The Pack Where She Belongs

Chapter 8

----Astrid----

My chest was so tight as I looked over at the woman standing in the door way with her hand on her hip, the venom in her voice and her icy glare made me feel so small. I looked up at Alex while I felt my heart breaking

"Alex...?" I managed a whisper as my voice trembled. his eyes looked so angry ad he looked at the woman and they instantly changed as he looked down at me.

"Astrid I can expl-" he started and was cut off by the woman at the door.

"I'm gone for a week and you have some omega b***h in your bed?! you wouldn't even have s*x with me in your bed!" She screeched and it further broke my heart. I pushed at Alex's chest and when he wouldn't let me up I slid out from under him and climbed off the bed

"Wait Astrid!" Alex tried to reach for me but I dodged his reach.

"i.. I'm sorry I didn't know you two were together. I'll go.." I breathed, trying to fight back the tears that were trying to fall.

"Yeah, you should get the f**k out of here" the woman growled at me and I quickly slid my flip flops on and hurried for the door.

"Astrid please!" Alex begged as he finally got a hold of my arm which I quickly pulled free from him. I turned and looked up at him with my fists balled and tears finally running down my cheeks.

"No! You promised I wouldn't get hurt and you hid that you were dating someone! you promised!" I yelled at him before storming past the woman in the door way and past Morgan who also called after me which I hardly heard. I hadn't even noticed when I had started running but next thing I knew I was out in the middle of the woods next to a shallow creek. my body feeling weak and heavy to the point I just slid down a tree and sat on my butt with my knees to my chest and my head on top of them while I sobbed.

----Alex----

Seeing Shelby standing there in the door frame made my heart drop into my stomach and the pained look on Astrids face pulled at my heart. I had tried to get her to stop and talk to me, I had tried to explain to her what was going on.. but she was right, I had broken my promise and hurt her. I had been so infatuated with getting to know her and being around her I had completely forgotten about Shelby.

Shelby and I weren't dating but she had been obsessed with me since middle school and we had fooled around a few times in recent years. I had kind of given up on meeting my mate, I had hope but it had been fading. Typically most wolves find their mates at eighteen but no such luck for me, my Beta, or Gamma. I had given into my urges and slept with her and now it was the biggest regret that I would carry with me forever.

Morgan cut me a glare and hurried off, I'm assuming to catch up with Astrid. I knew she was mad at me too, rightfully so.

"Shelby!" I growled at her and watched her face go pale. "I've told you and told you and told you, we. are. not. together." I told her through gritted teeth. "we slept together a couple of times thats all and you knew that, you told me you were fine with it. What gives you the right to come into your Alphas bedroom uninvited even after being told not to by the Alphas sister? That woman you ran out of here, was my mate.. your future luna" I stalked over to her, pushing my Alpha aura at her, making her whimper. I hated doing this to members of my pack but damn was I mad.

"B..but Alex, you said when i came back we would be together.." Shelby whimpered at me, "that I would be luna.."

"I said no such thing. I've never put it in your head that we were together or going to be together, I've corrected you multiple times and I know others have too and now your fantasy has caused me to potentially lose my mate! get out Shelby, get out of my pack house!" I yelled, finally having enough of her mouth.

Shelby glared at me and said nothing before turning on her heel and stomping away from me. I clenched my jaw and rubbed my hand over my face then through my hair with frustration. I had messed up, big time and I hurt the one person I never wanted to.. she'll never forgive me..

Go find her stupid, fix what you f**ked up. I told you Shelby was a bad idea and you didn't listen now you have to fix your mess

I know, I know.. but.. what if she rejects us?

You'll just have to deal with that if it happens. But if she does, I will never forgive you. she's our mate, the moon goddess chose her for us and you picked a warm hole over waiting and ignoring my warning and now here we are.

And just like that, River cut our link, leaving me with my thoughts. I need to go find Astrid. I slipped my shoes on and hurried out of the pack house to find her, having no idea where she went.

----Astrid----

I have no idea how long I sat there in the forest but eventually I stopped crying and sat there with my head on my knees, holding them to my chest still. My chest ached and my head hurt, my feet hurt from running in flip flops.

we should just go, he has someone else.. I'm glad I didn't have s*x with him. I wouldn't be able to handle being mated to him and having to leave. I can just leave now..

