Filed to story: Luna Lovette and Alpha Kodak Story
“I think you do. I think this is eating at you.”
Shaya offered a sad smile. “That’s almost the exact same thing that Marcus said.”
“Marcus is the one who has you upset?”
“No, no, definitely not. The shameless flirt guessed there was something upsetting me, and he wouldn’t stop hounding me until I told him.”
Jaime recalled seeing the two of them going on private strolls around pack territory together.
She had wondered if maybe they scratched each other’s itch occasionally, but apparently, it was something much more important.
“I’m glad I did tell him. Without having him to talk to, I’d have lost it. He’s the only one who knows. If I tell you, you have to keep it to yourself. I mean you keep it from Gabe, and Dante, and even Lovette and Kodak. I know that’s not a fair thing to ask, so if you’re not comfortable with it, we won’t talk about it.”
Jaime wasn’t in a position to judge anybody for keeping secrets from their Alphas. Even if the idea had made her feel uncomfortable, she still wouldn’t be okay with leaving Shaya to deal with whatever this was alone. Sure, Shaya had Marcus, but sometimes a woman needed to talk to another woman. “You have my word that I won’t repeat a single thing you tell me.” Shaya slumped over the bar. “I know who my true mate is.”
That had Jaime raising her eyebrows. “Is he in the pack?”
“No. None of those guys would ever walk away from their true mate.”
“So he knows who you are? I mean, he knows you’re his mate?”
“He knows.” She took another swig of vodka. “I know it’s really unusual for someone to pick up on it within minutes of meeting someone, but I just knew. Maybe it’s because I was so eager to find him after seeing Lovette so happy with Kodak that I was open enough to sense it. I saw a flash of recognition and then shock cross his face. I saw the way he watched me like a hawk. There’s no way I’ll believe he doesn’t know.”
“You didn’t try to talk to him?”
Her chuckle was humorless. “Oh I tried. You should have seen the way he looked at me. Or should I say, he looked through me. He’s made it obvious that he doesn’t want me.”
“He said that?” Jaime was ready to kill the guy already.
“That’s the thing, he said nothing. He doesn’t talk to me. Whenever he comes to our territory, he pretty much overlooks my presence. I don’t even stick around when he’s there anymore. I figure there’s no point if he’s only going to ignore me. It hurts, you know. It really fucking hurts.” Jaime could only imagine. “Why not tell Lovette?”
“She’d demand to know who he is, break his nose, and then force him to claim me. I want him to claim me because he wants to.”
“Maybe there’s a good reason why he hasn’t claimed you. Maybe you could try to talk to him again.”
“Give him a chance to dismiss me again like I’m a piece of shit on his shoe? No thanks. I’ve got a pretty good idea why he doesn’t want me. He looks down on me.” A surge of protectiveness shot through Jaime. “Why would he look down on you?”
“Because I’m submissive, and he’s so not.”
“Why should that be an issue? Just because you’re a submissive doesn’t mean your mate can’t be an alpha male.”
Another humorless chuckle. “He’s not just an alpha male. He’s an Alpha of a pack.” Shock made Jaime’s eyes widen. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. So you see the problem.”
Yes, she saw the problem. Alpha pairs of a pack were exactly that-a pair of Alphas. A submissive wolf could never hold the position of Alpha female and would be constantly challenged if she tried. Kodak’s mother had been an exception, because no one had envied her position as Rick Coleman’s mate, but she had never had the respect and support of the pack as every Alpha female should. Jaime wanted to say something comforting, but unlike her brother, she was so bad at this. “Oh God, Shaya, if I knew what to say, I’d say it.”
“Thanks. The whole thing would be a lot easier if he didn’t visit the pack.”
“Why does he visit?”
She shrugged before taking another gulp of vodka. “I’m guessing it’s to talk business stuff with Kodak.”
“He can do that over the phone. Not many packs socialize with other packs. You don’t think that maybe the reason he goes is to see you?”
“If it is, he’ll be disappointed, won’t he? I’ll never be there when he is. Not ever. There was one time when he showed up out of the blue. I hid in my room.” After a short pause, she added, “I’m thinking of leaving the pack.”
Jaime twisted fully in her seat, gawking unattractively. “What?”
“Believe me when I say that I love it there, I really do. It’s so different from my old pack- tight and family oriented and supportive. But it’s not a safe haven for me, because he goes there. He can invade my home whenever he likes, and that taints it. If things get too hard…I don’t see what other choice I’d have. No matter how bad things get, I’d never leave Lovette while she’s pregnant. I want to be there for the birth. But after that…Well, we’ll see.”
“Where would you go? Back to your old pack?”
“I’d go where I’d never have any chance of bumping into him. I’d make a place for myself in the human world.”
Jaime gawked again. “You can’t be serious. Shaya, the lone-wolf lifestyle is no joke.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?