The Rejected Alpha (Book 1 of the Rejected Series)

Chapter 13

I opened the door, and the bell jingled when  I walked into the coffee shop. My gray eyes searched the room as I looked for the man that I had called me here.

Some movement to my left caused me to look that way, and I saw a man half standing with two cups of coffee in front of him. He was seated near the back, away from everyone that occupied the coffee shop. He nodded his head when he caught my eye, the gold eyebrow ring catching the light.

I made my way towards him, my eyes flickering this way and that as I assessed the building and everyone in it. I frowned when I heard a snort from the table and looked back at the male who had sat down. "What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

The male grinned and shook his head, his white teeth contrasting from his dark complexion. "You amuse me sometimes, Alexandra," he said, his voice soft. He took a sip of his coffee as I sat down and nodded to the cup. "I thought I should get you something. I added... a little something extra. I hope you like it."

I narrowed my eyes and frowned, not touching the cup. I took a deep whiff, but all I smelt was the coffee around us, and I couldn't pick up something else in the coffee. "What did you add?" I asked. "It better not be alcohol, Nike."

Nike placed his hand on his heart and gasped out loud, widening his eyes in shock. "Me? Put alcohol in your drink? Would I do something like that?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied coldly.

Nike smiled and shook his head. "No, I did not put alcohol in your drink. I wouldn't do that to you, not after..." He trailed off and cleared his throat, not even knowing how to say it.

"Not after I had been clean for a year," I said, leaning back in my seat. "But, that doesn't stop me from being an alcoholic."

"And since the King had..."

I nodded and took a sip of the drink, raising an eyebrow at the taste of it. "Did you add an extra shot of espresso to my normal cup?" I asked, and the male smirked and nodded.

"Thought you would need it after all the shit you had been through," he said, seriously. He placed his arms on the table and leaned forward, concern filling his eyes. "How are you?" he asked, and I shrugged and grimaced.

I took another sip of my drink and placed the cup down. "Does it matter?" I asked, my voice cold. "I am surviving."

Nike frowned and nodded his head before leaning back. "So... tomorrow..." He raised his eyebrow as his voice trailed off.

I shook my head. "Can't come," I said, and the male's face dropped. I scowled. "I am not even allowed to be here, talking to you. Remember?"

"But, it's my birthday," Nike said. "I even got you something." He shifted beside him and pulled out a plastic bag that contained something. "I want to see you in that."

"No," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "I am not going to wear something that you had picked out."

"Then, it is a good thing that Analina picked it out and not me," he said, talking about his mate. "She thought that you and the pack need a break. The Princes will be there as well as my... brother."

I nodded my head, studying him. I knew that he was hesitant to say his brother because there was a chance that he would change his mind and not go.

Like me, Anthony, Nike's brother, had been part of the group that I had been in. However, unlike me, he had never left. He became one of the higher members of the group, becoming a force to be reckoned with.

He was supposed to be the Alpha, but he had given up the position because he knew that he wouldn't handle life outside of the group. He thought that Nike would be a better Alpha, and to be honest, I thought he had made the right choice.

"Have you spoken to him?" Nike asked, and I shook my head, no.

"I wanted to get more of what is happening to him before I have him send people over. I'm probably going to contact him tonight."

Nike gasped and placed a hand over his heart. "Without not a lot of information?" he asked. "I am shook."

I scowled but did not say a word.

"It's like shock but not," he said, shrugging his shoulder. "The kids these days are saying it."

"You are twenty-six-years-old, so act like it."

"And, you are twenty-two-years-old, so act like it," Nike mocked. "Almost twenty-three."

I rolled my eyes and scowled. I reached in my jacket pocket and pulled out a box. "Here," I said, handing it to him. "Happy Birthday."

Nike gasped out in shock and placed his hand on his heart. "A birthday gift? For me?" he asked. He greedily took the box and was about to open it when I cleared my throat. He looked up and scowled. "What?"

"Open it on your birthday, Nike," I said. "Not now." I heard the bell ring and took in a deep breath to smell the scents of Levi and Mindy. I had no idea why they were here, but I didn't care. I didn't know what Levi would do when he saw me talking to Nike, but I didn't care about that either.

They wanted me alive for some reason, and I was going to use that against them. Their weakness was me to get to Levi and the pack, but their weakness was my strength. I might not be the actual Luna yet, but the pack was my family and my home, and I would be damned if they took that away from me. They had no idea what I could protect my own, especially the ones that I loved.