The Alpha Twins Rejection
Chapter Eighteen - Zac's P.O.V

FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. What the FUCK. I couldn’t breathe. The world felt like it was closing in around me. What the actual fuck was happening. I instantly felt like I was trapped in some stupid reality T.V. show. The kind that punk’d people. But I knew better than that. I knew what was happening before me was real and not some fucked up T.V. show. I couldn’t believe it, in any case. I wouldn’t believe it.

What the actual fuck, I thought desperately for the millionth time in a span of a few terrible seconds. One minute I was staring at my partner in absolute awe as she cut rogues down left, right and centre, taking no mercy and then all of a sudden, Ashley had shifted and had brutally rejected her mate. Correction, MATES. Both Alpha Kane AND Alpha Rayne were her mates.

WHAT THE FUCK. What was worse was that a split second before, I sensed absolute rage rolling from Ashley. Not only rage but arousal. WHAT. THE. FUCK. I had never wanted her to reject her mate. Never in a million years. But never in a million years did I expect her to be so turned on by a male in her presence. A male that wasn’t me.

I couldn’t dwell on the scene unfolding, Ashley needed me.

To my horror, I had noticed too late that Ashley had split open her wounds while fighting the rogues and was now slowly bleeding to death. Once again, I had failed her. I was nothing but a fucking failure. The thought was sobering, and I snapped out of sulking to take stock of the dire situation. Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane were rooted to the spot. Their breathing ragged, and their eyebrows pinched together as the gears in their head turned, trying to work out what just happened. I was sure that they had never been denied anything in their life. And to be furiously denied the ultimate happiness must fucking hurt I had to admit.

Even though I was not too fond of the pricks, it made me shudder. No one wanted to be vehemently rejected by their mate: especially so publicly and spectacularly. Ashley never did anything by halves, I thought with a laugh. Ever. I had to wonder, though, if the Alpha Twins had earned her rejection. I hoped that she was doing it for a legitimate reason and not just because she loved me, I thought sadly.

Ashley had hardened her heart the last six years, naively believing that she must have angered the Goddess somehow or that she was not worthy of love. I had always known better, though, and now knowing that she wasn’t just fated to anyone but two alphas, no less, that she was extraordinary. At the moment, though, seeing her crumpled on the ground just like I had found her a few days ago had my heart breaking and shaking with fury at the same time.

I didn’t want to know this very minute what the fuck happened that caused a break in our defences nor how the rogues got through. My anxious thought was only for Ahsley and Ashley alone. Taking my death stare off the alpha twins, I rapidly shifted back into my human form and raced towards Ashley’s naked, bleeding form lying in the middle of the carnage.

It was hard to tell where the rogue’s blood ended, and hers began. She was covered head to toe in it. I positively hated that she was stark naked and on display to all the other packs. I bitterly hated it even more that Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her. Their hooded, beedy eyes looking her muscled body up and down like they were trying to drink her in and commit every line of her body to memory.

A loud snarl left my body as I leaned over Ashley, going from dumbfounded to jealous in 2.5 seconds. I lifted her crumpled and bloody body in my arms and stood to walk away. Quite a crowd had gathered now that the potential threat had been taken care of. People were coming back out of their buildings and walked back towards us to clean up. I didn’t care. I just knew I needed to get Ashley to the pack doctor as soon as possible.

“Stay with me, Ashley,” I whispered passionately into her ear. “Don’t you dare fucking die on me,” I continued earnestly. Mind-linking Alpha Miller, I let him know about the situation and informed him that I would be heading to the hospital with Ashley, not bothering to tell him that his daughter had finally found her fucking mate.

MATES, I corrected myself. Callan was irate, struggling fiercely to come to the surface to brutally kill the Alpha twins. “Stop fucking resisting me, you pussy”, Callan spat.“Let me kill the twins. Those idiots don’t deserve Ashley and Callie,” he said between snarls. He was anxiously pacing like a rabid caged animal. Desperate to be free. “We need to get Ashley to the hospital, you fucking moron” I spat back between gritted teeth.

The last thing I needed was to be waging war with Callan. He knew the rubber band that held my savage jealousy was about to snap viciously. He knew I was one step away from putting Ashley down and instantly attacking Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane out of complete and utter jealousy.

The way she was aroused by just looking at the twins overshadowed her rejection of them. She had been turned on. There was no denying it. And that more than fucking hurt. That ripped my wounded heart out and stomped on it.

Adjusting Ashley in my arms and turning back around to head towards the hospital, loud, guttural snarls could be heard from behind me. It seemed the twins had grown some fucking balls even though they were just rejected harshly. I turned around slowly and pulled Ashley closer to my chest. Rubbing in that the mate that had just moments ago rejected them was in my arms. Naked. Moulded to my naked form. I let a slow grin set on my face.

I knew it was childish, but I couldn’t help myself. Ashley was still mine. For now, anyway. “Put her down” Kane spat, barely able to control the considerable anger in his voice.“She is our mate, not yours, pup,” Rayne said, putting expression into pup. The insult just made me grip Ashley tighter, gently rubbing her unconsicence body into mine.

Fucked up, I know, but the look on their faces was worth it. It was like I was possessed. I bent my head down and inhaled sharply, noting the alpha twins noses flare in fury at the gesture. “Fucking make me assholes. Ashley is my partner. Was the public rejection not clear enough,” I snapped back with a sneer.

