The Alpha’s Chosen Outcast

16. TREY

Chapter 16

TREY

After Violet’s wedding reception, she and Brody leave straight for their honeymoon. They’re taking a tour of Europe for three weeks.

With her gone, I’m the only Hanover at the estate. It’s so strange to come home to only staff members and no family. However, some of the staff members are like family at this point.

No one questions why I’m barely coherent and just going through the motions. My father died last night, and my sister is going to move out when she gets back to set up house with her new husband.

The woman I announced as my fiancé has disappeared, but they don’t say anything about that.

When the reception was over, I could barely wait to get outside before I changed. The howl I let out had probably been heard all the way out to the Hamptons.

I needed to be in nature, to let my wolf take over. That part of me wanted to keep running until I found Heather. But I can’t leave my pack. They’re looking to me for everything now.

Every waking moment I have is filled with thoughts of her, of the time we shared while she was here, and the wishes I had for our lives.

At night, those thoughts fill my dreams. I’m completely distracted but, again, no one questions it after everything that happened.

My inner circle keeps asking if I need anything, which gets annoying. I know I probably seem depressed, but two days of that is more than enough. I’m not an invalid. I don’t need anyone to wait on me. I lead them. They don’t handle me.

On the third day, I call a meeting. I know that there are whispers about what happened when I announced my engagement and about how my supposed fiancé disappeared.

The pack wants to know what’s going on. They probably want to know if I’m really getting married or not. I don’t know if I have an answer for that.

Either way, they need to know that I am their leader and ready to take on the mantle of power passed on to me by my father. I may be depressed, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of my duties to my pack.

I have to show them that I can handle it. A leader who’s falling apart isn’t a leader they can trust.

We’re at a pack member’s house, one of my father’s lieutenants. He won’t be mine, but he doesn’t know that yet. He still thinks he has more power, like he did with my father in charge. I instruct him to gather everyone outside.

When I enter the yard, they’re milling around, chatting, and acting like this is any other gathering. But it’s more than that.

My father taught me about the ways and powers of an Alpha from the time I was in junior high. I know what to do here.

I make my way to the front of the group, take a deep breath, and expand my chest as large as I can. Then, I begin to assert my will over every wolf there.

I let my gaze fall on them as I search their faces. One by one, they pay attention. I don’t have to say a word to have their respect.

That’s the power of an Alpha. I spot the Cauleys in the crowd. Raymond’s eyes are steadfast and stern. Melissa has obviously been crying.

Fuck.

I can deal with that later. The outcome of this meeting will affect all of it. A few of the elders are growling. I stare them down and assert my power until they stop. My voice booms over the crowd, but there’s no need for amplification.

“You’re all here today to pledge your loyalty to a new pack. I will not be the same Alpha as my father. Changes will be made and you all have the option to fall in line, leave, or challenge my status as your leader. Today is your chance to make that decision.”

There are murmurs through the crowd, as I imagined there would be. I don’t give any specifics about the changes I plan to make, but I think some of them have an idea based on what happened at Violet’s wedding.

I’m doing this while she’s away on purpose. I don’t want her to get hurt if there are challenges.

A few of the elders are off whispering in their own group. These are the ones I thought would resist the most, my father’s inner circle. I don’t believe they wanted me to choose them as my advisors as well.

They have to know I’d pick my own people. Still, they’re in that huddle like they’re planning something. Maybe they have been since hearing of my father’s death.

Since no one knew this would be such an announcement, they have a couple of grills out. Some of their staff bring food out and get the grills started. No one would have told them that things changed in the past few minutes.

The elders are done talking. One of them is making his way over to me. I suppose he’ll speak for the group.

I’ve known this man all my life as someone who teaches others, who my father looked up to and looked to for advice. Now I’m giving him orders. The fact of it is completely surreal.

He has no idea of the internal conflict going on in my mind right now. All he knows is that he has something to say, and he’s determined to get it out.

“Speak, elder,” I tell him. I’m not sure he would’ve waited for my permission if I hadn’t.

“We want to know what you plan to change regarding the exile laws, assuming you’re still engaged to be married. Where is your fiancé?”

I knew this would come up but I’m still at a loss how to respond.

“I haven’t changed any laws,” I reply. “The exile laws allow for an Alpha to marry anyone of their choosing, and if they are in exile, that is exonerated. Heather Cauley is my mate. I’m well within my rights to make her my wife as well.”

