Page 105 of Rejected By the Shifter King

This just smelled like revenge, and he would not stand for it.

Not even for his brother.

And so he chose to walk out of the room.

Walk away from his pack.

And chose tostayaway as well.

For two years, he kept his distance. For the good of his pack. But most of all, to undo the damage that resulted from his decision to nurse his wounded pride. He hadn’t admitted this then. But life away from his pack was an eye-opener, and this time he knew for sure that he had never loved Brandy. She had simply been a goal, and her rejection had slighted his great pride but did nothing to his heart.

Hexius had vowed to himself that he would stay away for as long as it was necessary. He would only return once Alphonse and Brandy were married, and his brother no longer saw him as a rival.

ButThat Dayhappened, disaster rippling through every corner of the world, and it left no life—whether human or preter—untouched.

****

THE CALL CAME AT THREEa.m. Hexius was on a plane within the hour. But even though he went straight to the hospital from the airport—it didn’t really change anything.

A series of vampire attacks continued to terrorize the city following the first one. And it just so happened that one of those attacks targeted the conference Brandy was attending in Miami. By the time Alphonse—who was in another meeting, negotiating alliances with other shifter packs—arrived at the scene, Brandy was injured and unconscious.

Surgery was required and performed immediately. No vital organs harmed, but she would be disfigured for the rest of her life, an indelible souvenir from a tragedy that no one in their right mind would ever want to remember.

But even though Brandy seemed to take this in stride—

“I think this is for the best, really. Maybe this time, people will take me seriously at work.”

It was Alphonse who was left reeling.

“This is all my fault...”

Three days later, Alphonse stepped down as alpha. Three weeks later, he broke his engagement to Brandy. And finally, three months later, the results of the council’s votes were released, and it was unanimous. A new Leopard King would be crowned, and over all the candidates, it was Hexius whom they chose to be their alpha.

****

FOUR YEARS HAD PASSEDsince then. The tragedy had changed Brandy. She was stronger now. But at the same time, softer as well. And irritating as hell like the sister he had never wanted, with the way she would constantly pester him to do something about Alphonse.

If only it were that easy.

He had tried to talk to his brother countless times. But every overture was rejected, and it was Alphonse who now lived in self-exile.

The former alpha’s refusal to communicate and talk about the past was teeth-grinding frustrating, and when he finally lost all patience, it was then he learned about Brandy seemingly having lost patience as well.

But unlike him, she ended up doing something stupid: she said yes to marrying a man she could never give her heart to...but was already in love with her.

What an idiot.

Did she not know that arranged marriages only worked if love did not exist?

He, too, had thought of marriage as a way of knocking some sense into his brother’s stubborn head. But unlike her, he had asked the professionals to handle it. And yes, as it happened, while he did end up with Samira yet again, and the taste of her had created a hunger in him he had never experienced for any other woman, not even Brandy—

That was simply the science of mating bonds at work.

Nothing more.