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

The moment my lips brushed Mia’s forehead and I felt her body stiffen underneath my touch, I knew something was up. I had had my suspicions of Mia since I first met her and had thought long and hard about her endless questions about the goings-on of Blood Moon pack, along with her infinite fascination with Ashley.

Her curiosity had started to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, like some sort of bad premonition. As I drove off this morning, I decided to double back and park my SUV in the forest not far from the packhouse. I would either be waiting here for an hour or so, wasting my time, or Mia would be up to something that she shouldn’t be.

My heart sank into my stomach when I watched the familiar car pass me. Mia was certainly up to no good, I thought. Instead of getting back into my car and risking being caught following her, I allowed Callan to come forward, and we raced alongside the highway hidden in the dense tree line.

Once I was confident where she was going, I veered to the left to cut through the forest. Being a Beta Callan had stamina in spades and enjoyed long-distance running. The fire in his stomach kept him at a cracking pace today as he seethed with hatred. “I don’t know what that bitch is up to, but when I replace out, I am going to rip her limb from limb”, Callan snarls.

I believe every word that comes out of his mouth too. I know how much he is hurting that his mate has turned out to be a conniving bitch. The thought made my heart twist with pain. It had almost destroyed me losing Ashley, and now I was about to lose my mate.

I knew what happened to mates when one died, but I didn’t see any other way around the mess. If Mia’s plans included hurting Ashley, I will not hesitate to destroy her. “If anyone touches a hair on Callie’s head, I will end them”, Callan interjects, kicking up a gear as we race through the trees and undergrowth.

It isn’t long until we are close to River Run territory when we head back towards the edge of the highway, catching sight of the familiar car turning into the parking lot of an old warehouse. I allow Callan to sneak up close to the side of the rusting building so that we are close enough to have a visual of Mia.

A black Jeep pulls into the parking lot in a matter of minutes, and out steps a tall, broad man. At first, I don’t recognize his face, but as he gets closer to where Mia is standing, I realize with shock that it is Alpha Dante’s Beta, Tobias.

I had recently met him when he visited Blood Moon to discuss the impending take over of River Run. He had seemed pissed off that Ashley had not been in attendance and had made no real effort to be polite. When Alpha Miller made arrangements for Ashley and the Alpha twins to join him at River Run for a meeting, he seemed content with the idea, and I had let his weird behaviour slip.

“What the fuck is going on” Callan grits out between clenched teeth. “I would like to know the same thing”, I reply hotly. All of a sudden Callan goes tense, and I can feel a deep growl building inside of him when Mia and Tobias hop into his car. From where we are hidden I can make out that that she is straddling his lap, fumbling with his clothes. The sight has me fuming.

I wait for the telltale burning sensation that mates feel when their partner is being unfaithful and am surprised when it doesn’t come. I don’t know whether that comforts me that it doesn’t or that I am shocked by its absence. I push the thought to the back of my mind to mull over later and concentrate on what they are saying.

From what I can gather, Mia is nothing but a gold digger who wants to fix her status from Omega to Luna without ever earning the title or respect. She has chosen the wrong person to mess with, though, if she thinks I will let her hurt Ashley and Callie.

As Mia and Tobias drive off, I consider following them but then decide my best course of action is to alert Ashley and the Alpha twins first. They were no doubt still waiting on me as their escort. I would need to run to the nearest town to warn them, I wasn’t going to let Callan run back to Blood Moon, so I would have to wait patiently for Ashley to pick me up.

As I round the backside of the large building, something hits us hard and knocks us off our feet. I scramble in the dirt to right myself and come face to face with two large and deranged looking wolves who look like they have not showered for months nor eaten properly for weeks.

They start to circle Callan, snapping at our heels with saliva dripping mouths. I wondered if I had been caught lurking by Tobias and Mia or if these guys were just scouts who had happened upon me. I didn’t have time to ponder how I had gotten into the situation before the larger of the two wolves hurled his large dirty frame at me with lightning speed, jaw open wide going for my throat.

The prick was fast, but I was quicker and spun around in time for him to barely grab a mouthful of fur. Before he had time to register what was going on, I had him by the throat and shaking him like a rag doll. If these guys thought they could take me, they were about to be sorely disappointed. I didn’t have time for their bullshit when Ashley’s life depended on me. This time I would not fail to protect her.

With warm blood dripping from our fangs, Callan stalked towards the second wolf, who now had his hackles up and was in a defensive position trying to unnerve us with a deep, snarling growl. I had to give it to the guy, he had the menacing act down pat, and maybe a lesser wolf would replace it intimidating, but not me. I found it infuriating.

He was standing in my way, and no one was going to keep me from Ashley. I didn’t care how many wolves I had to kill to get to her. Neither did Callan. “Let’s end this fucker”, Callan hisses. ” With pleasure”, I reply. The mangy looking wolf lept high into the air, so we crouched down low, biting down hard into the soft tissue of his stomach.

When the other wolf lands, his eyes widen in horror as he realizes what has happened. Within seconds his stomach and intestines are dragging through the dirt, blood flowing freely.

We don’t have time to watch the light draining from his eyes, as much as we want to, so we dart off into the direction of the closest town, allowing Callan to run at breakneck speed, jumping logs and weaving between trees. His large paws eating up the earth as he races across it.

A small town comes into view in no time, and when I see a farmhouse up on the right, I shift back to my human form. Walking around the back of the property, I quickly replace what I am looking for. I spot several pairs of faded work jeans hanging up between trees and promptly snatch a pair, hoping to god that no one catches me.

