The Alpha Twins Rejection

Chapter Forty -Alpha Twin's P.O.V (Kane)

By the time the arranged meeting rolls around with the acting head of the Midnight pack, Tobias, we have a firm plan in place. Not one of us wanted Ashley present for it, knowing what was about to go down, but Ashley is well, Ashley. Fierce and stubborn as hell. Just the thought has me smiling like a loon. That's our girl. For all the strategic planning that we had done, not one fucking thing went to plan. As soon as we entered the packhouse, all hell broke loose. We were not expecting to be ambushed when we stepped through the front entrance; the miserable bastards had taken us by surprise, so there were only the four of us, Ashley, Zack, Rayne, and myself, against 7.
Only four of the seven were familiar to us. That was also another thing that took us by genuine surprise, catching us off guard. Not only was Zac's mate Mia standing before us, lips curled into a hideous sneer but standing beside her were Tobias, the Midnight packs Beta, and sisters Jessica and Eve. The other three goons were unknown to us, but it was evident that they were large rogues who looked feral and were there as the muscle. The thought makes me scoff. They looked like they hadn't eaten in days. It was ludicrous that they even thought that they stood a chance against any of us. Ashley solely could have taken them on. She was tough and scrappy and would have taken them all if she thought they posed a treat to us. But Ashley, with the three of us at her back, they made a fatal fucking mistake. The three women's cruel mouths instantly dropped when Rayne and I flared our nostrils and took out the four men in under a minute. The savage fury that engulfed us had nearly consumed us. If anyone feared us six months ago, our formidable reputation was about to explode now that we had Ashley. There was nothing either of us wouldn't do to fiercely protect her.
We had severely underestimated the assholes ambitions and had sent the Betas to get settled into their accommodation, expecting Tobias and Mia to at least try and keep a front up. Talking to Zac later, we realised that Mia must have scented him earlier and had changed their plans accordingly. We didn't get a chance to question Jessica and Eve's actions, it was apparent they had petty ambitions bigger than being mated to omegas, and it made Rayne and me shake with fury thinking about them plotting to take Ashley's life. Ultimately, it was Ashley who took theirs. She didn't hesitate when they lunged at her and shifting mid-air. Naturally, they would try and fight dirty. Callie was a much bigger, stronger, wolf though, and I felt pity for them for even trying to take her on. Ashley hadn't just been handed the title of the first female beta in werewolf history just because her father was an alpha, no she earned that with sufficient blood, sweat and tears, and two snivelling little bitches were not going to get the upper hand on her. I could see that it pained Ashley to have to kill them, but then a look of accurate determination had taken over her, she would soon be the ruler of the most extensive wolf pack in the world, and she would need to make tough decisions for the better of the pack and handing down death sentences for betrayal was one of them. Panting and standing in a room that looked like it was straight from a classic horror movie, we didn't even notice when the door was kicked in, and the rest of our team stepped inside, mouths hanging open and looking between us. "So much for the quiet takedown", Will ultimately says, looking between us in disbelief. "Tell me about it," Rayne and I say in unison, apparent exhaustion settling into my bones as the adrenalin wore off. "At least we won't have to bother with any tedious meetings anymore," Rayne says with a sheepish smile hovering over his lips. I roll my eyes at my brother but have to agree. The sooner we got this over and done with, the sooner we could take Ashley home and start getting our lives sorted out and plan our future. Sighing wearily, I look at Will. "Secure the perimeter and gather everyone for a meeting; we need to introduce ourselves and make sure we gain control over the pack before anyone else gets it into their head to take us on," I huff, looking at my brother nodding. We were all tired but knew it had to be done and that it wasn't something that could wait a minute longer. "Give us 10 minutes to clean up; we will meet you at the hall," Rayne says grimly.
Sitting across from where Ashley and Zac are sitting solemnly on the floor, embracing has my anxious heart beating fast. On the one hand, I'm not too fond of Ashley in another man's arms, but on the other, I understand that Zac needs Ashley. More so now than ever. Fuck, the man just killed his mate. Not only that, but he did it without a second thought to protect Ashley. Fuck. It is something that Rayne and I will most likely never comprehend, how someone could kill their mate so viciously. But then I think of Ashley and understand why Zac was able to do it. His love of Ashley. I desperately wanted to hate Zac for that. For tenderly loving my mate so much that he would kill his own to protect mine. I couldn't, though. Neither could Rayne. We now respected Zac and knew that Ashley would always be safe around him even if our feelings wouldn't be.
Watching Ashley having to fight for her life had made Rayne, Zac, and I burn with a white, hot fury that none of us could control seemed to be able to control. Even though we were overwhelmingly outnumbered, the seven of them didn't stand a chance. No, those fuckers could never have stood a chance, even if they had had an entire army at their back. The fight was over before the pathetic assholes even had an opportunity to contemplate what was going on. Once again, I was genuinely impressed by Zac's fighting ability. I don't think it would be fair to continue to call him a pup. He had viciously killed three of the deranged bastards himself. Four sorry. He brutally killed four. His mate, Mia, was the last one to be brutally killed. When the six large male wolves were lying on the floor with their brawny throats ripped out in a enormous, ever-spreading pool of blood, Ashley was pressed up against the wall with a large silver dagger held to her throat.
