Rejected by the Alpha (Alpha Shifter Collection)

Blueberry shook her head. “Nope. I’m good. You know me. I know my way to my shop and back again.”

She smiled, gave her friend a wave, and left the town square. Humming to herself, she couldn’t stop smiling. The thought of leaving and finally making a decision felt so good. Decker didn’t have any control over her.

He refused to be her mate. Refused to be anything to her.

They didn’t talk, apart from today, but even then, she had felt his animosity.

Misha headed toward the town hall, which was the only place she’d find Decker. He always had to be available for the pack needs.

The building was large, but it had to be when he wanted to give town meetings. It was rare for them to get tourists, but with the expanse of the forest, it wasn’t unheard of. Decker always found a way of alerting his pack when there were humans close by. They kept their secret. The truth about the wolves couldn’t be exposed to the human world.

If humans were present during a full moon, the alpha would use his power and keep them all from turning. The month within a change was always difficult. Temperaments rose, and it was never good for any of them.

The town hall was pretty much abandoned by the time she got there. Stepping over the threshold, she glanced around. Posters decorated the walls of upcoming events, notices of building works, and just some advertising of nonsense.

“Misha Parks, it has been too long.”

She turned to see Decker Senior, the previous alpha, standing in front of her.

“Alpha,” she said.

“I’m afraid I’m not your alpha anymore.”

Misha chuckled. “I guess you will always be mine.” It was Decker Senior who found her and placed her in the pack’s care. “How is retirement?”

“Pleasant. I miss those sugar cookies you used to bake for me. My son doesn’t mention them anymore.”

“I don’t bake them for him.”

“Ah.”

There was no reason for her to say why. Everyone knew the truth.

“So, what brings you to the town hall?”

She was going to make excuses, but if she left now, she wouldn’t return, and her hope of finally having a future where she could be happy would go.

“Actually, I came to talk to the alpha, but he’s not here. Do you think I can get your advice? Seeing as you were once the alpha, and you know all the right and wrong ways of the pack.”

He chuckled. “I will do my best, but I haven’t been the alpha for a long time. I will help the best way that I can.”

Misha laughed, feeling a little put on the spot. She didn’t know if she should tell Decker’s dad what she intended.

She’d never been the kind of person to back away from a challenge. Licking her lips first, she said, “I would like the opportunity to leave the pack.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I don’t think my place is here any longer. Not that there is a problem with the pack, but … it won’t be long before he finds someone, and I don’t want to be around to see that,” she said. “I want to leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Misha spun around at the sound of Decker’s voice. She would recognize him anywhere.

“Decker,” she said.

The alpha wasn’t looking at her, but at his father. “Were you encouraging her?”

“Don’t look at me like that, Decker. You’re my alpha now, but I am still your father.”

“Father? How can you call yourself that when you’re not even going to stop her from leaving?”

“Hey!” She didn’t like either man talking about her as if she wasn’t there. “I’m right here, and you have no right yelling at your father. He did nothing wrong. All he did was listen to me, and maybe if you did that from time to time, you might actually learn something.”

She was so angry at him. How dare he talk to his father like that?

“I want permission to leave the pack. It is time for me to move on, and I think it’s quite reasonable of me to suggest that you agree,” she said.

“Not happening. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Are you for real right now? You do know that in front of the entire pack you rejected me.” She slammed her palm against her chest. Why was he behaving this way? It made no sense.

“You’re not leaving. You’re still part of this pack, and your position here is not going to anyone else.

Was he saying he wouldn’t be with anyone else? She was so confused. “You can’t do this.” There had to be a way for her to fight it, to fight him.

“I can do this. To leave this pack, you have to get permission from the alpha, which is me. I don’t grant it. To go out on your own would risk you going rogue, and I don’t think you’re going to do that either.” Decker took a step toward her, and for the first time since that night, she hated him. Not just hated but despised him. “You’re staying here within this pack.”