distance between us. “Are you okay? How badly did she hurt you?” he demanded to know, stretching his hand in my direction. What had gotten him so riled up?

Before he could touch me, I reassured him, “I’m fine. She didn’t hit me with all her strength,” I lied. Well, partially - she did hit me with all her strength, but it barely harmed me.

Sensing my discomfort, he pulled his hand back, but the protectiveness in his posture didn’t fade away. “Let me take you to the infirmary.”

“What?” I croaked, slightly offended that he thought a scum like Angelica was capable of hurting me. Then, I shook my head, trying to act more omega-like. “I-I mean, it won’t be necessary, Alpha Koen. I promise I’m okay.” He bit the inside of his cheek, obviously unsatisfied with my response.

In an attempt to change the subject, I sought an answer for the question hammering in my head. “If I may ask, Alpha Koen, why did you return so soon?”

He blinked twice, taken by surprise. “I tried to be quick. It makes me hesitant to leave…home, for too long.” After a brief pause, concern glistened in his eyes again, and he took another step in my direction. “Avril, are you sure-”

“I’m terribly sorry for troubling you after you just got back. You must be tired after your trip,” I pointed out, looking for an excuse to flee. The show he put on was already confusing enough; I didn’t want to stay around a worried Koen any longer. “With your permission, Alpha, I would also like to return to my room and get some sleep.”

Although he hesitated at first, he eventually agreed. I immediately seized the opportunity, rushing inside the packhouse faster than lightning. An avalanche of questions troubled my mind. Where had Koen come from? He seemed to have appeared out of thin air, much like when Angelica first challenged me. How did he know where I was? There was no one around, yet he always seemed to arrive at the right time. Why was he so angry at Angelica for beating me up?

And more importantly, why was he so worried about my well-being?

I’m the key to a good deal , I immediately reminded myself, forcing myself to believe it. That had to be the reason for his inexplicable behavior since I arrived. He pretended to care about me because of what he thought I could give him.

That was all.

However, when I met my beta and gamma in their suite to inform them about what had just happened, they seemed to have a different perspective on the issue. When I told them about what Angelica had done, they were furious, intent on teaching the girl a lesson for raising her hand toward their alpha. Though, as soon as I got to Koen’s appearance, they disagreed that he had acted out of interest.

“I don’t know, I honestly think it was quite heroic!” Elijah swooned.

“In a way, I’m glad he was there to defend you,” Theo observed, grateful to the man. “It’s good to know we can count on him to have your back whenever you have a bad idea. Like putting yourself in harm’s way to protect your fake identity!”

“The mission is my priority,” I reminded him. “Either way, it’s not like I was in real danger.”

“I know,” Theo agreed. “Still, I think the alpha means well.”

“He doesn’t sound like the monster you described to us. Maybe he’s changed?” Elijah offered, with his mate quickly nodding in accordance. “While you’re here, you could consider giving him a second chance.”

Even Kea grunted at their nonsense. Although I couldn’t blame them for siding with Koen, I refused to be fooled by him again. He had already disappointed me one too many times.

As rage bubbled in my throat, I snapped, “I have no interest in rebuilding bridges, especially those that were burnt for a reason.”

For a moment, my friends remained silent, but in the end, they lowered their heads respectfully to simultaneously say, “Yes, Alpha.”

Despite their gesture, I could sense their reluctance. They were serious about wanting me to sort things out with my former mate, and they genuinely thought it would be good for me.

And it made it harder for me to keep believing my own version of the story.