Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Raven’s POV

It was impossible not to stare. He was a sight to behold. All lean, defined muscle. Like a swimmer but broader. And I couldn’t stop my gaze from dipping lower. Just for a second, I took in his thick length before I forced my gaze away.

Kael chuckled. “You can stare at me all you want. But we keep clothes in an old stump out here if you want to shift and change.”

I let out an annoyed huff and jumped out of the water and onto the shore.

Kael dropped a set of clothes in front of me. “You’ll swim in them, but at least the sweats have a drawstring.”

I felt a flicker of nerves before I brought on the shift, unsure if my wolf would battle me over it. But as I pulled on that side of my magic, she released the reins easily, letting out what resembled a purr. She was sated and at peace, something I wasn’t sure we’d ever felt.

That knowledge settled deep into my bones as they cracked and shifted. There was only a hint of physical pain as I took on my human form again, then pulled on the sweats and tee. They smelled like Ezra, which only intensified the ache in my chest. Tears burned behind my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Nox was instantly by my side, back in his human form and dressed in a similar outfit.

Looking at him and Kael, I shook my head and forced the tears down. “I’ve never had this before. The feeling of being part of a pack. Not that I really am, I just mean-”

Kael moved into my space, kissing the words right off my lips. “You’ll always have a place with this pack if you want it.” As he pulled back, he studied me. “You didn’t grow up with a pack?”

I fought the urge to shift my weight from foot to foot, knowing that a show of discomfort would give too much away. Instead, I gave him the only truth I could-the smallest sliver. “It wasn’t a pack like yours.”

Kael’s eyes flashed silver, his wolf not liking that answer one bit.

But I didn’t give him a chance to press. “Come on, let’s go. It’s late.”

“Dexter’s cranky,” Nox muttered.

“You mean he’s pouting,” Kael added, amusement lacing his words.

I looked between them. “You didn’t-I mean, he doesn’t know what, um, happened, does he?”

Kael chuckled, the deep, rich sound wrapping around me. “Afraid he could sense it. That sort of intense pleasure is hard to hide from pack

mates.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. I didn’t actually know what a pack bond felt like. Even though I’d lived with my father’s pack for years, I’d never been blooded in or linked to them because my father had said I was too weak to carry his name.

The memory had a shudder running through me, but I fought it off. “Who knew wolves were gossips?”

Nox choked on a laugh, but he moved in closer to me, not taking my hand but pressing his arm against mine, giving me his heat. “Don’t worry about Dexter. Deep down, he’s happy about it.”

But as we broke out of the woods, all I saw was Dexter’s scowling face. “You just had to have all the fun without me.”

I couldn’t help it; I burst out laughing. But the laughter died as I took in Asher’s hard expression where he stood behind Dexter, his mistrustful gaze locked on me. Ezra stood next to him, mostly impassive but with a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

“Come on,” Kael said, clapping Dexter on the shoulder. “Let’s get home. It’s late.”

Asher made a noise that sounded like a cross between a huff and a scoff. Then maybe you shouldn’t have been frolicking in the woods at two in the morning, leaving us to watch your asses.”

Kael’s expression hardened instantly, his whole body taking on his alpha energy. He stalked toward Asher, getting up in his space. “I didn’t once ask you to stick around to watch my back. You wanted to be here. Because as much as you want to lie to yourself and the rest of us, you feel drawn to Raven, too. Grow the hell up and deal with it.”

Asher’s amber eyes flashed gold, fury swirling there. “Just because I want to fuck her doesn’t mean I trust her.”

And with that, Kael’s fist smashed into Asher’s nose, breaking it for the second time this week.

(0)

(0)