Alpha Aidan's Rejection Chapter 32

AIDAN

　　I quickly made my way back to the hotel suite after receiving the call from Jace, and my anger was visible. I wasn't ready to leave Nadia and Tara just yet, and when Nadia started grumbling about me leaving, I almost said screw whatever Jace needed to tell me.

　　The little time I got to spend with her was unarguably one of the best times of my life. Truth be told, my eight-year-old daughter already had me wrapped around her finger.

　　And spending time in Tara's presence was something I wanted to continue doing for the rest of my life.

　　Aside from that, Tara also said she had something to tell me, but when she saw the urgency in my movement after the call, she said that it could wait.

　　Whatever Jace had to say had better be so important that the earth would freeze over if he didn't tell me.

　　Giving the lady at the reception a curt nod, I made my way up to my floor.

　　The elevator ride was quick, and when I stepped into the suite, Jace was there, gulping down the entire content of a glass in one go.

　　"Is it that bad that you need to finish an entire bottle from my collection?" I asked, trying to repress my dissatisfaction with him cutting off my day with Tara and Nadia.

　　Jace turned around to face me fully, and I could see from his face that there was something seriously bothering him.

　　Without a word, he dipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved a single black key from it, and he threw it across the room. I caught it to my chest and studied the key before facing him again.

　　"That one was totaled beyond saving, so I arranged a new one for you. The bill is on your tab. It cost an arm and leg, so be careful with this one. The ride is outside if you would like to take it for a test drive."

　　I frowned as I shoved the key into my pocket. "Is that what you had to tell me? I was in the middle of something important, Jace, don't tell me that your definition of urgent was to tell me how much I paid for a car."

　　Jace chuckled, filling his glass again, and swallowing the whole thing at once. The tension around the room didn't sit right with me.

　　He finally spoke. "This business with the woman and her daughter…"

　　"Tara and Nadia," I said, cutting him off. "The mother of my child and my eight-year-old, Jace…what about them?"

　　"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely, exhaling a deep and tired breath before continuing. "Can you not handle it in another way that does not include us being here in Collin's pack? Every other visitor has returned, and Collin… Collin is furious that we're still here."

　　I walked farther into the room. "No shit, Jace, the guy planted an explosive under my car. And no. I can't just leave right after finding out that I wasted this much time in their lives. What kind of a man would that make me? I would be doing nothing but solidifying the fact that I'm a shitty father who extracts himself from the situation the minute things get dark."

　　Did Jace not get it? There was no other choice for me at this point. I couldn't leave them behind and go back to my life like nothing ever happened.

　　I continued. "And do you think I would just leave them in his care? Out of every person I could think of to be their protector and Alpha, it would be him? The same person who my daughter saw and was shaken to her boots?" I chuckled dryly. "The one person that I could say that Tara detests more than me?"

　　Saying these things out loud just made me realize how much of a dangerous person Collin was, and leaving Tara and Nadia in his care wouldn't be wise.

　　I knew that Tara could take care of herself on her own… hell, she had been doing it for years, and she did a fantastic job. But I wasn't going to sit back and watch her be uncomfortable in her own safe space when most of it was happening because I came here and disrupted the order of things.

　　Jace spoke. "It's just… he won't just stop here. Nobody was surprised that he did this, and from what I've gathered, he has more under his sleeves."

　　"More under his sleeves like what?" I asked.

　　"What I heard is that he called a secret meeting of his most trusted pack members, and they've been coming up with ideas of how to… in their words… eradicate you without causing a stir in the great event of things. That means that…"

　　I cut him off, my anger rising to the surface. "I understand what that means. He's looking for a way to make me go away once and for all without bringing the wrath of Attica pack. He's welcome to try."

　　"Alpha Aidan," Jace said. "I don't think you should take this lightly. We have to come up with a plan before he strikes. A plan to avoid whatever trouble he's brewing, and a plan to keep your family safe."

　　I turned to Jace, and the weight of his words settled deep down in my mind. He was right.

　　"And you're sure about this information?"

　　Jace nodded. "I made an acquaintance with one of the few morally right people in this pack, and they confirmed it. Does this even sound like something Collin wouldn't be capable of doing?"

　　"Well, what matters now is how we move forward," I said, turning my back to him and heading to the door. "We can't be on the defensive side forever. Whatever it boils down to, I will protect them with the last drop of my blood."

　　"And can I ask where you are going?"Jace said as I took more steps away from the suite.

　　"Out for a run. And when I'm done, I'll keep an eye on their building."

　　I didn't need to mention their names for Jace to know that Tara and Nadia were top priority for me now.

　　I needed the run to clear my head and think of a solid plan. Collin was mediocre at best, but I wasn't going to be hot-headed and driven into a corner by underestimating him.

　　Leaving the hotel premises again, I found the nearest opening to the woods, thinking of why I was so foolish to have let Tara go the first time.