Rejected By the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #5)

68. Kurt

68

Kurt

Climbing onto the bus with David, I look around to find Edison and Ash sitting on the first few seats. Maya, the eldest of the remaining Harvest Willow wolves, had thankfully picked up when I called using Amelia’s office phone. She was shocked to hear from me, news of Marilyn and Ramos having reached them already, and had worried that I had been killed by the tyrant and his whore. Her surprise turned into disbelief when I told her I was in Ivory Fangs, and that Amelia was the alpha. She didn’t believe me at first, and I tried convincing the twenty-six-year-old that Amelia no longer lived in Oak Fur, and mentioned how she left due to Ramos’ treatment of Kaylee. When that was mentioned, Maya finally relented and listened to me.

When Amelia finally joined me in her office thirty minutes later, she asked to speak with Maya, telling her that she and all the other Harvest Willow wolves would be welcomed into the pack, if they wanted to join. I knew it wasn’t guaranteed, that their past of dealing with Oak Fur and Ramos had left scars on them mentally and physically. Maya asked for some time to think and talk to the others, before the line went dead. I felt hopeless last night, thinking that the remainder of my home pack would turn their backs and stay rogue. Then the phone rang, and Maya asked me to come get her and the others. That they were ready for a forever home.

From there, Amelia called Edison and Ash into her office, where I explained my past with Lidia and Kaylee’s parents once more. They were furious on my behalf, but also sympathized with Kaylee and Lucas. Ash even seemed remorseful for how he treated Lucas when they first met. We planned to depart the next morning, the two wolves reluctantly heading to their homes to pack and prepare.

“How long will we be on the road?” Ash asks, playing with a dagger in his hands.

“About seven days, depending on traffic,” I answer with a smile, getting behind the wheel. Ash groans, having barely been home between carting runaways from Oak Fur to Ivory Fangs and then heading to take down Shadow Moon a few days later.

“Stop your complaining, Ash. Who knows, your mate might be part of this group,” David chuckles, patting the wolf on the shoulder. Ash just sighs, agreeing that this is an opportunity to find his mate, but he wishes to just be able to stay home and rest. I send him an apologetic smile before turning the bus on, and after checking everything, set off. I haven’t seen Maya in three years, too afraid that Ramos would find them all. Now, I have hope. Hope that we can all find a new home. Hope that the pups orphaned by that asshole can grow up in a loving pack again.

“What is Maya like?” Edison asks as we leave Ivory Fangs’ territory, interest in the warrior’s eyes.

“She is headstrong and righteous,” I answer, my smile turning soft.

“When she was a pup, she would find ways to train with the warriors of Harvest Willow. We didn’t have a pup-specified training facility like Ivory Fangs, but she was definitely a spitfire.” Talking about Maya brings up memories of visiting Harvest Willow after Lidia married Ramos. Of the fear she had when she saw Ramos for the first time, worried that the tyrant would take her too, considering Lidia was only eighteen when Ramos—who was thirty at the time—came to claim her.

“So, she is a troublemaker with a heart of gold,” David states, getting a chuckle out of me.

“Sound like someone we know?” I ask back.

“Yeah. A certain beta who always seems to have trouble finding her.” We both laugh at that, having watched Kaylee grow from a newborn to a leader. She would have made a great Luna, had she and Lucas mated.

“So, how did you meet Maya when Ramos had you trapped in Oak Fur?” Ash chimes in.

“He would take Lidia, me, and a few warriors with him to visit Harvest Willow every year, just to show his face. It was then I learned my brother and his mate had a pup, and I watched her grow up year by year.”

“Maya is your niece?” Edison cuts me off and I grin, looking in the rearview mirror to see the warrior looking worried and a bit afraid.

“She is. So, I suggest you two get any thoughts of courting her out of your head. If you aren’t her goddess-given mate, leave her alone.” Edison nods at my veiled threat. I return my focus to driving, the excitement at seeing Maya and the others growing. Seven days, and I will be able to hug my niece again. Then another seven days of catching up with her while we drive home.

Home.

I haven’t had a proper home since Ramos took Lidia and me twenty-five years ago. Now, in Ivory Fangs, I finally found that peace I have missed. A peace that I can share with my last remaining relative.