Rejected By the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #5)

46. Lucas

46

Lucas

Lifting the backpack my aunt put together for me, I slide the new cellphone into my pocket while Marco, Simon, and Royce watch me. I can sense their unease at me leaving, but if anyone is to get Kaylee back, it will be me.

“Remember to call us as soon as you reach the decoy town,” my aunt says, as she hands me a new wallet filled with some cash and a new credit card for me to use on my journey. I thank her, tucking it into my back pocket before I decide to answer her.

“Alpha Jordan will know I am there as soon as I walk in,” I begin, giving her a small smile.

“He will have me watched by his wolves before appearing before me, meaning I may not be able to call when I am in the town. But I will call before I reach their borders.” She gives me a small nod, taking comfort in my uncle’s arms as Marco steps forward.

“What will you do if that piece of shit approaches you?” he asks, staring at me in suspicion. I roll my eyes, reminding myself for the umpteenth time I can’t punch him—yet. I need to get on Kaylee’s good side again before I show Marco my true powers, as an alpha-blooded wolf and as Kaylee’s goddess-given mate.

“I will tell him I am just traveling to find my aunt, her family, and Kaylee, due to the email I sent out and hopefully that will throw him off my true intentions.” He doesn’t say anything, backing away satisfied by my answer while I turn to the other two wolves. I can see the conflict in Simon’s eyes. He’d kept the information that he had been in contact with Kaylee probably since she left a secret, but I can’t blame him. He was just protecting his sworn sister and best friend from the man who hurt her.

“I will bring her home, Simon,” I reassure him, patting my friend on the shoulder.

“I know. I am just worried that she is being hurt,” he admits quietly. I can feel his sentiments, but remind him that if she was being hurt or worse, I would have felt it by now. He nods in agreement before I say my final goodbyes. I will be cutting through the forest at the back of Ivory Fangs’ land instead of taking the main way. It will be faster this way.

Leaving my aunt’s house, I look back to see her and David watching me. Their pups are at the pack house, as I did not want to see my little cousins just yet. When I bring Kaylee back, I will see them for the first time since they left Oak Fur, and properly apologize to them for how I acted towards the three pups.

With a wave to my aunt and uncle, I make my trek towards the forest just ahead and remind myself that I will return with Kaylee. That I will do everything I can to prove to her I regret my actions. Running my hand along my face, I notice the scars left by her no longer feel as rough. They were slowly healing, and that makes me happy but also sad. They are a reminder that I hurt her, hurt my Kaylee, and I don’t want to lose them. Shifting my backpack, I pull the collar of my shirt up to make sure the mark of a betrayer is still hidden. The last thing I need while traveling to Shadow Moon is for people to see I betrayed my mate.

After an hour of walking, I manage to make it to the edge of Ivory Fangs’ territory and pull out my new cellphone. Dialing a number I programmed in last night, I wait for the phone to ring, thinking they won’t pick up. To my relief, the dial tone ends as the call connects.

“Titus Booker, beta to Shadow Moon, how may I help you?” the familiar voice calls out, and I smile.

“Hey Ti, it’s Lucas,” I greet my god-brother. A moment of silence passes, and I wait. It has been a few years since I called him, the last time Titus and I talked was after my mother’s death.

“Hey Lucas…how have you been?” he asks, his voice sounding shocked and surprised.

“Better than ever, but I didn’t call to talk about myself,” I answer, getting the feeling he hasn’t read the email I sent out yet. Good. This makes asking him for assistance easier.

“I need your help, man,” I admit, leaning against a tree. I can sense eyes on me and know that Ivory Fangs’ wolves are watching me. I don’t mind though, as I told my aunt I would be contacting Titus before I left the territory.

“Sure, anything for my god-brother. But I have a favor to ask as well.” My smile grows at the first part of his sentence but falls when I realize he also needs something. This might make things complicated, but for me to save Kaylee, I will have to agree.

“If I can help, I will,” I agree instantly, hearing a relieved sigh from Titus.

“I need your help killing Jordan Huxley.” Pushing myself off from the tree, I pull my phone away and look at it incredulously. It seems his favor will align with my goal in the end.

“You want me to help you kill your alpha?” I repeat back to him, looking towards the direction from which I feel the eyes on me, and pray to the goddess that this wolf reports this conversation to my aunt.

“Yes,” Titus confirms with a grim tone. I run my hands through my hair and return to leaning on the tree, hoping my silence makes Titus believe I am deliberating this decision.

“Look, Lucas,” Titus sighs, and I focus my attention on the exasperation and sadness in his voice.

“He killed his father because his father wanted to attack Ivory Fangs. I learned that your aunt is the alpha there.” A voice cuts him off in the background and my brow raises. It seems Titus is not at the pack house. After telling the wolf he will be there when the call is done, silence resumes before I hear another sigh.

“I don’t know what made her leave, but I will tell you that she has a beta named Kaylee, and Jordan wants her. I don’t doubt he will try to do something stupid that might hurt your aunt and her beta, but I can’t allow him to do that while also hurting the she-wolves of Shadow Moon. So many have turned up dead or beaten into a coma since he took over the pack, and something needs to change.” I curse, cutting off Titus mid-speech, and turn to punch the tree I have been leaning on. It really does seem like he hasn’t seen the email I sent out, and I feel like for me to get Kaylee back, I need to explain the history and why Kaylee and my aunt ended up in charge of Ivory Fangs.

“Look, Titus, this is why I am actually calling,” I begin, unsure how I should explain this to him.

“I will help you kill Jordan and boost you into becoming the new alpha, but I need you to help me as well when we do that.” I can sense the tension growing between us, and Titus lets out a low growl, one I have only heard once—when he was extremely angry at his father, the pack’s beta, for allowing Jordan’s father to rape his mother as punishment.

“You’re the man that rejected her, aren’t you?” he demands. Shame and guilt fill me as I hang my head low. I ask him to wait for a moment while I pull up the email app on my phone and log in, asking Titus for his own email before I forward everything to him.

“What I sent you will explain everything, and the reason why I rejected Kaylee.” I wait as the line goes silent again before I hear the soft sounds of the video I took playing in the background. I can still see the scene of Marilyn being fucked by my dad, and wonder if he succeeded in impregnating her. It could explain why I haven’t seen his men come searching for me.

“Is this all true?” I can hear the skepticism in his voice. He had met Marilyn before when his family came to visit after Marilyn moved to Oak Fur.

“Every bit of it,” I admit, adding that I am now a rogue.

“So why do you need my help then?” he asks. Finally, we get to why I called, and I take a deep breath while turning to face the direction I know Kaylee’s cottage to be in.

“Because your alpha took my mate, and if I am correct, he intends to force her into becoming his.”