A large crowd had gathered, and I could see that the public display had the alpha twins on edge. They were both clenching and unclenching their fists, but I didn’t care. I turned back around and started to stride off again, knowing I had to get Ashley to the hospital as soon as possible. I didn’t have time for their bullshit.

I hadn’t made it far before I heard Alpha Miller’s commanding voice telling me to stop. Being part of his pack and his Delta, I could not refuse an Alpha command when it was given. I reluctantly halted in my tracks. I spun around slowly and froze. The look on Alpha Miller’s face was pure rage.

“GIVE.ME.MY.DAUGHTER,” he said in a deathly harsh voice. What the fuck was going on. “I have been informed that my daughter is bleeding out; while you three idiots fight over who owns her” He growled. “I will not let my daughter suffer at the hand of any male,” He continued steadfastly. “Ashley does not belong to anyone”.

“Zac” Alpha Miller looked at me with narrowed eyes “You and Ashley are in love, I know, but you always knew it was on borrowed time” He then turned and looked contemptuously at Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane “I don’t know what either of you two did to Ashley, but she has chosen to reject the mate bond”, he said. “Ashley will not be used as a pawn in your dick-measuring competition. Give her to me, Zac” he snarled, finally losing his temper.

I couldn’t help but let out a savage growl at the condescending way Alpha Miller spoke to me in front of all these strangers but knew I had no other option. He let my direct challenge go, narrowing his eyes that held a promise that it was only for the meantime. I let out a huff of hot air and then allowed myself to lower Ashley slowly from my body.

Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane snarled viciously as they didn’t overlook the seductive way that I caressed Ashley nor how I ran her body over mine in a jealous and possessive manner. I knew the move would infuriate them, and it didn’t disappoint. What I hadn’t counted on was the way that it would piss Alpha Miller off.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, ZAC” Alpha Miller bellowed, steam billowing from his ears. Immediately I was ashamed of what I had done but at present couldn’t give a fuck. I was staking my claim for all to see. Alpha Miller roughly snatched Ashley out of my arms and then took off in a sprint towards the pack hospital, leaving the sound of building growls and tension behind him.

As soon as he was out of my vision, I shifted, not waiting for the Alpha twins to register what I was doing. I charged towards Alpha Rayne with murder on my mind. Best to get this shit over and done with, I thought.

There was nothing more that I wanted right now than to see those two cocky assholes dead. There was no way they were ever going to be anything more than a bitter memory to Ashley.

Before I reached them, the air between us shimmered, and they both shifted. BRING. IT. ON. Callan snapped, pushing all of his anger and contempt into my veins. I could taste his unbridled fury and desperately wanted to use every fucking ounce of it to rip their fucking heads off.

Alpha Rayne dodged to the right as I frantically grabbed for his throat. I was left with a mouthful of fur. Spitting it out, I spun around and pulled my lips back in a sick canine grin, letting myself snap at his retreating leg.

Before I could grab it, I saw a whirr of golden fur and was tossed into the dirt uncremonsiuosly. Furious, I got to my feet to kill whoever had just attacked me and stood frozen as realisation dawned on me. It was my father. He and the Blood Moon warriors encircled the three of us, snarling and biting at us any time we dared look at attacking each other again. The River Run warriors swiftly surrounded our warriors and I knew that fighting was futile. I growled at the Alpha twins, baring my teeth in warning and then shifted back to my human form.

The circle around us was tense, and I could still scent blood in the air. Fuck. What was I doing? I needed to be with Ashley, not out here fighting these morons. Once again, I was a fucking failure.

I pushed past my father, not bothering to look back. I genuinely needed to get out of here. To clear my head. It didn’t take me long to get to the hospital, but Alpha Miller was intentionally blocking the entrance when I arrived. Shit.

“Look, Zac. I know you love Ashley, but you did the improper thing tonight. The right thing was to get Ashley to the hospital. Not engage Alpha Kane and Alpha Rayne in a fight while she bled in your arms,” He said sadly with a pained look in his eyes.

“Not only that, but you can’t be challenging two Alpha’s.” His harsh words had my blood boiling furiously. I knew he spoke the truth, but it hurt. It hurt bad. I tried to speak, but he silenced me with his index finger.

“Not only that, but Alpha Kane and Alpha Rayne had every right to kill you on the spot for not putting their mate down. Even though Ashley rejected them, they never accepted the rejection. They have every right to come in here this very minute and take Ashley with them. As it is, I am going to have to do so much smooth-talking to make sure that that doesn’t happen,” He growled fiercely.

SHIT. I hadn’t thought of that; fisting my hands into tight balls. He was right. “I want you to go home and wait until I return to the packhouse to talk to you. I have spoken to the Doctor, and he assures me that Ashley will be ok. She has lost a lot of blood but is stable,” He said more gently.

Seeing the considerable concern and truth in his eye, I just nodded and turned around to walk off. I didn’t trust myself enough to speak. I knew I had to go straight back to the packhouse; otherwise, I didn’t know what I would get myself into. Slamming the front door closed, I headed to Ashley’s room. If I wasn’t going to sleep, I might as well do it while engulfed in her heavenly scent, I thought ruefully. The night passed in a sleepless nightmare that I knew I would never wake from.