And where are we going to go Astrid? we've escaped Mountian but we have no home if we leave and run the risk of becoming rogue is extremely high and then we have no second mate chances. that's already rare. Harper explained to me, and she was right. I could reject Alex and see if I could still stay in town but I doubt he would let me if i rejected him.

What am I supposed to do, Harper? Am I supposed to just stay here and watch my mate love someone else? ive already become so attached to him.. I asked her as I began to cry again, I couldn't seem to stop.

My thoughts were cut off when I heard a twig snapping behind me but I didn't move, I couldn't. my body felt so heavy, like it was made of cement.

"I thought I saw you run out here, I just wasn't sure where you went" a voice I recognized said as he approached me, it was William. "Astrid? what happened, talk to me" he said as he knelt down in front of me. I couldn't stop the sob that left me, my whole body shaking. "hey, hey Astrid come on talk to me.." he said in a soothing tone while touching my arm and I flinched, causing him to pull his hand back.

I sniffled before finally being able to lift my head and look at William. the moment he saw my face I saw his lips turn to a frown and his eyes filled with worry. my eyes felt puffy and heavy. I just wanted to sleep. more tears went down my cheeks before I spoke up.

"Alex.. he's in a relationship with another woman and he never told me.. he made me care so deeply for him and he broke his promise.. i.. I feel like I want to go home but I have no home to go to, William. I'm stuck.." I sobbed. this time I didn't flinch away as William touched my arm then put his arms around me in a tight hug.

"You're going to be okay Astrid.. shh.." he breathed while rocking me gently. I didn't know William or Zack very well yet but William had seemed like the very caring type, almost like a big brother would be. I hadn't quite got a read on Zack yet but he had been nice to me too but William made it a point to say hello any time he saw me and at dinner he constantly made jokes with me. Alex had told me that William had been really worried about me when they first found me and he had sat with Alex quite a few times when I was still unconscious.

"who is she, William?" I cried and put my forehead on his shoulders while he held me. "why didn't Alex tell me about her?" I asked. I felt William sigh and shift to sit next to me on the ground. he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him, I put my head on his shoulder.

"That's Shelby, I'm assuming that's who you're talking about. She has been obsessed with Alex since middle school when her parents transferred packs. she was constantly attached to his hip but Alex never really gave her that kind of attention and often told her they were just friends. she seemed to back off for a little while but would still give him longing looks when she thought no one was looking" he began to rub my shoulder a little while talking. I could feel I was starting to calm down a little.

"well, as you would know it's very strange for wolves our ages to not have mates by now. we all just got very unlucky it seems but, Alex had tried to keep it under wraps but word got out that he and Shelby had hooked up a couple times and her obsession started again. I was there when he told her they weren't dating and told her to stop telling people they were but she didn't listen, she never does." he shook his head. "None of us were expecting to find you out in the woods that day and I know Alex wasn't prepared to find his mate. he's been so obsessed with you that he probably forgot Shelby even existed so he didn't get the chance to tell you before she got home from vacation today. I caught Morgan when she was trying to catch you and she explained she had tried to stop Shelby but she wouldn't listen.. I'm so sorry you got hurt, Astrid.." he hugged my shoulder.

I was staring at the creek while he was talking, a few tears still falling from my eyes but I was no longer sobbing. I was still very hurt by all of this, even if he had forgotten to say something, it didn't stop the aching in my heart. What happened before I came into the picture isn't something I would hold against him, I couldn't expect him to still be a virgin like me but what hurt was hearing all the things she said and Alex didn't say anything until I was trying to leave.

"if you need somewhere to go for a little while, I have a cabin out here that you can stay at. I don't want you to have no where to go and quite frankly, I'm attached to you Astrid. your like the little sister I never had.." he said, intrupting my thoughts. I turned my head to look at him, he looked sad.

"okay.. thank you. I don't want to go either but I don't know if I'm ready to see Alex yet or if I want to see him. he didn't correct her on any of the things she said until I was getting ready to run out. I'm not ready to hear what he was trying to explain.. I just need some time, I know I'm probably being irrational but I need to breathe." I explained and William nodded.

