The Alpha Twins Rejection
Chapter Forty-Two - Zac's P.O.V

The following weeks passed in a blur of wallowing in self-pity, pining for Ashley and tagging along with her and the Alpha twins as they took over their reign of the three packs and their accompanying territory.

Ashley stayed by my side for the first week, to the minor annoyance of the twins. I mean, I couldn't blame them. Ashley was their mate, not mine. Something they reminded me with every lowered eyebrow aimed in my direction, along with the tight jaw muscles twitching every time Ashley folded her arms around me.

After the first week, I tried to let her know that I would be fine and that she didn't need to mother me, but she only let up when I took her spare clothes out of my bedroom and placed them back in her joined room with the twins, much to their evident relief I am sure.

As much as I genuinely needed Ashley, they needed her more.

I tried hard to hate the twins for taking Ashley away from me, but the more time I spent with them, I realized that they were perfect for her and that they loved her fiercely. The way they doted on her and defended her, insert eye roll for anyone who knows Ashley doesn't need personal protection, was somewhat cute.

I would never let them hear me saying that though, they were savage beasts with their fists when they were pissed off. And where Ashley was concerned that was a short fuse, easily lit.

The last week had been a unusual one to say the least. I wanted to continue to be upset over Mia's death, but it was as if my heart had moved on. Not even Callan shed a single tear for our traitorous mate. He had wanted a mate desperately, but had always considered Callie his as I had always thought Ashley would be mine.

For years no one could have convinced me otherwise, and with every year after Ashley's eighteenth that she stayed mateless, I naturally thought for sure Callie and Ashley were destined to be ours.

As if on cue, Callan piped up, "Why do I feel exactly like I did when Ashley is around when we found mate," he asked wearily as if I knew the answer. "It is possible it is the old pull of the familiar," I replied thoughtfully. "Ashley and Callie were our world for years. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that is why you are feeling confused, Callan." "Maybe," he huffed while slinking away.

The last few days had been the same; Callan had been grumbling that he felt a direct connection to Callie, one that he had never felt before. Sure, he had always loved her, but he thought that the pull towards her was growing more vigorous each day.

I wanted to adamantly deny it because Ashley already had mates, but deep down, I knew that something had shifted. I didn't know what and wasn't sure if I should explore it, especially for Ashley's sake.

I knew she still loved me and had feelings for me, but a blind man could see how much she loved both of her mates. They were lucky bastards. So instead, I put on a brave face and stood beside her day in, day out to help them take over the packs amd make the merger run smoothly.

Even with the pack size and the uncertainty of having two Alpha's ruling along with their Luna, there were minimal disruptions with the completion. It seemed that the River Run pack trusted their Alpha's, and the Midnight pack was more than relieved to have a new ruler amd to be rid of Alpha Dante for once and for all.

The only thing that was left to sort out was the relocation of a dozen or so families who had decided that they wanted to relocate to the Blood Moon pack territory so that they could be closer to their new Luna. I couldn't blame them for wanting to be closer to Ashley. She seemed to naturally draw people in whether she liked it or not. She was a magnet of love, loyalty and stability. I, on the other hand, was nothing but a mateless loser.

"We are NOT mateless", Callan spat."I don't feel like we lost ours." "Mia is dead Callan, please stop with the wishful thinking of Callie being your mate. Ashley has two mates already. End of discussion," I replied promptly in a contemplative voice. The sooner Callan gave up the idea of second chance mates, the better.

Even though I was now a Beta of the Blood Moon pack, I didn't stay in the packhouse. Ashley hadn't wanted me to move out, but seeing her happy with Kane and Rayne stung and merely reminded me more of how much I had lost, so I moved to a small house not far away. Being Beta, I needed to be available 24-7 should anything happen or need my attention. I also didn't want to be far away from Ashley in case she needed me.

"Have your seen her husbands," Callan sniggered. "Why would she ever need us"? "You know as well as I do that we can take both of them, Callan," I replied heartily with a cocky grin. Kane and Rayne were skilled and capable fighters who would set the world on fire for Ashley, but I knew I was the better fighter. I also had nothing to lose. I would always protect Ashley with my life. If there was anything in my life that I was sure of, it was that.

Today I was back to the familair routine of training recruits. I found myself sparring alongside Ashley while Kane and Rayne were back in River Run, helping their Betas settle into the packhouse to oversee most of the territory's day-to-day running. Smart move on Ashley's behalf if you ask me. Setting up trusted Betas in each territory to help things run efficiently and not spread themselves too thin with such a large pack. That was Ashley, though. One smart cookie who was always one step ahead of the rest I thought fondly.

Speaking of the devil. "Oof" was all I managed before her knee thrust hard into my abdomen, making all the air whoosh out of my chest. Looking up, I noted the smug look on Ashley's face as she addressed the room of eager trainees. "And that class, is why we must always pay attention to our opponent." The room erupted in thinly concealed sniggers, mirth dancing in the eyes which observed us.

While Ashley made to walk away, I quickly whipped my leg out and watched as Ashley's eyes opened wide in genuine surprise as she fell with a hard thud on her backside beside me. Not allowing her time to think about what happened, I quickly hoisted myself on top of her. "And that class", I said, gently mocking her previous speech ", Is why you don't turn your back on your opponent. Class dismissed", I spoke with a hearty laugh which had Ashley laughing wildly under me while she tried to buck me off.

