The Alpha's Other Woman by Vielle Nye (best fiction books of all time .txt) 📖

Heidi had stared at me for a long moment, started crying, and rushed from the room. I just stood there, regretting everything before my wolf rightfully demanded I follow her. She made it to the elevator and it closed before I caught up, so by the time I'd followed her she was well out of sight. I tried calling her through the pack link—she still hadn't let me mark her, so my communication with her was no stronger than that with any other Greenwoods wolf—and she blocked me out with her usual stubborn ability.

Instead, I followed her scent, and found her rushing from the washroom, finding none other than Carrie standing there staring at me. My wolf flipped out, I accused her of more regrettable things, and then her mate came and challenged my wolf, before full on making out with her in front of me.

I was shocked, but oddly my wolf backed down and let the whole thing go. Now that she was no longer a threat to our mate—preoccupied as she was—his former easy affection for her wolf returned, and he was...happy for her.

They took off, presumably to somewhere private, and I got over my surprise and went after Heidi.

I followed her scent back to our room. She had clearly been crying more.

"Go away, Dane."

"No. We can't keep doing this."

"So why don't you just reject me and be done with it?" she snapped.

"I don't want to reject you!"

"You did!"

"No, I didn't. Not really."

She scowled at me, more tears flowing. "You don't even really want me. It's just the stupid bond."

"Of course I want you, and it's not just the bond." Why did our every interaction seem to turn into this?

"I already know I'm not as good of a luna as Carrie was! I'm not as good of a fighter! I'm not even as good as a mate! I know that everyone thinks that, and I'm not stupid, even if everyone thinks I am! No matter how much I try I'll never be good enough! I'm never enough!" Her voice grew louder with every word, almost screaming the last sentence.

"I've been trying to fix things," I retorted, my voice nearing a shout, all the rage and frustration of the past months in my words, "But you won't even let me try!"

"Why should I?" More tears.

"Because I'm your damn mate!" I snapped, and my wolf broke my control and lunged at her. She was on her back on the bed, and I was poised above her, my teeth just breaking her skin, as I regained my sanity. Shit.

She was crying, but not fighting me. She would passively let me do it, and my wolf pushed for it to happen. He'd had enough of the distance between us, and he was willing to break it in any way necessary, right or wrong.

I ripped myself away. "Not like this," I said, raking my hands through my hair roughly as I backed away. I turned back to her, still lying on the bed like she'd lost the will to move. Like I had stolen it from her. "I'm sorry, Heidi...my wolf..."

"I know." She sniffled.

"I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry you've ever felt like less because I was with her before you. I shouldn't have given up waiting for you." I sat down beside her, and when she didn't resist I pulled her closer to me. I'd missed the ease of the first few days I'd known her before she had overheard my argument with Carrie. Even in a situation like this, it felt good to actually have contact between us. "She was a good luna, I can't deny that, and we were content..." More sniffles. "But it wasn't like what you and I could be, if we get past everything. You're the one who compliments me. My wolf is desperate for you, and so am I. It's not the orderly, controlled thing I had always thought I needed, but I do want it, and I want you. And I don't know any other way to say it so that you believe me, Heidi."

"I believe you."

The sweetest words I'd ever heard. For the first time since chaos had disordered my life, maybe I was making some progress in a positive direction.