The Alpha's Diversion

Flint Confronts Addis

Addis.

Addis could feel Flint’s eyes boring a hole in the back of his head, a heaviness settling in the air around them as they left the bar and walked towards Addis’ truck. He knew what was on his future Gamma’s mind, and that the impending conversation was unavoidable. But he was in no hurry to explain why he hadn’t reacted to his mate.

There was no way Flint would understand. For wolves, finding your fated mate was the high point of your life. Every wolf yearned for the moment they would be united with the one the Moon Goddess chose for them. The physical and emotional connection between mates was like a magnet and unrivaled to any other bond. In fact, Charlie was the only other wolf Addis knew who shared his dread in the matter. It was very rare for a wolf to avoid finding a mate, and he knew he had little hope of making Flint understand why he was so opposed to Cat.

As soon as the door to The Village Vault opened, an arousing scent had invaded his nose, a tantalizing mixture of jasmine and citrus. Typically, a mate’s scent acted as a magnet pulling the two together. Addis’ reaction was the opposite. He had the strong urge to immediately turn around and leave, but curiosity and the desire to hide the situation from Flint propelled him forward.

Following the scent to the bar had been a mistake because as soon as he laid eyes on the sexy bartender, he knew that his soul would be forever tethered to her. He would never be able to forget her heart-shaped face or the way she rubbed her earlobe when she was deep in thought. He wouldn’t be able to rid himself of the desire to make her cry out his name as he explored every part of her. The overwhelming urge to run his hands through her long hair and taste her perfect lips had taken every bit of his self-control to resist.

Anger steadily rose within him the longer he sat at the bar, knowing that he would be tortured by her image. But there was no other option. He could never abandon his quest to become Alpha of Penumbra. Those left behind were counting on him, as well as those who had escaped with him and his mother. They had all agreed not to join the Susu pack but to remain loyal to those left behind until they could return. The pact they made was the reason they’d all worked so tirelessly the past few years. If he could abandon all of them for her, he wouldn’t be a man deserving of her affection.

If he pursued her, she would be an all-consuming passion. As soon as he had taken in her long, dirty blonde hair and enchanting green eyes, the way she pursed her lips when he said something she didn’t like, her trim body with curves in all of the right places- he had been mesmerized by every part of her. Never had a woman such as her existed, he was sure. And none would compare again.

He knew better than to believe that he could have her and remain focused on his goal. To make matters worse, she was human. She wouldn’t understand how important the pack was to him. And once he regained his position as Alpha, she wouldn’t want to leave her business that she obviously loved to become Luna.

His mood darkened as he contemplated the impossibility of it all. As soon as they shut the doors to the truck, Flint turned on him in confusion and anger.

“What the hell, Addis? You and I both know she is your mate…and our Luna! Why did you treat her like any other girl off the street?”

“No offense, brother,” Addis growled, “but this isn’t any of your business.”

“The hell it isn’t. She’s my Luna. And even if she wasn’t, you’re still my best friend. You think I’d just sit by and let you make an asinine mistake like this?! You get one mate, Addis. One. The moon goddess chose her for you.” When Addis didn’t respond right away, Flint continued. “I really don’t get it, Addis. Whatever it is, talk to me. Let’s figure this out. Because you need to get your head out of your ass and figure this out quickly before you screw it up forever.”

Addis rubbed his hand over his face, taking a deep breath to calm himself so he wouldn’t say something he’d regret. The tight confines of the truck increased his desire to shift into wolf form so he could run off some of the anger that was brimming just below the surface, waiting to erupt.

“Well?!”

“This can’t work out. You don’t understand, Flint,” Addis growled.

“Then make me.”

“First, it’s going to take all of my focus to grow our numbers and plan our attack on Sloan. Second, she’s a human with no knowledge of our world, who has a life of her own that I’m sure she doesn’t want disrupted. Third, I’m not interested in a mate. She’s a weakness and a liability.”

Flint stared at Addis silently for a moment before shaking his head slowly.

Wanting to be done with the conversation, Addis was tempted to ignore him, but curiosity won out. “What?”

“Doesn’t it bother you that a rogue is trying to move in on your woman?”

A growl escaped Addis, revealing his true feelings, before he tried to recover the situation. “She’s not my woman,” he ground out before taking a deep breath. “What do you know about him?’

“His name is Cory. He was kicked out of the Dark Paw pack several years ago but I’m not sure why. Must be bad to get kicked out of Dark Paw though.” Flint paused dramatically. “He seems close to Cat, doesn’t he? So maybe he’s trying to turn over a new leaf with her.”

“Enough, Flint,” Addis spoke carefully, his voice dangerously low, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. It was typically Jeb who pushed Addis to frustration with his teasing, not Flint, so Addis knew his friend was angry to taunt him like this.

“I can only imagine they’ll get much closer when he teaches her how to ride a motorcycle. I wonder if he’ll sit behind her and guide her as—”

“Enough!” Addis’ fist struck the dash and it cracked under his strength.

If he had looked at Flint, he would have seen him desperately trying to hide a smile. But he didn’t look. Because he knew when he was being baited. Flint didn’t press his luck, leaving his friend to ponder the image he had painted of Cat with Cory.

Addis stared angrily into the darkness for a moment before cranking the truck and forcefully putting it in gear. The drive home was thick with silence, both men glad when they arrived back on pack lands. As the truck pulled to a stop, Addis’ phone lit up on the bench between them. Flint glanced down quick enough to see a message from Charlie wondering if Addis wanted to meet up. He picked up the phone and handed it to Addis as he put the truck in park.

“Back to usual then, huh?”

Addis stared straight ahead, his jaw set.

“’Night, Addis,” Flint said gruffly before getting out.

Addis took a moment before responding to Charlie, then tossed the phone back onto the bench beside him and headed towards the woods.

He needed to run.