Alpha's Regret, Queen's Revenge

HIS RETURN

HAILEY

As I stood on the balcony of my makeshift room in Ryan's packhouse, the wind blew through my hair. The Alpha King's realm seemed so vast in front of me that I should have been in awe. Rather, my heart was heavy, burdened by everything I had been through and everything I still had to face. I believed that I would find serenity after leaving the Cedar Pack two years ago. It didn't. I had exchanged one storm for another, and Ryan was at the heart of this one. With memories nagging at me, I turned my back on the scenery. My thoughts drifted back to the quarrel that had ripped through us like wildfire the instant he'd left. Ryan had added, "Hailey, you don't understand," in a strained voice.

Ryan's voice was tense with annoyance as he said these words to me. I snapped, my chest heaving under the weight of my rage. "Then make me understand," I said. He whispered, "I can't," with a mixture of pain and resolve in his eyes. "You simply intend to leave like this? After everything? Despite my best attempts, the vulnerability I had worked so hard to conceal was now showing in my voice. He promised, "I'll come back," as he moved in closer and touched me. "I just need time." "Time for what?" With tears in my eyes, I had demanded. "Time to figure out if I'm worth it?" His quietness had been a sufficient response. He would have picked Lucy as his mate if he hadn't discovered me, his ex-lover, and she was very vocal about it. It all began with a massive smack. The saddest part, though, was when she said she was pregnant and that it was his, but she'd had artificial insemination, as they had agreed that only his mate could bear his child, and he had decided he wouldn't look for me. I saw him grow more and more distant, but then she lost the kid, and he said he needed time. How about me?

Ryan informed me that Thomas' parents had been found to have abducted me while killing my parents at birth; their origins were now unknown. Two years later, however, he was back. The packhouse was a flurry of activity that night. The air hummed with excitement as Ryan called a meeting to announce his return. With a tense, anxious feeling. I had watched him go through the crowd from the corner of the room. He appeared the same—bigger than life, muscular, and authoritative. But his eyes had changed, showing a weariness where none had previously existed. Logan was standing next to me, providing stability. He had grown to be my rock over the years, and even when I was unable to rely on myself, his allegiance never wavered. I was sustained by his presence as well as that of his mate, Flora. Alexia is their little angel, and she makes my life so much better. She's usually glued to my side, and right now, Flora is keeping her away against her will while Ryan talks to the entire pack; she squirms uneasily and occasionally gives me her gorgeous black puppy eyes while sucking her finger and then screaming, "Hailey" aloud while extending her arms. I nearly give in, but I have to focus. He is observing you. Logan's voice was low enough for me to hear him whisper. I replied, "I know," without even looking at Ryan. "You going to talk to him?" I gave a headshake. "What can be said? He made his decision. Logan let out a sigh, his face twisted in the expressional struggle. "You can't avoid him forever, Hailey." I snapped at him, "Watch me," with an edge that was more apathetic than I intended. Logan was about to reply when Ryan's voice sliced across the space. "Hailey," he remarked in a firm yet kind voice. Wearing a deliberately bland expression, I turned to face him. "Alpha King," I did a ridiculous bow, but he scoffed and said, looking into my eyes, "Can we talk?" With my heart thumping, I paused. I nodded, at last, pointing to the corridor. "Take the lead." Ryan shut the door behind us, and the office felt oppressive, the walls closing in. "You've done well," he observed, looking around the room as though attempting to put together the life I had created without him. With my arms folded across my chest, I answered, "I had to." "Someone had to take the initiative." My words made him wince, and his jaw tensed. "I never wanted to leave that burden on you." "However, you did, I spoke, my voice faltering. "Ryan, you abandoned me." Neither a strategy nor an explanation. Don't you know what that was like? The burden of my charges weighed heavily on his shoulders. “I felt that I was acting appropriately.” "The proper action?" Even to my ears, the sound was harsh, and I chuckled bitterly. “You left me behind. We were left behind by you. What was the correct part of that? He replied, his voice rising with fury, "You left me unmarked for two years." "I needed time to figure things out," he answered. "I didn't mean to—" I broke off, my eyes welling with sorrow, "You hurt me anyway." Ryan, you have no say in what's best for me. You cannot leave the way you did and expect me to be waiting for you when you return. His voice broke as he said, "I didn't expect you to wait." "But I hoped." I moved away from him and shook my head. "Hope is not enough. Not anymore. Between us, there was silence, thick with unsaid words. At last, Ryan's voice was quiet but determined. "Can we at least make an effort to proceed? For the group? My heart ached from the weight of everything we had lost as I looked into his eyes. "I would pretend to be your affectionate Luna for the pack," I stated icily. "But don't count on me to do more." "You lost that right the moment Lucy left with you." His expression dropped, yet he nodded, but his face fell. “I’ll take what I can get.” The meeting that followed was a performance, a well-planned show of solidarity. Ryan and I stood together, putting on a united front for the pack, but there was a space between us that no words could fill. Logan stood across the room, his steady gaze a reminder of the bond we had formed in Ryan’s absence; he was no longer just a Beta, he was my friend, my confidant, and my confidant. When the meeting was over, Ryan came up to me, his expression conflicted. “I’m going to earn back your trust, Hailey,” he said, his voice quiet but determined. I looked at him, my heart heavy with the weight of his words.Ryan, you've got a long way to go. I doubt you'll make it. Amenia moved restlessly in my head as I lay in bed that night, Alexia clinging to me as though her life depended on it. "What is it?" I sensed her discomfort and asked. With a deep growl in her voice, she declared, "Something is coming." "Something that is going to transform everything." As I gazed at the ceiling, the moonlight creating a shadow across the room, a shiver went down my spine. I wasn't sure I was prepared for whatever was ahead. However, I would still face it. After gently removing a knife from beneath my pillow and putting Alexia to sleep, I assume a fighting position.