Before Rayne and I could react, Zac was on Mia, her eyes blown wide in legitimate fear as she realised that it would be her mate that would be the end of her. I will never forget Ashley shrieking the word NO as Zac promptly sank his teeth into Mia's neck. As much as Ashley undoubtedly wanted Mia dead, she knew what it would do to Zac if he were the one to do it. Maybe she was still hoping that somehow Mia could be saved. But that was Ashley, always thinking of others. And I knew how much it would pain her to see not only the life drain out of Mia's eyes but Zac's also. Rayne and I were not stupid; we now understood how deep Zac's love for Ashley ran. It made a shiver run down my spine, knowing just how much he loved our mate and what he was willing to do for her.
"Ashley, sweetheart", Rayne all but whispers while holding his hand out for Ashley to take ", We need to get cleaned up and get to the meeting. The pack is becoming restless. They are confused and don't know what is going on," he continues. Ashley suddenly snaps her glittering eyes up to meet his, seeming to come out of the daze she was in. She attentively takes his large hand with her small one, and when almost standing up straight, she turns back towards Zac and offers her free hand to him. Zac looks up at her with a pained look on his face before looking between Ryane. Letting out a tense sigh, I offer a reassuring nod of my head in approval. Rayne and I are many things, but we know when someone needs comfort in their time of need. We are not going to withhold it from them. Especially not to Zac. I mean, it was only a few weeks ago when he had Ashley all to himself and didn't have to ask permission to touch her. The thought has my nostrils flaring. I have to remind myself that Zac is on our side. Running the mantra through my head as Ashley releases Rayne's hand to fully embrace Zac once he is standing. It is only the tiny sob that escapes his chest that halts me from losing my shit seeing him burrow his face into the crook of her neck, just above my mark. "Let's give them a minute," Rayne says via mind-link. I can tell by the tense stance and the way that the muscle in his jaw tightens convulsively that he doesn't like anyone touching Ashley either but is of the same thought like me, Zac won't hurt her and that they both need this. They need each other. Without another word, we leave the room, closing the door lightly behind us as we make our way into the hallway.
Instantly noticing a small female stepping cautiously into the hallway and hastily trying to promptly turn on her heel, I jog up to her before she can make her escape—big mistake. I am covered in blood, sweat and am radiating palpable anger. I scare the poor thing half out of her head as she starts to cry hysterically and earnestly beg for her life. "I am not going to hurt you", I huff almost impatiently but then remind myself that I can't take my considerable anger out on her. Gathering a deep breath, I try to water down the unbridled fury rolling off me so that I don't intimidate her anymore. I can hear Rayne walking towards us, so I quickly turn around and motion for him to give me a minute. The last thing I want to do is genuinely scare the small she-wolf. "Hi. I am Alpha Kane," I gesture towards Rayne", and this is my twin brother Alpha Rayne," I say as she peeks up through her moisture heavy eyelashes, nodding cautiously her head in response. "I am sorry I scared you. I was merely wondering if you could please show us where we may clean up," I continue, desperately trying my best to offer what I hope is a affable smile and not a bloody grimace. The way that she winces makes me think it was the latter.
"Way to be smooth, brother," Rayne says via mind-link. I don't bother replying. Instead, I follow the she-wolf through the Midnight packhouse until we come to what I can only assume is the master bathroom of the house. Once upon a time, it would have been impressive. Unfortunately, it seems like the whole place may have been sitting in disarray for quite some time as I take in the dirt that has settled on most surfaces and the cigarettes that have been crushed underfoot into the carpet. I thank the she-wolf and close the door quietly behind us, stripping off and instantly jumping into the shower. I realise now that I was foolish ever to think that the takeover was going to be easy.
"We need to be with mate", Jax growls out between gritted teeth. Like me, he is on edge and likes to be near Ashley as much as possible to make sure that she is safe. "She is safe with Zac," I huff my reply, trying not to grit my teeth also. "Zac needs her right now," I continue earnestly a bit more lighthearted. "We need mate", Jax spits back before releasing a savage low growl. "Calm down, Jax. We will clean up and then seek her out again, ok." "Is Jax giving you as much grief as Hunter is giving me?" Rayne asked via mind-link with a shuddering laugh. I am sure it was supposed to be in jest, but we were both still running on pure adrenaline, so it came across as a harsh whisper.
"Yes, he thinks we should be with Ashley. No doubt he wants to kill Zac still," I reply grimly, trying to wash my bruised body as quickly as possible. "I wouldn't hesitate to snuff the pups life out," Jax snapped in reply. "He has proved himself to be worthy of Ashley Jax," I replied, watching the hair on his back bristle at my words. "Would you kill Ashley, our mate, to save another she-wolf?" I asked Jax, waiting for his reply but knowing full well he wouldn't give one. Instead, he staked away in a huff. "That's what I thought," I continue. "What are we going to do about Zac, and Ashley's relationship, bother? Rayne says from the other side of the huge bathroom. "He loves her, and it is clear that she also loves him", he went on, obviously mulling over the words in his head. "We don't have time to think about that Rayne, we need to sort out the Midnight pack and then get the ceremony underway as soon as possible that established Ashley as Luna of the three packs so that we may start to ruling all three to work out the kinks of running the largest pack in the world brother," I reply, but in honesty, I can't stop thinking about their relationship no matter how much I know I should. There was so much to do, and we couldn't afford to spend too much time on relationship dynamics. Not just yet anyway, I thought with a sigh. It was inevitable, though, and it was one conversation I wasn't sure I was looking forward to having with Ashley.