After Six Years The Alpha Begs For My Return Chapter 04
A soft cough came from behind us.
I turned. Ophelia stood under the porch light, a knit shawl draped over her shoulders, her face pale. There was no telling how long she had been listening.
“Gideon,” she said gently, “it’s chilly out. Why aren’t you wearing your coat? Your wolf hasn’t rested properly in days.”
She walked over, draped his coat over his shoulders, and smoothed the collar. When a high-ranking werewolf adjusted their mate’s coat in public, it was a signal of open protection. She had reversed the gesture, as if to remind me that she was the one entitled to touch him.
Only then did she turn to me. “Avery, the pair-bond agreement was negotiated by Grandfather and the Ellery family. The terms are basically settled. I already agreed on your behalf to meet Graham tomorrow. He’ll be coming to the hospital to see Mom, so you two can talk then.”
I stared at her. “Who gave you permission to agree on my behalf?”
“I’m doing this for your own good. Being away from your birth pack for too long isn’t good for a werewolf. You need a stable place to belong.”
“My place to belong is not for you to decide.”
Ophelia’s face went white. She clutched her chest and staggered back a step, her breathing turning ragged as the scent of fear bled from her.
Gideon immediately caught her, his brow knotting as he turned on me. “Avery, you know her wolf is weak. Did you have to use your pressure on her?”
I hadn’t released any pressure at all.
But seeing the way he shielded her, I had to laugh.
“Gideon, when I was thirteen, you fought a pack of rogue young wolves on Old Street to protect me. Your face was bruised all over, but you told me that if anyone ever bullied me again, you’d make them pay. Do you remember that?”
His throat worked, but he didn’t answer.
“The one bullying me now is the woman in your arms.”
My wolf sent up a short, sharp pang of rejection. It wasn’t asking him to come back. It had simply, finally, accepted that the boy who protected me was long gone.
I looked away.
“Forget it. Pretend I never said anything.”
I turned and headed inside. I had just stepped into the entrance hall when I heard Franklin’s voice from the sitting room.
“If Gideon hadn’t gone to the elders himself back then and insisted Ophelia was carrying his pup, that she and the heir had to be given proper status, the Luna’s position would have been Avery’s.”
My steps faltered.
Gideon came in behind me and stopped.
Slowly, I turned to face him. “Is that true? You were the one who went to the elders and asked them to replace the Luna candidate and acknowledge the child in Ophelia’s womb?”
He lowered his eyes, silent for a few seconds.
“Yes.”
“No explanation?”
“No.”
I looked at him for two full seconds.
Fourteen years of love. Six years of flight. It all ended here.
Without another word, I pulled open the front door and walked out into the night.
The wind was fierce. I wandered the streets for a long time before finally calling a car back to my hotel.
When I collapsed onto the sofa, I was shivering. When I left White Ash River, I had formally severed my pack link. But six years later, the Alpha pressure in that old house could still stir my body’s memory of the old hierarchy.
My phone buzzed. A message from Ophelia.
*Avery, Graham is coming to the hospital tomorrow. Wear something soft. Don’t let the Ellery family think you have no manners.*
I stared at the screen and laughed.
She was in such a hurry to push me into another arranged union for one reason and one reason only: she was terrified I might threaten her position as Luna.
My finger slid down my contact list, stopping on a single name.
After I made the call, I slept soundly for the first time in a long while.
The next morning, I put on a beige blouse and black slacks and headed for Northbridge Medical Center.
I had barely reached the inpatient entrance when my family intercepted me.
My grandfather stood at the front, leaning on his ebony cane. Franklin and Ophelia flanked him, with Gideon on the other side. Several White Ash River guards waited at the foot of the steps. This was clearly more than a family meeting.
A man in a dark navy suit stood beside Ophelia, an antler crest pinned to his chest. That had to be Graham.
“You disappeared for a whole night. We thought you’d fled pack territory again.” My grandfather snorted. “Good timing. Graham came specifically to see Miriam. You can settle the pair-bond agreement now.”
Graham stepped forward. “Avery, Ophelia already told me about your situation. For a she-wolf cut off from her birth pack and living abroad for six years, I’m sure it hasn’t been easy. If you pair with me, you can reconnect to the White Ash River pack link. I’ll take care of you, and you won’t have to worry about the treatment resources your mother requires. Once her surgery is over, we’ll hold the vow banquet.”
“I don’t agree.”
The scene froze.
“Avery!” My grandfather struck his cane against the ground. “The Ellery family is willing to let two blood relatives participate in the matching tests, and your mother’s expenses can be covered by the pack medical fund. On what grounds do you refuse?”
“I am not trading my choice of mate for resources.”
“You—”
“Grandfather, please don’t be upset.” Ophelia hurried to steady him, then turned to me. “Avery, don’t be stubborn. Your bloodline trust is jointly managed by Grandfather. The annual disbursement requires his signature. If he delays it, you won’t get a single cent this year. You can’t possibly pay for Mom’s treatment on your own, can you?”
“Who she pairs with isn’t your decision.”
A deep male voice came from behind me. In an instant, an overpowering Alpha pressure stamped out every other sound.
The White Ash River guards straightened instinctively. Gideon lifted his head, his gaze turning razor-sharp.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
The man approached in a black suit, accompanied only by his Beta and two guards. He stopped at my side and slid a casual arm around my waist. The scent of fir, leather, and sea salt enveloped me—not forceful, but unmistakably drawing a line in the sand.
By old wolf custom, when a high-ranking Alpha put his arm around someone like that in public, it was a clear declaration to all witnesses: *she is under my protection*.
He glanced down at the antler crest on Graham’s chest, one brow arching slightly.
“You were just saying,” he drawled, “that you were going to vow yourself to my mate?”