The Alpha Twins Rejection
Chapter Twenty-Four -Ashley's P.O.V

The moment I stepped cautiously outside of the abandoned house, it was as if time stood still. My father was looking at me with a confusing mix of fearful rage and a touch of fierce pride. Beta McMillan had what looked like a slight smirk on his face. He knew me too well I chuckle to myself. Alpha Massimo has sheer relief etched onto his face at the sight of his pack member safely tucked into my arms.

Looking nervously at Alpha Rayne and Alpha Kane, I can’t help but notice the look of awe on their faces as they drink in the sight of me. They were brazenly taking in my naked form until an ominous growl sounded beside them, causing the muscles in their jaws to work overtime as they growled back at Zac. If I wasn’t so exhausted I would laugh.

Zac turned his face back towards me and instantly softened his burning gaze. At that moment, I didn’t know what to do. How to feel. My whole world stood in front of me, and I could see the torn look in his eyes. I know Zac sincerely loved me with every ounce of his being, but I held his mate. My heart broke for him. It was apparent he didn’t know what to do. “It’s ok, Zac,” I say almost as a hoarse whisper, trying to convey with my eyes that it was ok for him to check on his mate.

His father must have sensed his indecision, and upon hearing the faint sob escape Mia, he stepped forward and took her petite frame from me. Once her weight had left my arms, I felt my knees buckle, and my legs give out from under me. FUCK. The last thing I wanted to do was show any weakness in front of all the Alphas.

Before I hit the ground, I felt strong arms carefully wrapping around my torso, lifting me back onto my feet, followed by a deep snarl. I took a shaky breath and looked up into the warmest chocolate eyes I had ever seen, my breath instantly catching in my raw throat.

Because I hadn’t been introduced to the Alpha twins, I had no idea whose arms I was in, but I didn’t care. The divine sparks ignited at the point of our contact had me lost in a world of pleasure that I never knew existed.

Taking a shuddering breath, I registered our proximity and the fact that I was aroused. What the fuck was I doing? I swiftly pulled my body out of his firm grip and took a step backwards. Exhaling, I looked at Zac. “Take me home, please.”

He didn’t bother replying. He just stepped forward and took my hand in his, and led me to where one of the cars were waiting that had arrived moments ago. Looking back over my shoulder, I noticed my father had his hand on one of the twins’ shoulders, holding him back while they spoke in harsh but hushed tones. If looks could kill, Zac would be a dead man, I thought.

I knew what I had to do, I had to let Zac go, and I had to stop being so familiar with him. It would tear my heart out and shatter it into minute, irreparable pieces, but I had no other choice. I would not compromise Zac’s relationship with his mate because my feelings were going to get hurt. It wasn’t something I would ever do.

The car ride back to the packhouse passed in dull silence, something I was grateful for as I didn’t know what to say, and for the first time in Zac’s life, he didn’t either. So we just held each other and let our jumbled thoughts take over.

When we finally made it back to the packhouse forty-five minutes later, Zac insisted that the pack doctor check me out. I tried to convince him that the only thing wrong with me was exhaustion, that and my wounded heart. I genuinely felt like it would break, but he didn’t give up until I had been seen to and was given the all-clear to take some bed rest and take things easy.

After the last few days and the realisation that Alpha Dante was finally dead sunk in, I reluctantly allowed Zac to shower and dress me before drifting into a dreamless sleep with his arms wrapped protectively around my waist.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I work up with a start, my heart pounding furiously. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was until I heard Zac’s soothing voice from beside me. “It’s ok, Ash, I’m here”, he said softly, tugging my hand to make me lay back down.

Before I realised what I was doing, my mouth crashed against his, and I was flinging the blankets to the floor. He let out a deep rumble from his exposed chest and was wide awake in seconds, tossing me onto my back without a second thought. Within moments we were having brutal and unforgiving sex.

My whole body was on fire, the flames threatening to consume me. Zac’s touch felt different to the hands that were on me today. His had me hot and flustered, whereas they had shot waves of pleasure straight to my core. Igniting my soul.

“Zac,” I whispered when I realised what we were doing and what it would be doing to our mates. “Don’t Ash. I need this. We both do,” he replied sadly, silencingme with his mouth.

It didn’t take long before we both found our release, and we collapsed into silence on the soft mattress, arms and legs still entwined. Placing a gentle kiss on Zac’s jaw, I sat up and pushed my damp silver hair out of my eyes and gripped him on the chin to bring his eyes to mine.

“I’m leaving in the morning,” I said, lost in the depths of his blue eyes. His entire body went rigid, and then a tiny sob left his mouth. “Why,” he cried out suddenly, making me wince at the look of pain in his eyes.

“You know why, Zac”, I replied between sniffles, “I want to give you and Mia some space,” I gulped down air, trying to keep the tears from spilling. I can’t fucking do this, I thought numbly. “To get to know one another and settle into our pack.”

He turned his head away and remained silent, so I continued gently. I had to get it off my chest before it destroyed me.

“I have to give the twins a chance. When I return, things won’t be the same. I will be Luna of Blood Moon, and our pack will merge with River Run,” I said softly. “I guess since I killed Alpha Dante his pack will also merge with ours. I need time away so that I can brace my heart to seeing you again. I want you by my side always, so I want you to continue training to be my Beta. That is if you want to be my Beta still,” I said between sobs.

Zac turned back to towards me, holding my face in his massive hands, seemingly to struggle to replace the words to speak. “After what you did for my mate today, Ash, there is nowhere I would rather be,” he said breathlessly, “I can’t say that I won’t be jealous or that I won’t hate the Alpha twins, but for you, I will try,” he continued.“I will always try.”

I couldn’t speak. My heart was racing. All I could do was carefully wrap my arms around Zac and cry. I had no idea how long we had stayed like that, in each other’s arms, but it felt safe, and I knew the moment I let go that it would be the last time I felt his touch.

By early morning I had no more tears left to cry. We had made peace with our futures, no matter how much it hurt and promised to always be there for one another. That was the only thing that gave me strength to get out of bed, knowing that Zac still had my back and I his.

Leaving Zac to sleep, I quickly dressed and made my way to my fathers’ office to talk to him about my plans. We had made peace with our futures, no matter how much it hurt and promised to always be there for one another. I found my father at his large desk talking on the phone. He held up one hand to motion for me to wait a minute so I sat down on the large leather sofa to wait.

When he was finished, he rose from his chair and came and sat with me, wrapping his mighty arms around me while gently kissing my forehead. “Promise me you won’t do anything as stupid as what you did yesterday ever again, Ashley,” he said in a low voice. I nodded my head and lent further into his fond embrace.

Taking a deep breath, I thought I had better get what I had come here to do over and done with “Will Alpha Kane and Alpha Rayne be joining you this morning?” I tentatively ask my father. “Why,” he replied, coking his head sideways. “I want to discuss returning to River Run with them”, the words had my fathers attention. He swiftly dropped his arms and instantly looked at me with shock. “They left in the middle of the night,” he finally stated after several shocking moments. FUCK. What had I done.