“That’s a loophole you’re exploiting.”

“Says who? You? Didn’t you help write these laws? What do you want to do about it?”

My claws come out with my hands still at my sides. I feel my wolf raging to get out, wanting to put this man in his place. But that won’t be productive. Instead, I hold my wolf back and remain silent, staring down the elder in front of me.

“We don’t want exiles in this pack.” He’s direct. I’ll give him that.

“You have the choice not to be in this pack.”

“And be an exile myself?”

“Or you can create your own pack.”

“We don’t have an Alpha for that.”

“Then find one. Or stay and accept the changes I make. Again, elder, you were part of making these laws. Your rituals are what prepared my father to hand power down to me. You all knew what he was planning and that my approach to leading this pack would differ from his.”

“We didn’t know you’d start making changes on day one.”

“Now you do.”

The elder returns to the group and joins their whispers. I can smell burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Everyone else is sniffing the air as well.

Despite the conversation they all just witnessed, they begin approaching me. The Cauleys are first. Melissa implores me with her eyes.

“I accept you as my Alpha and pledge loyalty to this pack,” she says. Then, with a sob, she adds, “Thank you for sparing our daughter.”

Raymond holds her tight to his side and nods with moist eyes. “You have our support—always.”

He bows his head and says the oath until finally walking off. I feel my throat close, watching them.

Others are lining up behind them. One by one, the pack members say the oath and head over to the area where the food is being prepared. Soon enough, the only ones left are the elders.

The man who approached me before came over to me again, the rest of the elders following behind him. He says his oath without bowing his head, and so do the others.

In that moment, my wolf wants to pounce on them, to take their throats in my teeth and make them submit. But I rein that part of me in because I know this is not the time or place for it.

I’m alone in the garden. Everyone else is over by the grills and tables, getting food and mingling. They want to move on with the next phase of starting a new pack. After all, they did lose their Alpha as much as I lost my father.

The rituals for putting him to rest will be observed after Violet returns from her honeymoon. He will be preserved until then.

We didn’t want people to associate her wedding day with our father’s funeral. She already has to live with the devastation that he died on that day in the first place.

I watch them all carrying on like nothing big has happened while my world is shattered. It all hits me at once—losing my father—Heather leaving.

After they eat, the pack mills around outside as the sun sets. Soon, it’ll be time to change with my pack as their new Alpha. I’ll be connected to everyone simultaneously at that moment.

The sun dips beyond the horizon faster than I thought it would. The pack is gathered and ready.

Though we don’t have much in the form of woodlands in the heart of the city, we have the freedom to run and hunt at night in Central Park. I can smell the night air changing like it’s vibrating along with all of us about to change.

I have to go first. With my new power, the change is painless and fast. There’s a collective gasp through the crowd as my wolf takes form in seconds.

I’m a huge chestnut brown wolf most of the time, but something feels different. I’m larger, and I feel stronger. I howl at the newly risen moon, and the pack begins to change with me.

Once the wolves are all in form, we howl together at the moon, me first, and then they answer. I shoot off towards the park, and they follow.

I can sense every one of them in my mind. I find the Cauleys and feel a deeper connection to them, like they’re family in some way. I suppose they are, even if Heather is gone.

But is she? I feel her, too. It’s faint and far away, but it’s there. The feeling of my mate, the person who makes me complete. She’s out there somewhere.

As I run, I hone in on her, trying to sense the area around her and the direction she went. She’s west, possibly somewhere in the Midwest. It almost feels like she’s not that far away, but I know better.

I can’t pinpoint her location clearly, and that infuriates me. I run faster, harder, losing the rest of the pack as I try to run out my frustration. I want her more than ever.

She’s not only my mate. I love her. I want to kiss her again, to feel her wetness on my hand, to be inside her, to move inside her. I need that.

The night goes by quickly and when we return to the property, two deer and a few rabbits are caught by the pack for the next gathering. The staff at the elder’s house will skin and dress them so we can eat them then. For now, I need to go home. Alone.

The next morning, I head to the diner for breakfast. I could eat at home, but I need to be around people. The diner is a favorite place for me.

They know me here, and it’s comfortable for me in many ways. Halfway through my espresso and French toast, I see Raymond and Melissa Cauley walk in and get an idea.

“Raymond, Melissa, please come join me!” I call out and wave them over.