"I understand, and it's not irrational. you're allowed to have your feelings but if you want my opinion at all, I think you should hear him out but when you're ready." He sounded like he was pleading me to at least talk to Alex. I gave him a soft nod

"Okay, just not right now" I agreed and he nodded this time.

"let's go to the cabin, it's a lot warmer there then out here in the woods." he said and shifted, picking me up as he moved to stand. I was surprised he had picked me up but also grateful, I wasn't sure I'd be able to walk anyway; I still felt so numb.

"Thank you, William.. you're a great friend" I said and laid my head against his shoulder.

after a couple minutes of walking a small cabin came into view. "I come out here some times to just get some time away from the pack house. we'll all of us do, Alex, Zack, and myself. Alex's dad built the cabin before he met luna Kathryn, his get away from being Alpha. well he let us hang out here when we were teens and now we just pop in occasionally" he explained and opened the door to the cabin and put me on the couch.

inside the cabin was very cozy and rustic feeling. I watched as William got the fire place going before he turned back to face me. "the cabin is always stocked so there's plenty of food and the bedrooms are down the hall there, bathroom too. I'll get some clothes for you from Alex's room and bring them to you later just.. take some time to relax and clear your mind. I'm always here for you, Astrid." he said and walked over, rubbing the top of my head a little. "I'll see if we can get you a cell phone too, since you can't link with us. that way if you need anything you can just text me.

"Thank you, William.. I really appreciate it." I told him softly and he nodded before leaving me there in the cabin alone. I sighed and shifted to lay down on the couch, sleep slowly taking me.

It was a couple hours later when I woke up again. I still felt like crap but I knew I needed to get up. I looked around and noticed a duffle bag by the door, William must have brought it over when I was asleep. After hearing him say I was like a little sister to him, I felt much closer to him. Him and Morgan were so nice to me. If I did have to leave, I would miss them terribly. I forced myself up onto my feet and got the fire going fully again to keep th cabin warm.

I need a shower.. I smell like Alex and the forest.. I thought and grabbed the duffel bag and went to one of the bedrooms. it had a full size bed and a dresser, it was simple and lightly decorated with a painting on a wall and some pictures on the dresser. I tilted my head and picked up one of he frames and instantly recognized the four teens. Alex, William, Zack, and Morgan were all smiling as they stood by a lake, all in swimming attire and their hair was wet. they all looked to be about fourteen in the picture and they looks so happy. I couldn't help but smile as well, though i was a bit jealous since I had never had those kinds of memories.

I set the frame down and picked up another picture. It was the boys again, standing outside of a school with some other kids, my heart dropped when I saw Shelby clinging to Alex's arm, he seemed less than thrilled in the picture, especially compared to everyone else. he honestly looked annoyed. I frowned and laid that particular picture down on its face. I didn't want to look at it. I kept looking at the other pictures, admiring the memories and feeling a little sad.

I backed away from the pictures and put the duffle on the bed. I unzipped it and noticed the phone sitting on top with a note. Our numbers are all programed for you, let us know if you need anything. Don't be a stranger, we'll miss you

Morgan.. Alex probably wouldn't let William go through my clothes but I'm also grateful for Alex not letting him pack my stuff. I turned on the phone and was greeted by a picture from the night I had dinner with everyone, all of us sitting at the table having a good time. I had no idea who took the picture but I seeing it made me happy, even if this was my last and only time eating dinner with the family, I would cherish the memory. I saw I had one text message and it was from Alex. I sighed and looked at it

"I know I'm the last person you want to hear from right now but, I'm so very sorry I didn't tell you about Shelby and I know William told you about us and our history but I'd like to tell you about it myself too. I miss you and I know you're safe.. take all the time you need but I'm asking, please don't reject me until you at least hear me out. after that, if you still want to.. I'll understand. please reach out if you need me, I'll be there as fast as I can.

my heart ached again and I turned the screen off. I wasn't ready for that yet, I just wasnt but I appreciated him telling me to take my time, I needed it. I put the phone on the bed then pulled out some pajama pants and a tank top as well as a scrunchy that Morgan had put in my bag. I went to the bathroom and pulled a towel from the cabinet. I stripped out of my clothes and got the shower going, I just wanted to wash away the days events and try to get rid of the puffiness under my eyes. I stepped into the shower and sighed heavily, I needed this.

after my shower and getting dressed I went out to the kitchen and made myself a small dinner despite not feeling hungry at all, I knew I needed to eat.

