Regretting And Rejecting

Chapter 16

Hannah

As soon as we arrived in the new pack, Griffin and I were led straight to the Alpha's office. The man was obviously older than us, very tall with light brown hair and brown eyes, and a seemingly permanently tired face. In the corner of his office was a little boy who was basically has carbon copy, coloring quietly. The Alpha stood when we entered the office and shook our hands. We both bared our necks in submission and took the seats he offered us.

"Welcome." He said, gaining the attention of the little boy. He came running over and sat on his father's lap. The sight made me smile.

"Thank you for allowing us to visit." I say brightly and the boy peeks up at me with interest. He studies me intently as his father continues to speak.

"Of course, being our ally who knows when my pack members will need to use your hospital. If we can make it more efficient we're happy to do so." He says kindly and the boy walks over to me.

"Hi, I'm Austin." He says in his high pitched child voice and holds out his hand for me to shake.

"Hi. I'm Hannah." I tell him gripping his hand. Griffin gets the same introduction and then the boy climbs on my lap, surprising me. Based on the look on his father's face, he's surprised too.

"How old are you?" I ask the little boy.

"Four." He responds and I nod with a little smile.

He sits on my lap and plays with my hair while his father explains the basic rules of the pack, the schedule for the day, where I'm to meet people to tour things and where Griffin and I will be staying. Austin must get bored of his father's spiel as he rests his head on my shoulder. I rub his back gently and before long the little one has fallen asleep, much to everyone's amusement.

"I'm sorry. He's never done that before." Alpha says and I wave off his concern.

"It's fine. He's precious." I say, looking at him affectionately before handing him to his father.

"I'll show you the cabin you'll be staying in and leave you to it. It's only a few down from mine and I'm headed home to put this guy down anyway." He explains and we walk out of the packhouse and only a few minutes down until we reach a small, two bedroom cabin with a small living room and kitchen. It's quaint and I immediately feel at home.

"It's perfect. Thank you Alpha." I say as Griffin carries our bags inside.

"I hope you enjoy your time here. Dinner will be delivered tonight so you can relax and we'll see you at breakfast in the morning." With that he turns and heads toward a larger house that I assume is his. As soon as I walk in the cabin, Griffin is walking out.

"I'm going for a run. I hate being stuck in a car that long. I'll stay where I can see the cabin. Mind link me if you need something." He says as he begins stripping. I can't help but chuckle at his restlessness. It was barely a three hour drive. I leave him to it and head up to my room, unpacking a few things. I find Micah's shirt and a little pit in my stomach forms. I decide to try to mind link him.

'Micah?' I ask and shortly after I feel the connection click into place.

'Hey sweetness. Miss me already?' He asks playfully and I smile.

'Maybe. Maybe not.' I say noncomitally. He chuckles in my mind and the sound makes goosebumps erupt over my skin.

'What are your first impressions of the pack?' He asks and I lounge out on the bed.

'It's very remote, but that also means it's very beautiful. Wide open spaces, gorgeous scenery, I think the air even smells better. The Alpha is friendly and he gave us a cabin which maybe we should consider building a few instead of making guests stay in the loud, crowded packhouse.' I say and Micah chuckles again.

'Most wolves would rather stay around others, sweetness. Not everyone has an aversion to people like you do.' He says, amusement sprinkling his tone. I huff at him in my mind and he chuckles again.

'I can't help it. I like quiet.' I admit and I feel a surge of affection from him through the bond. I'm surprised it's so strong this far away.

'Keep a list of everything you'd think would be good for our pack and we can go over it when you get back.' He offers.

'Already talking about me coming back? I just left.' I tease and he laughs, but there's a sad tint to it that makes a pang of sorrow run through me.

'Counting down the hours. What's Griffin up to?'

'Went for a little run. The car ride made him antsy.' I tell him.

'Great. I have a mate who doesn't like people and a beta who would rather spend all day in the woods. Quite the team we are.' He says with mock indignation and I laugh in our link. His mood seems to brighten and I'm thankful for that.

'Dinner should be here soon, I'll talk to you tomorrow.' I tell him.

'You better.' He warns playfully and I smile as I cut the link.

I hear Griffin come back awhile later and head down the stairs to find him.

"You check in with Micah?" He asks and I nod.

"Good. He was worried." He says and I look at him questioningly.

"He felt your mini emotional breakdown when we left the pack so asked if you were OK. I told him your were fine." He says and I nod again.

"I'm surprised he didn't chase our car down. " I say and Griffin laughs and nods in agreement.

"Same. He sounded on edge. I hope talking to you helped."

"It did." I admit as a knock on the door rings out, signaling our dinner has arrived. Griffin and I sit and eat in companionable silence and I voice a fleeting thought.

"I wish you were my mate, Grif. Think how easy and comfortable life would have been." I say and he ponders that for a minute before shrugging.

"Nah. You would get bored with me eventually. You need a mate like Micah. You push each other's boundaries. Force each other to look at things a different way. You and I would be comfortable, but stagnant. Never growing as people. And people need to grow, Hannah. Especially Micah. Knowing my luck, I'll get a loud, obnoxious mate who loves to travel and go do stupid shit like party." He says and I snort on my food before taking a drink to clear my throat. I think about what he said and sigh before I admit defeat.

"I suppose you're right." I say and he scoffs.

"Of course I am." He says smugly, shoveling more food in his mouth.

"Mates should force each other to grow. Bring out the good in each other. How much good do you think there is in Micah?" I ask him and he chews and swallows before responding.

"I think there's more in him than you give him credit for. I have already seen a change in him that I am impressed with. I think with you at his side, he can be an excellent Alpha." Griffin says and I nod as I contemplate his words. Then I give him a mischievous smile.

"I hope we find your mate on this trip." I say and he eyes me curiously.

"Why?" He asks and I smirk at him.

"Because I would love to see you forced to go to a party." I say cackling out an evil laugh. He just grunts before pointing his fork at me.

"In order to see me at a party, you'd have to go to one yourself. We both know if there is anyone more antisocial than me, it's you." He points out and I have to admit it.

"You're not wrong."