They come to sit at my table with confused looks, and I nod at my server to bring the coffee pot. She asks them if they want anything, and they order. We all make small talk before Raymond starts the conversation.

“What’s going on, Trey? Have you found Heather? Is she coming home?”

Melissa levels a serious stare at me, “I still can’t believe she was here all that time, and you didn’t tell us.”

“I was trying to protect you.” I reach out a hand, but Melissa pulls hers away. “Look,” I say, “I knew that if anyone saw Heather here or if you showed any signs you knew she was here, you’d all be subject to the laws under my father. I couldn’t let that happen.”

Raymond puts his hand on Melissa’s shoulder. He speaks to her softly.

“Honey, Trey’s right. He did the best thing he could to protect us. If we’d known she was here, we would have acted differently, and people would have noticed.”

“I don’t care!” Melissa shrugs off her husband’s hand from her shoulder. “I would have gladly given my life to see her even one more time. All we got was a glimpse on stage. And then she was gone again. Lost again, isn’t she?”

She looks up pleadingly, and my wolf responds. He recognizes them as family once again, another sign that the mating bond with Heather will never fade.

She might be gone, might be hundreds of miles away, but after the change last night and what I feel now, I think I know a way to pinpoint her location.

“Maybe not.” I don’t break our stare. “You’re really willing to give up everything to find her? To be in exile and never run with our pack again?”

“She’s your mate,” Melissa says. “Aren’t you willing to do the same?”

The idea I have solidifies. I know I can find her now.

“Come with me. I know how we can find her, but we need privacy.”

Melissa and Raymond look at each other. They scoot their chairs back at the same time and stand up. Melissa looks at me before she turns toward the door.

“Well? Let’s go then.”

I lead the way, heading to my estate. The staff at the diner knows me, and I have a tab. No need to wait for a check. When we get to my place, I lead Heather’s parents to the library.

There was something in one of the books I read about mates. I’d thought I’d seen it before and after everything else. I’m sure it’s worth investigating.

“Ah ha!” I exclaim when I find it.

Melissa and Raymond both jump up beside me.

“What?” Melissa asks.

I point at the book. “This. I thought I felt it yesterday, and now I’m sure. ‘An Alpha can find their mate anywhere. If the connection hasn’t been consummated yet, a familial connection can help the Alpha use this power.’ We can use our connections to find her.”

“Why would you need us, though?”

I can feel my face go red.

“Ray, don’t push it.” Melissa seems to be fighting to keep the smirk off her face.

“Okay,” I bring us back to task. “We have to open up to each other to make this work. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes,” Melissa nods. “Absolutely. Do you want to do this here?”

“I don’t want to waste another second.” And I mean it.

We come closer together and form a circle. I take Raymond’s hand on one side and Melissa’s on the other. They take each other’s hands to complete the circle. We all look at each other, and then I guide our thoughts.

“Put your head down and close your eyes.” They do. “Now, think of your favorite memory of Heather. It has to be something that makes you truly happy.”

I imagine Heather’s smile, the way she lights up when she forgets all the stresses of life. It’s the way she looks when she’s on her sewing machine or whenever she talks about wedding details with Violet.

I know that Melissa and Raymond are calling up their own memories because I can feel Heather in my mind like a piece of myself coming closer to fill an empty space I’ve been feeling since she ran from the wedding.

The feeling is magnetic, pulling me toward her in a way that’s hard to resist. I can sense where she is, like a map appearing in my mind. I can’t really explain it, but it’s growing clearer.

When I lift my head, Heather’s parents still have theirs down. I take a deep breath and feel calm. I know where she is, and I won’t let her run again. I let go of their hands, and they look up when the circle breaks with expectant looks on their faces.

“Do you have it? Do you know where she is?” Melissa asks. She’s practically shaking.

I smile at her. “I do. I know where she is.”

They both put their hands to their mouths. Melissa falls into Raymond’s arms, and he barely catches her. He looks up at me.

“We can go get her then?” His eyes are wide, and I can see tears forming.

“Yes, we will go get her and bring her home.”

“What does that mean for you as Alpha,” he asks.

“I’ll take care of that. You go pack. We’ll get on a plane tomorrow morning. I’ll text you with a pickup time after I book the flight.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Melissa is standing upright again on her own. “Why can’t we go right now?”

“There’s something I have to do first.”