Page 22 of Rejected by My Shadow Alpha (Mate to the Fallen #1)

Drew

War was coming, but for now, I would give her space. I retreated to my pack's safehouse, letting the silence between us settle like dust.

I could feel it deep in my bones—an ancient instinct humming beneath my skin, restless and sharp. The air had changed. The silence between each heartbeat stretched longer than it should. Something was shifting and circling, and this time, I wasn't going to be caught unaware.

Not like my uncle, the last alpha, especially now that the threat wasn't just outside my walls but inside them.

I stood on the balcony of my bedroom, bare-chested as the early morning breeze rolled in, cool and breezy in the summer.

Below me, my territory looked peaceful, deceptively so.

I tapped the screen of my iPad, flipping through the CCTV feeds scattered around the compound.

Each camera glared back at me, vigilant and still.

The angles were tight and precise, showing every pathway and every entry point.

I had secretly installed them. No one knew about it.

Paranoia wasn't just a reflex anymore. It was survival.

The security feeds in my office had been compromised. Someone had bugged them. Someone close, someone in my pack.

Jay.

The thought tasted like acid in my mouth.

I'd watched him carefully for weeks now.

There were subtle signs and unexplained absences.

It made too much sense, the strange delays in his reports, the way he dodged certain questions, the look in his eyes when he thought I wasn't watching.

I clenched the iPad a little too hard. I could confront him, drag him in, and rip the truth out of his throat if I had to. But no, not yet.

If Jay was just a puppet, then someone far more dangerous was moving pieces behind the board, someone I hadn't seen yet.

Someone was hiding in plain sight, and I had to find out who.

If I moved too soon, I'd lose my chance to expose them all.

My jaw tensed. I'd protect Ruby and Liora with everything in me.

I'd burn the world if I had to. There was no middle ground anymore. I'd made my choice.

I turned away from the balcony, tossed the iPad onto the bed, threw on a shirt, and headed to my office.

Every step I took, my mind drifted uninvited but persistently to Ruby, to the heat of her skin, the softness of her alluring lips, the wildness in her eyes as we fucked, and the way she trembled in my arms, soft and vulnerable.

I'd touched heaven that day…and hell too, because she pulled away again, her walls higher than ever.

She was protecting our daughter. I understood it, but damn it, my wolf still clawed to get to her. I couldn't lose her again, but if I wanted her trust back, I needed to find out who leaked the intel on Alex that orchestrated the rogue attack on him. Alex's attack wasn't random. It was a message.

Someone in my pack had fed Alpha Alfred our plans. We had a mole in our pack, and that betrayal made the ambush possible. If I wanted to protect Liora and earn Ruby's trust, I had to follow that thread. I had work to do.

Lena was in the hallway when I came down the stairs, a coffee mug in one hand and her tablet balanced in the other. She glanced up as I approached and smiled warmly at me, her maternal demeanor calmed the storm within me.

"Hey Alpha," She greeted, her tone respectful and warm. "How are you this fine morning?" she asked, falling into step beside me.

"Hey Lena," I replied with a smile. It had been a while since we talked. The last time was the day I spoke to her about Ruby and me on our way to reveal I was the alpha and alive. We walked the remaining distance in silence.

Inside my office, she moved toward the windows, drawing the curtains just slightly to let in the early light. I sat at my desk, leaned back in the chair, and exhaled slowly, my fingers steepled in front of me.

"You look like you haven't slept in days," she finally said, turning from the window and sipping her coffee.

I gave a dry chuckle that held no humor. "I haven't," I admitted, my eyes fixed on the edge of the desk. "There's too much at stake."

Lena didn't respond right away. She set the mug down gently, watching me over the rim of her glasses, her eyes gentle and concerned. "How's Ruby and Liora? Any progress?"

I hesitated, cautious about how to answer, my mind still reeling from the fact that I could trust no one in my pack now.

Lena had been understanding about my past with Ruby and even sympathetic to my plight.

She had been really helpful in convincing Ruby to let me help.

But this...thing between Ruby and me was fragile, unspoken, and mine to protect.

"Liora's recovering," I said eventually, my voice quieter than I intended. A flicker of that day crossed my mind—the deranged wolf, teeth bared, Liora's scream. I forced the image down. "She's still weak, but stronger than I expected."

"And Ruby?"

I paused, cautious not to let too much out, yet I needed to know who I could trust and who I couldn't at this point. "She's…still angry." My throat tightened. "And I can't blame her. I rejected her once. That kind of wound doesn't just scab over. It scars deep."

Lena nodded her head, her eyes soft and gentle. She walked to the vacant chair and folded her arms, concerned. "So, what are you going to do about it, Alpha?"

I looked at her, and her expression was calm and kind. Her eyes held a sort of pity for me. I felt my muscles relax. Lena was one of the few wolves in my pack I could talk to, aside from Alex and Jay, my beta…well, until he decided to turn on me.

I leaned forward, my gaze fixed on Lena, and I whispered, "I'm going to marry her."

Her brows arched in surprise, her expression still concerned. "Alpha…have you thought about this?" She paused to let her words sink in. "Have you told her?"

I sighed and leaned back. It would take a lot to convince Ruby to marry me. "No." I ran a hand over my face. "Not yet."

"Then why say it like it's decided?" she asked, her tone amused and light.

"Because it is," I replied, firmer now. "I've spent years denying what's mine. She's my mate, my bond mate, and I'm done pretending like that doesn't matter."

Lena tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "You do realize members of the pack will never approve. Some of the pack already question your leadership—tying yourself to Alfred's daughter."

