Claiming My Wolf
Chapter 61

~~Micah’s PoV~~

When Sadie opens her eyes, she looks at me first, and along with my relief that she’s okay, there’s also hope. Maybe this is the moment when she’ll choose me?

But then she looks at Logan and I see the change in her eyes and the way they’re drawn together, and when he k****s her, I know it deep in my gut.

She’s never going to be mine.

Sadie sends Logan away and I hear him start talking to the others, but I can’t make out a word he’s saying. I’m staring at Sadie instead, waiting for the rejection I know is coming.

“Logan’s my mate,” she says simply. “The bonds have been restored and my wolf told me.”

It’s even worse than I thought. It’s not just a matter of her choosing him, though that would be bad enough. The Moon Goddess actually put them together. How can that be, when I feel so strongly about her? It doesn’t make sense.

“There must be a reason for it,” she adds gently. “Which means that there’s a reason that you’re meant to be with someone else.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in all of that,” I remind her. “What happened to making your own choice?”

She gives me a sheepish shrug. “I guess I don’t know everything after all. The Moon Goddess is definitely real, I can’t deny that after tonight. So I had to accept that maybe she knows what she’s doing after all.”

I swallow my disappointment. Obviously she’s made up her mind, and arguing with her about it isn’t going to do me any favors. I might be the loser, but I can be a gracious loser, at least. If there’s one thing the past few weeks have taught me is that I can be a better man than my father, and that includes accepting defeat.

I get to my feet and help her up. “You should probably shift,” I tell her. “We’re a long way from the pack house, it’ll be quicker to go in your wolf form.”

Her eyes widen. “I don’t know how to do that.”

“I’ll help you.” Logan’s voice rings out from just behind me, and I turn to face him. He’s giving me a slightly uneasy look, like he’s not sure how I’m taking the news, so I take a step back.

“Of course. It should be you who shows her. Congratulations to you both.”

“Micah…”

He starts to say something, but I don’t want his pity. He always had the father I wished I had, and now he’s got the mate I wanted to. Even if he is my best friend, I kind of hate him right now. So before he can finish saying whatever was on the tip of his tongue, I shift back to my wolf and take off back towards the hospital.

There’s only one person I want to talk to right now.

When I arrive, there are guards outside the Alpha’s room, but they let me in without question. That surprises me, but I’m too focused on what I came here to say to really think about it.

“Micah.”

The Alpha is sitting up in his bed, his chest bandaged. He looks pale, but otherwise okay. It’s obvious he’s going to recover, and I’m really glad.

“I had no idea he was a traitor,” I blurt out in greeting. “I would have told you if I’d known. I would never betray the pack like he did.”

The Alpha holds up his hand. “I know. Logan’s linked me, he’s explained everything you did. You have my thanks, and the thanks of the whole pack. I’ve always known you had great potential, and tonight, you lived up to it. I’m proud of you, Micah.”

Those are words I’ve never really heard before, and to my annoyance, tears start to gather in my eyes. This whole night has been a roller coaster of emotions, and it’s finally catching up with me.

I need to say what I came here to say before I lose focus.

“Alpha, I’d like to request a transfer to another pack.”

It’s not a typical request, and he looks appropriately shocked. “What do you mean? Micah, with your father gone, you are my Beta and I’m happy to have you in that role. Nobody blames you for what your father did. It’s your actions, not your b***d, that define you.”

It means a lot to me to hear him say that and to know that he wants me as his Beta. If that was the whole situation, I’d be happy to stay, but it’s not. Eventually Logan will take over, with Sadie as his Luna, and the idea of being around them day after day is more than I can take.

I open my mouth to say so, but he cuts me off again. “It’s been a really long night, Micah. Sleep on it. That’s an order. You can come see me in the morning, hopefully once I’m out of this place, and if you still want to leave, we can talk about it then.”

He looks around the room like it’s a prison rather than a state-of-the-art medical facility and I can’t help but smile.

And since it’s a direct order from my Alpha, I also can’t refuse, so I bow my head to him and say good night. Exhaustion hits me as I walk out of the room, all the stress of the last week piling up at once, and suddenly my bed sounds really good. But as soon as I get out in the hallway, I see a flurry of activity at the far end, new casualties arriving, and I head down to see what’s happening.

“Aaron? What’s going on?”

He’s left behind as the nurses rush whoever he was with into the operating room. There’s an odd smell in the air lingering in the air, like oranges and cinnamon.

He looks over at me with haunted eyes. “We got ambushed, just before the ceasefire order came in. It’s Laurel and Ava. They’re both in pretty bad shape. They can’t tell me anything else right now.”

“F*ck.” There’s not much else I can say as I look down the hall where they just went. “I’ll wait with you. Come on, let’s get some coffee or something.”

He gives me a grateful nod and together we head down to the coffee machine, hoping that it won’t be long before we find out just how bad things are.