Falling in love with my Ex's Alpha Chapter 31

***Kaiden***

In the dim light of a late winter evening, the rain poured down relentlessly, casting a veil of mist over the desolate forest. The air was heavy with moisture, the earth beneath the thick blanket of fallen leaves slick and muddy. Tall, skeletal trees stood like sentinels, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers toward the darkened sky. And amidst this eerie setting, we emerged, sprinting through the woods with unmatched agility.

As the raindrops collided with our coarse fur, Troy's muscular body glistened with water, reflecting the soft glow of the sunset peeking through the dense cloud cover. With each stride, our powerful paws propelled it forward, leaving deep imprints in the sodden ground. Our nails, elongated into sharp claws, provided a strong grip, allowing us to navigate the treacherous terrain with ease.

I spent the whole day training nonstop to try to get her out of my head. When I saw that it wasn't enough, I decided to let Troy take over. I didn't care that it was a rainy day, I just wanted to clear my thoughts, so we ran aimlessly but with all our strength.

Our senses were heightened, our snout twitched, inhaling the scent of damp leaves and wet earth, searching for any trace of prey. As we ran, our eyes glimmered with primal instinct, scanning the surroundings for signs of movement or danger.

I just wanted to break something and release all this anxiety that was in my chest.

The rain washed away any trace of my human form scent that might have lingered in me, leaving behind only the wild essence of the beast. A low, guttural growl rumbled deep within our chest, reverberating through the silent forest.

If she treated me with hostility, anger, or fear the way everyone else treats me, I would know how to deal with her. I would know how to react, how to behave.

But no. She didn't act that way. On the contrary, she simply ignored my entire reputation and decided to kiss me.

How dare she kiss me? I have never experienced anything like this in my life. Worst of all, I can't admit it was the best feeling I've ever felt. I need to strangle this feeling, I need to hide it.

How am I going to face her now? I need to remain indifferent. She can't know she's my mate, if she finds out, I don't know what I'll do.

If my parents were alive, they would be forcing me to reject her right now, and I know that's is the right thing to do. I should do this and end all this agony.

But how do I reject her? If I do that, Troy will leave me.

I need to tell Chad and Jason, I can't keep this from them anymore because there's no way I can hide my anger when Chad touches her. Just thinking about it, we growl and accelerate our aimless race, lost in the moment as we race through the stormy night.

🐺 🐺 🐺

I was sitting in one of the living rooms near the entrance to the packhouse, I was waiting for Chad and Jason to tell them about Katie. They took so long to arrive, it seemed like every minute seemed like an hour of waiting. I was rushing them every minute by mind-link. Finally, I heard their footsteps coming, they were talking.

"...Yes, we're getting along because of Katie, if she wasn't helping me, I wouldn't even be able to talk to Jake," Jason said to Chad in the hallway.

"Katie is amazing, I knew you guys would get along," Chad said, walking towards the spot I said I would be.

"Tomorrow, I'm going with her to the mall, we're going to see our clothes for the ceremony, she's going to help me choose mine and Jake's," Jason said excitedly.

"I wish I could go with you guys," Chad said sadly.

"Can you guys be slower?" I yelled at them, "I'm not even in a hurry".

They quickened their pace and entered the room.

"I'll ask Katie to pick out an outfit for you too, Kaiden," Jason teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"I need to talk to you guys about something serious," I started. I want to tell them soon. They're the only people I trust.

"If it's about the kiss, she already told me," Chad snapped. Jason didn't look surprised. Has she told everyone yet? *That female*!

"It's not about that," I replied firmly.

"So what is it about?" Jason asked impatiently. The two of them were sitting in an armchair, and I was on the couch. Jason was already tapping his foot in expectation.

"I found my mate," I finally said. They widened their eyes in disbelief, I couldn't control my smile.

"What?" Jason screamed.

"Who is she? Is she from our pack?" Chad asked.

"She's not part of our pack, and it's been a while since I found her, I found her on the last full moon," I revealed.

"Who is she? I'm dying here with anxiety. Can you talk faster?" Jason demanded.

"Are you in a hurry now?" I said sarcastically with a smirk, and they both rolled their eyes.

"Just say it!" Jason hissed impatiently, and I laughed because of their anxiety to know who she was. I can relate why they are so anxious, even because it's fucking 13 years of waiting.

"It's Katie, she is my fated mate." I finally said, and the two were silent, trying to understand what I said.

"What? That's crazy! You can't be serious," Chad shook his head nervously as he spoke. "What do you mean by your mate?"

"Katie? Your fated mate is none other than Katie? How ironic of the goddess!" Jason mocked.

"I'm not kidding. Katie is my mate," I stated firmly.

"When did you find out?" Chad questioned.

"The first time I saw her was that day in the park after the full moon. She walked up to me, and when I opened my eyes, Troy recognized her right away." I vented.

"How? She told me there was nothing between you that day," Chad accused me. I clenched my jaw, knowing that it meant *nothing* to her. She doesn't even know we're mates. Fucking humans!

"I know it sounds crazy, but I think Ansel recognized her." Jason counted.

"What?" Chad and I asked in unison.

"The day we met was very memorable. I found my mate, and when I was introduced to her, Ansel had this protective instinct with her that I'd never felt for anyone before," he said thoughtfully, "I know that the Beta's job is to protect our Luna, and we always feel as if something is missing in our work because you didn't have recognized your mate. And that feeling went away immediately as we met Katie because I immediately wanted to protect her. I wanted to defend her from everything, and I didn't know why. Even with the workouts that Jake gives her, I'm always worried she won't get hurt. I felt like she was important, but I didn't understand why. Now, it makes perfect sense. Now, I understand where that feeling comes from," Jason sighed as if he had had an epiphany and a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulder.

I didn't know what to think. Does she train? I didn't know or didn't remember that detail. So that asshole Jake is hard on my mate? When I see him... No, I don't want her. I can't think like that.

How did Jason feel about her? Will it be because she is a weak human?

"What? That's... that's a lot to take in." Chad said, putting his hands on his face, it looked like he was in a nightmare and was trying to wake up.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I've never felt such a strong connection with anyone before." I said to him so that he would understand.

"I don't know if I can accept this. Katie is my girlfriend, and I love her more than anything in the world... I don't even know what to say. This is a shock to me. How can my girlfriend be your soulmate? I thought I had a strong connection with her." Chad said in a low, sad voice. I've never seen him like this before, so fucking broke.

"When are you going to tell her?" Jason asked.

"Never!" I yelled, and they looked at me with wide eyes. I started to get so nervous that I lost my senses, I couldn't think of anything else but convincing myself that Katie is not for me.

"I will never accept her, Katie is a human. I will never want to have any relationship with her. What I want from her is just that she follows the contract and that I can win this tournament. That's all. My focus is winning this one tournament and not having any relationship with her. She means nothing to me, I don't need someone weak on my side." I lied. The words tasted like ashes when they came out of my mouth, and I immediately regretted it because part of me knew that none of it was true.

But there is no way to take it back, I realized it later when I breathed again and smelled the sweet smell of my mate. There she was at the door, looking at me in horror.

Did she hear everything? Did she hear that she is my mate?

"Katie!" Chad said, but she didn't answer, she just walked away with her hips swaying and her long red hair flowing effortlessly up to her hips.