Page 13 of Alpha's Rejected Warrior
My cousin, Conan, meets me at the courtyard entrance, his athletic frame swallowing the space beside me. His tousled blond hair catches the light as he falls into step by my side. Lean muscle pulls his fitted leather armor taut. The guard insignia is prominent against the dark material as his striking green eyes scan the commotion.
Several small crowds rush past, shrieking about a human and grabbing their children as they flee to safety.
Conan eyes the chaos as we round a corner into the main area of the courtyard. “Who the hell did we lock up? Everyone looks terrified.”
“It’s a long story” is all I can say.
The grounds are empty of anyone except for Akila and Branson. They’ve got Ethan cornered right before the road to the front gates. He’s standing there with a small paring knife in his hand, holding it out in self-defense.Where the hell did he get that?
Conan smirks. “Is that a knife?”
“Back off!” Ethan cuts an arc with the tiny knife in our direction. “I’m warning you.”
Branson takes a step toward him. “Put the knife down before you hurt yourself.”
Ethan shakes his head. “Tell me where Thea is. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
Conan chuckles. I silence him with an angry glare. I nod at Akila, giving her an unspoken order, then turn back to Ethan.
A flash of brownish-blonde fur whizzes past us, and Akila tackles Ethan in her wolf form. He yelps out in surprise as he falls back. She pins him down, and the knife flies from his hand.
“What the fuck?” He stares up at Akila, who’s snarling back down at him, her claws digging into his shoulders.
Should I kill him?Akila asks me through mind-link.
Of course not!We need to get him back to the dungeons now.
“Conan, help Akila!” I shout. “Get the human back—”
“What’s going on here? Is everything okay?”
I turn around just in time to see Thea waddling toward us as quickly as she can. She looks down at the human underneath Akila and stops in her tracks.
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh, my God . . .Ethan?”
Fuck.
Chapter 5 — Rhiannon
“What were you thinking?” Xander’s words aren’t really angry. They’re tinged with a kind of disappointment that’s somehow even worse.
I’m thankful he didn’t drag the entire Pack Council in here because this may possibly be the second most humiliating moment of my life.
At Thea’s insistence, Ethan was given a guest room instead of being taken back to the dungeon, but the matter of his being here is far from closed. Regardless of what Thea thinks or feels about him, humans are forbidden in Clarion. A fragile equilibrium exists between our realm and the Outer Lands, one that depends entirely on humans remaining ignorant of Clarion’s existence. If they were to ever discover us — what they call “supernatural beings” in their world — the delicate peace we have worked so hard to protect would fall apart, and no one would be able to put it back the way it was.
I glance around the stone-walled Council Chambers. The scent of charred wood from the crackling fireplace mingles withthe distinct wolf musk that clings to every Lycan present. Akila, Branson, Conan, Lady Gemma, Thea, and I sit around the heavy oak table with Xander seated at the head. I wonder what they all must be thinking of their fearless Commander.
Ultimately, this mess comes from my decision. Branson and Akila were just following orders, and I wonder if that has made them doubt my sanity.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” I say. “The human already saw us, and protocol states that we were supposed to kill him. But Branson found that photo of him with Luna Thea. . .”
“It was my suggestion that we keep him alive, My Lord,” Branson speaks up, “in case he was sentimental to our Luna.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Thea says.
“Still, he shouldn’t have been brought here,” Xander says. “Humans cannot be in Clarion. That is a firm law. If the Alpha King discovers this . . .” He pauses, leaning back in his chair, his eyes studying the air as if trying to find a hidden solution in it. “This could not be worse timing.”
“But Ethan’s here now,” Thea says. “If you couldn’t send him back before, you certainly can’t now. Surely the Alpha King realizes that. What could the Alpha King possibly want us to do?”
