Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 35

It turned out that everyone except Marla and Carrie wanted to go for a walk. Carrie planned to rest and Marla needed to do her nails so the rest headed towards the woods. They fell into a loose pack formation, the other couples instinctively walking behind Arthur. Ava was one step back and to the right of him. John came along next, followed by Helen, then Giselle and Franz, while Rose and Daniel brought up the rear. The arrangement effectively cancelled Ava’s hopes of having a private conversation with Rose but she still hoped to deal with the matter before the night was over.

As they entered the tree line, a sound came from the left and in a blur of movement, Arthur and John positioned themselves protectively in front of the others, muscles tense and senses alert. It took less than a second for them to identify the source and realize there was no danger. As the two men visibly relaxed their stance, Julia and Thomas emerged from the brush.

“Hi there!” Julia called out. “Great night to be out, isn’t it?”

Arthur nodded in acknowledgement but looked inquiringly at Thomas. “Your first night back on patrol?”

“Yeah, just the immediate area, nothing too far from home yet.” Thomas looked down at

Julia who was holding his arm. “And she insisted on coming along.”

Julia grinned. “After last time, I don’t want you out of my sight.” Thomas rolled his eyes, but none the less, looked pleased at the extra attention he was receiving.

“Anything to report?” John inquired.

“Nope. All’s quiet. You folks are heading out for a run?” Thomas surveyed the group.

Helen piped up. “Some of them are running, but I, for one, am planning a leisurely stroll.”

“Well, have fun. It was a long shift, so we’re heading home.” As they turned to go, Thomas accidentally brushed against Ava, then froze in his tracks, a rumbling emitting from his throat. His sudden stop tugged on Julia’s arm causing her to bounce back against him and in turn he bumped into Ava, who stumbled and half fell to the ground.

Thomas spun around, growling low and threatening, his eyes narrowed. In a flash, Arthur had him by the throat, his hand like a vice-grip, while the other was swung back, preparing to strike. A low growl ripped from his chest and he looked on the verge of changing forms. Julia screamed and Ava scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding as she took in the scene before her. Unthinkingly, she rushed forward, shoving herself between the two men.

“Arthur, no! It was an accident! I’m all right.” She grabbed his arm. The others around them stood frozen, possibly from shock or possibly because Arthur was the Alpha. It was his right to discipline the members as he saw fit. John took half a step forward, but then stopped as Arthur snarled even louder.

Realizing she was the only one who might be able to defuse the situation, Ava reached for Arthur’s face, trying to force him to look at her. “Arthur, listen to me! No harm was done. Let him go!”

He blinked twice and as her message sank in, began to relax, slowly releasing Thomas. The other man stepped back and swallowed hard but continued to sniff the air, shifting his eyes nervously over the crowd and peering into the woods behind them.

Julia hugged Thomas’ arm and looked nervously at Arthur. Ava placed her hands firmly on

Arthur’s shoulders and took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. Stepping in front of an angry Alpha was not the smartest move to make, but she’d reacted to the situation as instinctively as Arthur had done.

Slowly, she slid her hands down to his chest, rubbing them soothingly over the muscled surface. “It was an accident. You didn’t mean to knock me down, did you, Thomas? And you weren’t growling at any of us, were you?’

Thomas still appeared disoriented but nodded in agreement. “No. Sorry. It’s just that I… I suddenly scented something, and it triggered a memory. For a moment I could have sworn I was back in that clearing where Ryne shot me.” He sniffed the air again, searching for the source, before focusing on Ava again. He took a half step forward and sniffed again, a puzzled expression forming on his tanned face. “That’s strange. It’s coming from you.”

“Me?” She squeaked in surprise. “I don’t smell like Ryne, do I?” She looked to the others for confirmation.

“No, it’s not Ryne’s scent but…” Thomas seemed to be searching his memory. “It was there at the same time as Ryne. I’m sure I remember both scents.”

“Hmm…” Arthur sniffed at Ava. “You’re wearing that new perfume that Marla gave you. But why would Ryne have been wearing it?”

Ava wasn’t sure what to say. Marla said the perfume disguised scents so that would explain Ryne wearing it, but if she told Arthur this, he’d want to know why she was using it. Then she’d have to explain about seeing Seth… Out of the corner of her eye, she took in the assembled group.

Confessing in front of the pack was less than ideal but… She opened her mouth to explain only to realize that no one was expecting an answer from her. They’d all continued to talk while she’d been thinking.

“Maybe Ryne was trying to hide his scent from us by overpowering it with perfume.” John suggested.

“Could be,” Arthur nodded. “But it didn’t work, since Thomas still knew he was there.” He ran his hands through his hair and huffed in exasperation. “Who knows what Ryne is thinking anymore? None of this makes sense to me.”

The others murmured their agreement.

With a sigh, Arthur brought the impromptu meeting to a close. “If anyone still wants to go for a run, they should head out now, before it gets much later.”

Helen checked her watch. “I think I’ll head back to the house. That was enough excitement for me.”

The others decided to continue on and, phasing into wolf form, melted into the night, leaving Arthur, Ava, Thomas, and Julia standing at the tree line. The two couples looked awkwardly at each other until Arthur finally broke the silence.

“Thomas, I’m sorry I overreacted a few minutes ago.” Arthur gruffly apologized, shoving his hands in his back pockets. “But when I saw Ava on the ground and you growled, well…”

“No need to apologize. Any mate would have done the same; it’s your right.” Thomas dismissed the incident with a shrug. “I shouldn’t have reacted so strongly, but like I said, that scent had me flashing back. I was sure I could even hear the click of the gun. While on some level I knew it wasn’t real, I couldn’t stop myself. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Arthur nodded and Thomas stuck out his hand. With a grin, Arthur shook it. There were no hard feelings on either side and the two couples chatted for a while longer before parting amicably.

“Do you still want to go for a run?” Ava asked.

“No, not really. There’s a bench over there. Could we just sit and enjoy the moonlight?” Arthur indicated a spot a short distance away.

With a nod, she agreed and Arthur took her hand, leading her towards the secluded niche. The bench was surrounded by pine trees on three sides and gave the illusion of being in a private little room.

Sitting down, Arthur tucked her to his side and sighed. “Ava, there’s something I have to say.”