The Alpha's Choice

Chapter Six

I don’t know how long I stood there, shocked to my bones. Opal left before I recovered.

When I finally gained enough of a hold on myself, I stepped back into the party to look for Allison. The crowd had thickened further since I left. There were a lot of new people. For a moment, I thought of trying to identify the ones who belonged to Kieran’s pack but then decided against it. I was already feeling sick enough.

I found Allison still with the same guy. He was all up in her space, a triumphant look in his expression. He clearly believed his chances of getting her were high. Almost felt sorry for the guy.

I moved up to them with purpose. Allison must have noticed me a while ago, but she was choosing to ignore me. She pointedly avoided looking in my direction.

“I am actually the Alpha’s confidant in my pack,” the guy said, clearly showing off. “He goes over strategies with me, and I give him advice.”

“Do you?” Allison asked. She was making heavy eye contact. The guy kept looking down from it. It was hard keeping eye contact with someone that was above your rank. “Tell me more about it.”

The guy lit up further. “Yeah, he’d be lost without me. Just a few weeks ago, actually-“

“Allison,” I cut in. The guy abruptly stopped talking. Anger flashed through his eyes as well as jealousy. He looked down when he noticed who I was. “Can I have a minute?”

“Alpha Jake,” Allison addressed cordially. That sounded weird. Allison had never used my title before. “Can’t you see I am in the middle of something?”

“This is important,” I said. “You can leave your entertainment for later.”

“Entertainment?” The guy exclaimed, then bowed his head further.

“I suppose if it is important enough,” Allison lamented, reaching to brush the guy’s arm. “I can leave Mateo for a minute. He was just about to tell me more about his part in a recent invasion.”

The guy turned red. “I am but a humble advisor.”

“That’s even better,” Allison said. “I like guys with brains.”

“Allison,” I repeated. She was taking way too long with her little plaything. I needed answers now.

Allison sighed. “You have terrible patience. Let’s go. I’ll see you later Mateo.”

Mateo nodded, looking dejected. I could tell the guy really thought he stood a chance. Maybe he did, I thought. Then I took one look at Allison’s face as we stepped away and reconsidered.

“You are a very evil person,” I told her, keeping my voice low to avoid being overheard. “Though it seems most guys here seem to like that.”

“They know what they are getting into,” Allison said. “I do the same thing every time. Don’t you give the girls back in your pack the same treatment?”

I couldn’t deny that. Before and after Claire. There was no change in my pattern. Whatever girl that got her heart broken by me knew what they were getting into. I never promised anything more. I couldn’t. Even now, in this event, I wasn’t seeking anything in that field.

“You are not wrong.” We stopped at a hidden corner. “Which brings me back to this. Why didn’t you tell me about Sadie?”

Allison blinked. It seemed as if my question had caught her off guard. Her eyes then narrowed. “You are awfully quick.” She looked me up and down. “Not even a wrinkle on you. Must be all the experience, huh?”

I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t do anything with her.” I looked around for a minute to make sure no one was near, then turned back to Allison. “You didn’t tell me they were mate killers.”

“I told you to stay away from them,” she emphasized. “I never got to the why, but that wouldn’t be a problem if you ever bothered listening to anyone.”

“I would have if you had told me this.” My voice raised in volume, and I quickly lowered it back down. I was getting exasperated. “I just thought you disliked each other. Kieran didn’t seem that bad.”

“He never does,” Allison said. She got a look in her eye, almost wistful. It made me think that she had someone else in mind while she was saying this. “That’s how he gets new members and alliances. He acts nice. But he is a power-hungry tyrant, and Sadie is his most loyal follower.”

My stomach dropped for some reason. “She is?”

Allison examined my face. “Oh no. Are you serious?” She pointed a finger at me accusingly. “She is his most dangerous weapon. Pretty and knows how to play them. Do not be fooled.”

I frowned. Had every single part of our interaction been an act? I couldn’t help but hope it hadn’t. There had been moments. However, the more I thought of it, the more I realized our meeting outside might have been less of a coincidence than I thought.

“How do you know so much?” I asked. “I know about your friend, but before her. Neither you nor Landon fell for their trap. Were the rumors bad back then too?”

Allison sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot around me. “Landon has good instincts. I tend to trust them from time to time. This was a good time to trust them. I also don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I am not actively pursuing anything here.”

I had figured as much. Landon had helped me find the rats in my own pack. I doubted Kieran was able to fool him. And Allison was Allison. Her own mate hadn’t been able to hold her down for long. Sadie, though. She looked so sad for a moment. Could that have been part of her act, too? Would anyone be able to tell?

“I see.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “About your friend, is she okay now?”

“She is. She just doesn’t attend these events anymore. And she is no longer my friend.”

My eyebrows raised in surprise. “After going through all that trouble to save her?”

“It wasn’t my decision, Jake,” she said with a deadpanned stare. “She just couldn’t get past her shame. And I also think she feared me after what happened.”

“I suppose none of it was pretty,” I mused. I’d seen both twins in action. They were something special. “How many of the people here are from Kieran’s pack?”

Allison looked towards the crowd. “More than you think.” She scanned the room. “They normally don’t arrive as a group, so it is hard to tell. But they all hold one thing in common.”

I stared at her. “What is that?”

“Fear,” she said. “You can smell it on them.”

My eyebrows furrowed in concern. What kind of pack was Kieran leading? And was Sadie really part of it all? “I see. I’ll look out for them, then.”

“Will you, this time?” Allison asked, unconvinced. “You didn’t seem to listen last time.”

“I will,” I insisted. “Even I have my limits.”

“Good.” She sighed, taking a look around. “I think it’s time I make my exit.”

I frowned. “This early? I thought you were having fun with that wolf from before.”

“I was until you interrupted it so rudely,” she told me, looking at me pointedly. I didn’t feel enough shame to look away. “Either way, I never intended to stay long. This is not my year. Not after what happened.”

I felt my stomach twist with guilt. It wasn’t that I regretted what I did to Caine. If I was presented with the same opportunity again, I’d do the same thing. I just wished I hadn’t hurt her that way. Taking away someone’s mate…It’s not something I would have ever imagined myself doing.

“Allison, look…” I started.

“Let’s not do this,” Allison said, her expression twisting. “We don’t need to talk about it right now. Honestly, I’d prefer if we never talked about it.”

I nodded. That was as much as I could expect, I guess. “Heading home, then?”

Allison shook her head. When I looked at her in question, she sighed. “I have some pack matters in a nearby territory. Landon was supposed to attend, but I offered to go instead.”

“Which pack?” I asked. I could narrow the list down to three given the ones nearby, but due to the speed at which Allison could travel, that list could be a bit inaccurate.

“That’s private,” Allison said, though she didn’t sound very serious about it. “Can’t be discussing strategies with another Alpha.”

I raised a brow. “Are we not allies?”

“Not that close, Alpha.” She smiled. “The rest you have to work for.”

“Unfortunate,” I said. Then, I looked down for a moment. “Hey, Allison…I wanted to ask.”

Allison cut me off. “She is fine. She is happy. I don’t think you need to know any more details.”

I nodded. I really didn’t. The last I heard had nearly destroyed me. “That’s good.”

“I am going to go now,” Allison said, patting my back awkwardly. I almost laughed at the gesture. “Good luck with whatever you are trying to get here.”

“Thank you.” I looked at her for a minute, trying to remember the other question I had for her. We were close to the door now. I had decided to walk her out at least, hoping another question would pop up in my head, but nothing did. Then, I thought, “Allison-“

A sound from outside cut me off.

It took me a minute to realize it was screaming.