It was crazy how quickly my life had flipped. I went from being beaten and starved, to being cared for and treated like the most precious thing in the world, to being on my own for a little while with a hole in my chest. I knew Alex cared about me, that didn't change but it didn't stop my hurting.

last night had been amazing, the best night I've ever had and now here I was, alone in a cabin eating dinner by myself in silence and I would be going to bed alone again as well. I wished Alex was here with me but I could reach out to him. I heard my phone ding and I looked down at it, a message from Alex.

"Good night sweetheart, I miss you.."

I hesitated before replying, "Good night". I finished my food then put myself to bed. it took me forever to fall asleep and when I did, it certainly wasn't restful.

----Alex----

I had looked every where for Astrid, full on panicking when I couldn't find her. Morgan had no idea where she went, having lost sight of her. damn it! I have to fix this! I was making my way out to the forest when I saw William coming my way and he looked mad. he grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me back against a tree I was next to.

"What the f**k were you thinking Alex?! I found Astrid out by the creek, balling her eyes out. she couldn't even look at me half the time I was talking to her. I had to explain your whole messed up situation to that already broken girl! I've never seen someone look like that Alex! never!" he barked at me. I couldn't look him in the eye until he shook me, causing a small growl to come from me. "Oh no, you do not get to growl at me Alex! cut the Alpha crap, we have been friends since we were toddlers, I have always been here for you I just never imagined I would have to do this for you.. I told you getting involved with Shelby was bad news and you did it anyway" he let go of me and crossed his arms.

"where is she? please tell me she's some where safe.." I pleaded with him, my voice shaking a little

"She's at the cabin" William answered and I went to push past him, only to have him push me back against the tree. "Oh no you don't. smothering her right now is not going to help, you need to give her space to breathe. You messed up Alex, you need to think about this just as much as she does, if not more. I'm so disappointed in you man.." he shook his head at me while his words stung

"okay.. does she need anything out there?" I asked defeatedly, my eyes down on the ground. my Beta was taking care of my mate because I hurt her and it was so very painful.

"she needs clothes and a phone. I'll go up and get them." he answered me and I growled.

"Absolutely not. I'll have Morgan get her clothes and stuff. thank you for taking care of Astrid but the last thing i want is for you to be touching her underwear." I said grumpily and he put his hands up.

"fair enough, go do that and I'll meet you in your office. we clearly need to talk about things because I don't think this is the last we're going to see of Shelby. she's never really gotten over you and now this happened. mind you, it's mostly your fault this time." he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, I'll meet you there" I said and he walked away. I sighed and went to find my sister. I walked into the living room and saw her there, looking at her phone. she looked up at me and glared at me, hard. I put my hands up in surrender.

"look, William already tore me a new one over this. I know you're pissed at me too but please could you do me a favor?" I asked her and she gave me a blank, unamused face but didn't say anything. great.. the silent treatment.. Last time she did this she didn't talk to me for two months. "okay, a favor for me, for Astrid.." I added and she seemed to relax a little then gestured with her hand for me to go on, still not talking.

"can you get some of Astrids clothes and a cell phone for her and take them out to the cabin, please?" I asked. she again didn't say anything, she just got up and headed upstairs. God I hated this.

I then headed upstairs to my office to sit and talk with William. We talked for hours, talking about how to go about keeping Shelby away from myself and Astrid. Shelby hadn't technically done anything wrong so I couldn't do much but we planned to tell the warriors to keep Shelby out of the pack house, try and limit her contact with us.

after that I headed to my empty bedroom, I could still smell her scent everywhere and it hurt so bad. I noticed a piece of paper on the bed and picked it up. it was Morgan's hand writing with a phone number on it, I'd assume was Astids. I saved the number and sent her a message before getting a shower before laying down for the night.

"Good night sweetheart, I miss you.." I sent, not expecting to get a message back since I didn't get one earlier but to my surprise my phone dinged and my heart jumped.

"good night" was all it said and it was better than nothing and it gave me some kind of hope. I set my phone aside and tried to sleep.