Rejected By the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #5)

61. Lucas

61

Lucas

A knock on my door makes me groan, as I get up from my bed. After my shower, I realized my body was sore, and relaxing had made my muscles protest more than they ever have. With a sigh, I make my way to my door and open it to find Kurt standing on the other side, a brown paper bag that carries the scent of burgers in one hand.

“Heard through the grapevine that you returned to Ivory Fangs, and thought you would be hungry,” he says before I can even greet him. I back up, silently allowing him entry into my room before closing the door.

“So, what did you bring?” I ask as I join him at the small table, Kurt quickly taking out a pile of burgers wrapped in foil and placing them between us.

“Deer meat burgers, with everything I could think of on them. Yes, this includes bacon.” Grinning, I take one of the still-hot burgers and unwrap the foil before digging in. It tastes delicious, and I soon find myself on my third burger while Kurt eats his second.

“I saw Kaylee at David and Amelia’s, for a moment. She looks pretty tired and is on bed rest, so I told David I will fill in as beta to help him out for now,” Kurt breaks the silence, and my hand pauses with the half-eaten burger halfway to my mouth. I slowly lower my hand onto the table and sigh in frustration. Thankfully, Kurt doesn’t push for answers, allowing a comfortable silence to pass between us as he reaches for his third burger.

“Jordan… he forced her heat, and I had to help her through it. The bond healed a bit, but I can still feel her reluctance,” I speak at last, and look up to find Kurt watching me with a thoughtful expression as he chews the food in his mouth. He takes a moment to swallow, before clearing his throat.

“Kaylee is going to be wary around you, now more than ever. You hurt her, and because of that, she was ready to be rid of you for good.” What he says is the truth, but it is still hard to accept.

“With you seeing and helping her in such a vulnerable state, she is going to fight the bond even more now, because she doesn’t want to be hurt a second time—”

“I know that, but I also want her back, need her back,” I cut him off, getting a sigh from Kurt.

“Then take your time with her. She has to learn to trust you again, and forcing things isn’t going to help you. Take it from someone who lost his mate because of a mistake.” I hear his voice crack for a moment and send him an apologetic look. I knew he and my mother were soulmates. Knew that they should have been together, but something happened.

“Will you tell me about her, and how she died now?” I ask, ready to hear more about my mother.

“Not yet. After the pack dinner tomorrow, when Amelia and the others have returned, I will,” Kurt answers with a sad smile, reaching over and patting me on the shoulder.

“Like I said, Lucas, be patient. You are in the same pack as Kaylee again, and it is just a matter of time until she warms up to you once more. You got this, even if Marco also has his eyes on her, and will do his best to be with her too.” His words make me growl slightly in annoyance. Marco is going to be a thorn in my side, but outside of training and sparring, there is nothing I can do to him. I may be of alpha descent, was even heir to a pack, but he is the head warrior in Ivory Fangs. He outranks me, and I have to respect the hierarchy in this pack.

“So how long will Kaylee be off duty?” I wonder, curious to hear about how she is doing, now that she is home safe.

“A week, minimum. She has tests to do next week to make sure she is healed, but knowing her, she will be making me back away when she is done with those tests,” Kurt laughs, making me smile as well. The quality of life within the pack means a lot to her. She tried fighting for better conditions in Oak Fur and even had Kurt help her back then, and it worked for a bit. But after she left, everything changed because of Marilyn and Ramos. I was so blind then, but now I know better.

“Do you think she would let me help her?” I wonder, Kurt shrugging as he takes another burger from the pile.

“No clue, Lucas. All you can do is ask her,” he admits, and I nod. He is right. If I want Kaylee, then I have to go slow. I thought if I just showed up and went all in, she would see how sincere I am about doing right by her and admitting how wrong and stupid I was, but talking to Kurt made me realize that I almost made another mistake. Kaylee is the type to love hard, but hate harder. If she was betrayed by someone, she would never trust them again—and I just so happen to have committed the biggest betrayal to her.

“I have some good news for you.” Piquing my curiosity, I continue eating my half-finished burger as Kurt explains that the council wants to speak to me about all the evidence I have against Ramos and Nathaniel. Right now, all of Nathaniel’s assets have been frozen by the Werewolf Council while they investigate claims created by other, smaller packs. It seems Oak Fur wasn’t the only pack that was blackmailed by the man.

“What about Oak Fur?” I ask, worried that Ramos and Marilyn will come after Kaylee and me, considering the information Amelia and Titus found on Jordan’s laptop.

“Right now, nothing. But Amelia called and told me what she found. I think the goal was for Jordan to mate with Kaylee so that you would forget about her, but clearly, they didn’t expect us to find out about their affair. Amelia did send the information to the council, and I expect there to be an investigation on Ramos soon enough.” Happy to hear my father will be facing the council soon, I dig into the rest of the burgers, talking with Kurt about anything and everything. He explains that he has helped train the pups since Kaylee’s kidnapping because Kaylee usually ran the training and Aunt Amelia needed someone she could trust with the pups. I asked if he would like me to take that over, but he brushed off my question, stating that I am needed more as a warrior. It would give me a chance to get to know the original wolves of Ivory Fangs that regard Kaylee and my aunt with such high respect and loyalty, and prove to Kaylee that I have changed. I agree that becoming a warrior will be the best route, but grumble about being under Marco’s command. Kurt just tells me to treat it like a test of fate and to not cause a fight outside the sparring ring.

Long after the burgers are done, I continue asking Kurt about the dynamics of Ivory Fangs, seeing as he stayed behind when I went on my mission to save Kaylee. I learn a lot about the pack, from the training schedule to the hunting and patrol schedules. I will be placed under a wolf of Ivory Fangs to shadow for a week, to learn everything I need before being initiated into the pack. From there, I will either be given a house of my own if I want or be able to stay in the dorms. I know for a fact the one place I want to be is with Kaylee, and state that until she forgives me, I will stay in the dorms—which Kurt agrees is a good idea.

With my mind clear and stomach full, Kurt wishes me goodnight, stating he was on the fourth floor, room four-twenty. I chuckle at the number, getting an eye roll from Kurt as he says goodbye. Because of our talk, Kurt helped me come up with a plan to win Kaylee over. And as I shut the lights off in my room, ready to go to bed, I find myself thinking that I haven’t been this happy in such a long time.