Falling in love with my Ex's Alpha Chapter 78

***Kaiden***

There is a certain moment when I thought Katie had frozen because she is stunned by the fact that I am going with her to her pack.

"What? No! I thought I already said goodbye to you!" she says, crossing her arms.

"I never said I wasn't going with you. You asked me for a kiss, and I gave it to you!" I say matter-of-factly. I'm not ashamed of having omitted it from her. It was cute that she thought it was our farewell.

"Kaiden, I'm serious. You don't have to go. Stay here," she says hesitantly.

"Hell, no. I'm going, and that's my last word, whether you want it or not." I tell firmly, and she makes a cute, angry noise. I try hard not to smile because she looks beautiful when she's angry.

"Straight to part four, huh?" Jacob says as he puts their luggage in the truck.

"Shut up, Jake," she pouts. I don't understand the meaning behind what he said, but I'm not going to ask so I don't make her angrier.

She directs her gaze to my car as she uncrosses her arms. "Wait. Where's Chad?"

She must be kidding me. Fuck. I clench my teeth.

"He will stay here. He'll be in charge of the pack while Jason and I are away," I respond blankly, without showing my anger at her insistence on Chad.

"Is he going to be responsible for everything alone?" Jacob asks as he closes the car trunk and heads toward the door where Jason is already sitting.

"I don't need to explain anything to you." I state the obvious, but I look at Katie, and she's looking at me angrily, "Dean will help him with anything he needs." I direct her to the front passenger seat of the car and open the door for her to get in.

"Who is Dean?" She gets in, and I put the seat belt on her. When I look at Jason, he has a mocking grin, looking at me, ready to make a joke, but I look back at him, daring him to say anything.

He seems to change his mind about what he is going to say and decides to answer Katie. "He's a great warrior."

"I usually go on patrol with him," I hear Char add as I climb into the driver's seat.

"I would indicate him as Gamma," I say, looking at her, and she immediately understands the message.

When Jason told me that Chad was going, I was already getting ready for another fight with Chad. However, he surprised me when he said that he decided not to go.

He said he wanted to get away from this situation for a bit. I liked his decision. He needs to keep thinking like this.

Finally, he started to use his brain and understand that she is mine.

Furthermore, there is no way for Jason, Chad, and I to leave the pack at the same time because my pack would be extremely vulnerable.

Plus, I wouldn't even fucking let him go meet Katie's pack before me, her fated mate.

Dean is indeed a good warrior; he fights very well and follows my commands without contesting anything. His problem is that he doesn't think very well about his actions; he's good at following orders, which is very good as a warrior, but as a Gama, he's not that good because I don't have time to make every single decision that needs to be made daily in the pack.

I need someone who thinks with their brain and not with their muscles. That's why Chad is and has always been my best option, besides being like a brother to me.

I can't put the trust I have in him in anyone else.

🐺 🐺 🐺

The sun is relentless in the sky as we navigate the winding curves of the deserted road on our way to Katie's pack. Tall trees loom on either side, their dense foliage casting eerie shadows across the cracked pavement. The path ahead is obscured by a dense canopy, making it impossible to see what lay beyond the next curve.

The tension inside the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. However, Katie and Jacob are calm, as if nothing is happening.

As if we weren't on a fucking maze-like road.

I curse as I try to drive slower on the narrow road. "Great," I muttered sarcastically when I see the road gets narrower and narrower.

Jason, who had been oddly quiet, says to ease the tension. "What's a road trip without a few blind curves and a forest that goes on forever?"

Char chime in, her voice dripping with irony, "Oh, absolutely. I mean, who needs GPS or a clear road? This is way more adventurous."

"Stop it, it'll worth! I promise," Katie says.

As we continued down the narrow, winding road, Char Can't help but voice her concerns. "Katie, this road... it's so isolated. We're on the right path? Are you sure we're going the right way?"

Jacob shot her a reassuring look. "It's the only way to our pack. We'll be fine."

I clench the wheel. The road seems to grow narrower with each passing mile, the potholes and fissures in the asphalt making our journey feel like an obstacle course. The suspension of the car is tested as we bounced and jolted along the uneven surface.

Jason decide to keep the sarcasm coming. "This road doesn't look like a horror movie script at all."