"I understand their fear," I said, steadying my voice.

"But Ruby shouldn't pay for her father's sins.

She's nothing like him. The pack will see that, just like Alex did.

" I paused, letting the silence hold the weight of what I wouldn't say.

Then quietly, "I lost her once because of this prejudice. I won't let it happen again."

Lena nodded slowly and leaned backwards. She took another sip of her coffee and let the silence settle between us. "You have a good heart, Alpha, and I understand how hard this must have been for you. You can always count on my support."

I studied her. Her calm and warm expression melted my heart. She could be useful in my quest to fish out the person behind the attacks. "Thank you, Lena," I replied with a nod.

"You are welcome, Alpha." She replied and stood up, "Now, if you will excuse this old lady, I need to check on some of our supplies with the storekeeper. She picked up her mug and tablet and walked to the door.

A thought flashed through my mind, "Er..Lena," I called. "You said some of the pack are already questioning my leadership. Would you mind telling me who they…"

My phone buzzed against the desk, the screen lighting up with a red-coded alert. It was the underground network emergency protocol—a request for emergency surgical assistance. I stood up, gathering my device and striding to the cabinet for my surgical tools.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," I said, grabbing my coat. "Can we have this conversation some other time?"

Lena nodded and stepped outside the door. "It's fine, Alpha. Be safe."

I grabbed my keys, shut the door, and headed out, my strides quick and hurried, off to save another rogue wolf.

The clinic air was cold and sterile, thick with the sharp tang of disinfectant, hitting me like a wall the moment I pushed through the door. I burst in, my heart thudding, scanning the space, ready to wash my hands fast and head to the OR, but then I froze.

Ruby was there.

She stood by the chart table, gloved hands flipping through patient notes, her hair pulled back in a loose twist and enclosed in a bouffant cap.

Her presence struck me harder than the emergency alert.

She looked calm on the surface, composed and collected, but her shoulders were stiff, her energy coiled tight like a bowstring.

Then she looked up.

Our eyes met.

She stilled for a second. Then something flickered across her face—confusion first, then a flash of guardedness. "Drew, what are you doing here?"

"Ruby, I…" I started, taking a step toward her.

"Wolfsbane22, we need you in the OR," a nurse called from behind me, her tone urgent.

The air turned to stone. I didn't have to look at her to feel the way her body went rigid.

But I did, and I saw her pupils dilating and her nostrils flaring.

Betrayal descended like a storm cloud. She blinked once, like it hurt to see me.

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak.

She didn't have to. Her silence was louder than any scream.

Then she turned, back straight, shoulders squared, and walked toward the OR like she hadn't just been gutted.

I had because I'd just watched trust die in her eyes.

Shit! I had this coming. How foolish of me to keep my identity as Wolfsbane22 from her. I had been selfish, and now things could go worse than I had imagined between us.

The surgery that followed was a blur of sterile movements and cold silence.

We worked in tandem, fluid, efficient, and professional, but there was no warmth in it.

Her fingers moved with mechanical precision.

Her eyes never met mine. Her jaw was clenched so tight I could see the tension down her neck.

The air between us crackled with things left unsaid.

I tried to focus on the patient and on saving the mangled rogue on the table, but all I could think of was her voice, soft and vulnerable, as Moonleaf, telling me about the nights she didn't sleep and her fears for her daughter.

All that trust she'd handed me like a gift, and I'd worn a mask the entire time.

When the final suture was done, she didn't wait. She turned away without a word, tossed her gloves into the bin, and turned her back to me, her hands already in the sink, washing away all stains.

I slipped out first, heading into the small back office to breathe, to think, if that was even possible anymore. The walls were too close and my chest was too tight. The air smelled of blood and antiseptic and something else.

Regret.

The door slammed open behind me. Ruby stood in the doorway, flushed with rage, her breath ragged, chest heaving.

"You lied to me," she said, her voice trembling with fury. "Wolfsbane22…that was you?"

I couldn't speak. My throat was tight and dry with shame.

"All that time," she went on, stepping inside, "you listened to me. You let me confide in you. I trusted you, and it was all a lie?"

"No," I said hoarsely. "At first, I didn't know it was you."

"But you knew eventually," she snapped. "And you still hid."

"Yes, and I'm sorry I did that," I said quietly. "But it wasn't a game, Ruby. Once I found out, I couldn't lose you again. I just needed to know how you felt without the past hanging between us."

She stared at me, disgusted. "So, you manipulated your way in."

"It wasn't manipulation," I said. "It was desperation. You trusted Wolfsbane because he cared…because I cared."

"And yet you couldn't be honest."

"I was scared that you'd shut me out," I explained, my tone gentle, desperate to make her understand.

Her expression hardened. "You don't get to protect yourself by deceiving me, Drew. That's not love, that's control."

My mouth opened, but I had nothing to say. The weight of her words made my guts turn. I took a step forward. "Ruby…"

She stepped back. "You want to talk about trust? You already broke mine once, and now you've broken it again."

"Please," I said, still reaching for her, but she pulled away.

Her eyes glinted with pain. "Stay away from me. I don't want you near me or my daughter."

"Ruby, please, listen to me," I said, my voice cracking.

"Don't," she whispered, stepping back. "I'm not falling for that nonsense again."

She opened the door and walked away, her back straight, her resolve firm, leaving me standing in the wreckage of everything I was trying to rebuild.

I stood there, rooted, watching the woman I loved disappear into the dark.

For the first time in years, I realized I might have truly lost her by the foolish stunt I pulled and the wounds I helped carve.