Stealing from humans isn’t my thing, but strolling through town naked as the day I was born seems a worse sin so I begrudgingly put them on, sending up a silent prayer that they aren’t too bad of a fit.

With jeans on, I try not to worry about not having any shoes or a t-shirt and quickly make my way to the closest pay phone cursing myself for not having my car or belongings with me. Wolves usually have plans for clothing, but because my plan was a spur of the moment one, I was left with nothing.

I wouldn’t change a thing, though, as I may not have found out Mia’s true intentions otherwise and that would have hurt more than walking around with no shoes that’s for sure. Using the collect call service, I wait impatiently for Ashley to answer her phone. Being so far away and in another territory, our mind-link doesn’t seem to be as open, so I opt for certainty that I can get the message to her before it is too late.

After three rings, she answers, and I let out a huge sigh. “Ashley, it’s Zac,” I say. “Hi, Zac”, she replies in a slight, breathy tone, making my heart flutter in my chest. “Get it together, lover boy”, Callan says hastily. “We don’t have time to moon over Ashley”, he continues. Shit, he is right.

After a couple of seconds, Ashley asks me if everything is ok because I hadn’t responded straight away. “Zac, you are scaring me”, she continues, panic evident in her voice. “Can you meet me on the outskirts of the River Run territory lines at a small town called Prestonville, please, Ashley? It is urgent,” I reply, not wanting to give out any more information over the phone nor wanting to alarm Ashley as it was going to be a long drive, one she didn’t need to spend the entirety stressed over.

“Zac, what is happening? Is everything ok?” Ashley asks. “Yes. No. Just get here as soon as possible, please. Make sure that Alpha Kane and Alpha Rayne are with you at all times and bring your Betas and Deltas along, Ashley,” I reply hastily. “I will meet you outside of the small town at the first service station. See you soon,” I say before hanging up.

In a little over an hour, two large hummers pull into the service station. Thank fuck, I think, I have worn a path into the dirt out the back of the joint and couldn’t take another minute of the slime ball of an owner who had been shooting dagger at me from the back window of the building like I was some sort of junkie waiting on a fix.

Before the first car has even had time to stop, the passenger door is flung open, and Ashley is running towards me, silver hair flying about her in the wind. I am almost bowled over as she wraps her body around mine in a giant bear hug.

Just as I wrap my arms around her to reciprocate the hug, two large shadows consume us, followed by deep, throaty growls. “Get your hands off of our mate”, Alpha Kane spits out between gritted teeth. “Do you have a death wish, pup” Alpha Rayne roars. Ashley stiffens in my arms and her eyebrows knit together before she pulled away.

“Rayne, Kane, please don’t start. Not today. You two are my mates, but you need to stop wanting to kill Zac. He is our Beta and my closest friend,” Ashley says, trying to appease the two beasts that stand in front of her. When she places a hand gently on their chests, I feel a white-hot streak of jealousy run through my body, and I replace myself straightening my shoulders, narrowing my eyes with a deathly snarl erupting from my throat.

The twins instantly tense back up and start towards me with heavy, menacing steps until Ashley’s caressing hands turn into a light shove, forcing the twins to take a step backwards. They both seem to snap out of their trance and look down at her. “We don’t have time for this posturing bullshit, guys. I wear your marks,” she hisses before turning on me. “And you...you can’t go around threatening two Alphas Zac. The last thing I want is to see the three of you fighting, especially over me. Now stop it. Why did you call us here” she snaps, making me recoil at her harsh words.

“Something has been off with Mia since we were mated,” I say. Not wanting to spill all my problems in front of the Alpha twins, I stick to as little information I can give without having to get into it all. “I had a horrible feeling this morning that something wasn’t quite right, so I left and then doubled back. Mia got into her car. I followed her to River Run territory,” I continue.

At this point, all eyes are wide with shock as they try to absorb the meaning of my words. “Go on”, Alpha Kane replies. “She stopped at a warehouse not far from the River Run packhouse and was met there” “By who” Ashley interrupts, stepping closer to me, eager for more information. I don’t know if Rayne realizes it or not, but his hand darts out quickly, stopping Ashley from coming any closer to me.

“Mia was met by River Runs Beta Tobias. Not only was he there to pick her up, but they were Ummm... “What” Ashley replies impatiently with a scowl on her face. “They were”, but I can’t seem to replace the words. Instead, I look deeply into Ashley’s eyes and hope that she can’t see my heart shattering behind mine. ” “OHHH”, she replies once her brain has made the connection.

Before Rayne can restrain Ashley further, she is on me again wrapping her arms around me once more. I leave my arms limp at my side. I don’t have a death wish and will respect the Alpha twins. No matter how much it hurts me not to touch Ashley, she no longer belongs to me, and I won’t come between her or her mates. “I am so sorry, Zac”, Ashley whispers in my ear. I don’t bother replying; I don’t know what to say.

“Mia and Tobias are planning an ambush at tonight’s meeting”, I continue. Rayne and Kane both start pacing and cursing. “I fucking knew we had targets on our backs”, Kane seethes. ” We will crush anyone who tries to take from us what is ours”, Rayne replies. By the time everybody calms down and has all the overhead details, we get straight into planning out the attack.

The Alpha twins may not like me very much, but we have all agreed to put out differences aside to make sure that our plan goes accordingly. Much to Ashley’s annoyance, she now has three men willing to die for her protection. Three men who would set the world on fire and watch it burn for her. Three men who would kill for her. Three men who loved her.

Mia and Tobias had just made the biggest mistakes of their lives.