Char adds, "If something happens, there's nowhere to go."

Jacob and Katie chuckle despite the tension. "You guys are really keeping the mood light, huh?" Katie says.

My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I navigate the uneven terrain, the occasional pothole jostling our vehicle.

Katie's presence beside me is a comforting one, her scent mingling with the leather interior of my car. In the gentle morning glow, her profile is illuminated, and I try hard not to look at her as I focus on the difficult road.

But I can't help but feel a twinge of unease. My pack is superior well-maintained, secure, but this journey into unfamiliar territory is riddled with uncertainty.

I'm truly the best thing that happened to her!

I didn't know Katie's pack was so remote and isolated, how many people are there? She said the pack is small, but apparently, it only has her family and Jacob's because it's not possible for someone to live so fucking far from civilization like this.

"Just how remote is this place?" Jason's question hung in the air, his words laced with apprehension. However, neither Katie nor Jacob responded. Which made me a little apprehensive, because I felt from their reaction that there is something they weren't telling us.

The road ahead is challenging, to say the least. Fallen branches and rocks occasionally block our path, and I have to maneuver carefully to avoid them. My heightened senses are on high alert, scanning for any potential threats lurking in the shadows.

As we continue our journey, the obstacles on the road become more frequent. I glance at Katie, who is now focused on the road ahead, her hands gripping the armrest. She's silent, but her apprehension is palpable. Is she like this because of the road or because of being with me?

As we make progress, we encounter more obstacles — a rocky outcrop that forces us to take a winding path through dense woods, a shallow stream we must ford, and a muddy incline that nearly tests the limits of the car's traction.

When finally the road got a little straighter, a series of large boulders blocked the road. I can't see a way around them, and frustration gnaw at me.

I stare at the massive boulders in front while I slow down the car a little. They seems almost strategically placed to deter travelers. The silence inside the car is deafening, and I can feel everyone's anxiety growing, except Jacob and my mate.

I clench my jaw, my hands tightening on the steering wheel. "Fuck," I curse.

The boulders is massive, and it is clear that moving them by sheer force isn't an option.

I accelerate the car, aiming for a narrow gap between two of the boulders. The space is tight, and my heart raced as the car almost scrape against the rough rock surfaces. It is a nerve-wracking ordeal, but inch by inch, I made progress in this fucking road.

Inside the car, tension is at its peak. The others held their breath, their eyes fixed on the narrowing gap. Katie's knuckles were white as she clung to her seat.

More and more my intuition says that Katie isn't telling me something.

Finally, with a collective sigh of relief, we emerge on the other side. The relief is palpable, and even I can't hide my sense of triumph as I settled back into the driver's seat.

Hours later that seemed more like fucking days, finally, after what felt like an eternity of twists and turns, the road began to open up. The trees thinned, and the distant outline of buildings appeared on the horizon, leaving the dense forest behind.

Just when I think I can't be more relieved to see civilization ahead, something truly remarkable comes into view.

There, just before the city limits, stands a monumental stone arch that bears the name of her pack. It's unlike anything I've ever seen.

The arch is a magnificent work of craftsmanship, built from massive stone blocks intricately carved with intricate designs.

'Three Tree Pack' is etched in elegant, swirling letters at the top, with vines and flowers weaving around the edges. The whole structure seems to glow in the late afternoon sun, casting long, dramatic shadows that stretch out across the road.

The archway feels like a portal, a gateway to a place of wonder and enchantment.

Jason and Char lean forward to get a better look, their eyes wide with amazement. "Wow, this is incredible! I've never seen anything like it." Char says and Jason nods in agreement.

Some wolves are nearby beyond the arch and three men are talking and looking in the direction of our car.

"Kaiden, can you stop the car quickly? My brother is right there," my mate points to the men. I hope they are all her family and not more friends. Jacob is enough.

As we pass under the arch, it feels like we're entering a different world altogether. It's a stark contrast to the rugged wilderness we've just traversed.

I stop the car and Katie opens the door quickly to get out, but before getting out she forgets that she is wearing a seatbelt and goes back to take it off first, when she finally gets out of the car I notice that another car door has been opened.

When I look ahead, Char is in front of a red-haired man and by the look in their eyes I know what it fucking means.

He is her mate.