Staring down into Ashley's mesmerizing violet coloured eyes, my breath instantly caught in my throat. She was gorgeous. Sudden pain crashed back into me, she was no longer mine, and I had no right being on top of her. No matter how innocent pinning her to prove a point had been.

Both our whimsical smiles turned into frowns as we looked into each other's souls. "Mate," Ashley said, her hand suddenly flying to her mouth. "What did you just say?" I asked through laboured breaths. Did she say what I thought she just said? "Nothing," she replied evasively while twisting out from beneath me and hurrying out the training centre door.

"Did Ashley just say what I think she just did, Callan"? "She did," he replied smugly. "Still don't believe in fate or second chance mates, Zac? Because I sure as shit do, and I have been trying to tell you that something has shifted lately, I didn't think it would be this fucked up. I mean, Ashley already has two mates. They are going to kill us if what we are thinking is true," he said with an audible gulp.

Over the next few days, I tried to avoid Ashley, it was a massive shock to me what she had muttered, but I could feel her turmoil at the profound implications of her own words and what they meant. There was no mention of a female Beta in Lycan history, no mention of twins, no mention of twin Alphas, so you guessed it. There was no mention of a female having three mates and ruling the largest werewolf pack in history.

Ashley was not about following rules or order though, Ashley was a trailblazer and was always going to set the world on fire just by being in it. She didn't do things by halves.

The conscious thought of having a second chance mate and that mate being Ashley shocked and horrified me.

Ashley had always been my everything, but I didn't know how I was supposed to ever be with her, even if she was my second chance mate. The thought of running away and turning rogue went through my mind more times than I would admit. None of it made sense to me, nor could I think of any way that it would ever work.

As soon as Ryane and Kane found out, it was a sure bet to be a death sentence for me. Going on my research had taught me after losing Mia, there may be a tiny seed of doubt in their minds. Eliminating me would kill a part of Ashley. Something that they would have to live with for the rest of their lives. I cursed and praised the Moon Goddess in equal measures.

I dared not give in to the joy, though, lest it is ripped away from me. No, I would give Ashley space and then I would discuss things with her. One thing that was for sure, I wanted to hear those words from her mouth again.

I woke the following day to the sound of my front door being kicked in, the timber splintering beneath the booted feet of Kane and Rayne. It didn't take a genius to work out that Ashley had talked to them about what happened the other day in the training centre when they returned from River Run. "Where are you" Rayne roared as I calmly pulled on a pair of grey sweat pants."Right here", I replied coolly as I made my way into the living room, meeting two very pissed off Alphas face to face.

Kane bridged the distance between us in a split second and had me by the throat. "Time for you to pack your bags, pup," he roared in my face, his eyes flashing dangerously as Jax threatened to take over.

I didn't put up a fight, I knew this had been coming, and there was no use trying to fight two Alphas with their wolves dangerously close to the surface.

Rayne crossed the room and seized me by the front of my shirt, making sure to get right up into my face to deliver his message, "Get the fuck off our territory and never come back. If I have to ask you twice, I won't even blink while I snap your fucking neck," he spat furiously, thrusting me hard towards the front door.

Before I made it outside, Ashley came racing into the house. "Put him down now, Rayne", she panted, clearly having run from wherever they had argued. Rayne narrowed his eyes at me, ready to launch into an direct attack when suddenly a loud bang on the side window captured our attention.

Peering in with eyes wide was a teenage wolf that I couldn't put a name to but knew would be trouble with what they had just overheard. "Shit", Rayne bellowed. "Catch up with him and bring him back", Ashley promptly ordered no one in particular as she folded her arms over her heaving chest.

"This gets sorted out today, here and now, before anyone gets wind of what has happened. We can't afford to lose the progress we have made with merging the packs".

Shit, she was right. And Rayne and Kane knew it if their thunderous expression were anything to go by. "This should be interesting," Callan laughed hysterically to himself. "Shut up, Callan".

Several minutes later, Rayne returned, instantly informing us that he had taken the adolescent boy to the cells underneath the packhouse for the time being until we could work out what the Moon Goddess had done to the four of us with her mischievous second chance mate offering.

Putting my hands up in a gesture of peace, I plopped wearily down on an air chair and gestured for Ryane, Kane and Ashley to take the lounge opposite me. Letting out a huff of overwhelming despair, I straightened my spine and placed my sweaty palms on my knees as I spoke. "For what it is worth, gentleman, I had no way of knowing or persuading the Mood Goddess to offer me a second chance mate, let alone have her pick Ashley as mine. No matter how much I may have wished it most of my life."

Across from me, the twins were visibly vibrating with fury, clenching and unclenching their fists, profound darkness swirling in their eyes. I knew that they believed my words, but I knew it would piss them off no matter what I said. There was no way in hell either of them was going to allow me to become Ashley's mate alongside them.

Not only would they not want to share their mate, their Luna, but they would never want someone without Alpha blood to be made an Alpha. Again, there was nothing in Lycan history that ever pointed to an Alpha being made. You had to be born an Alpha. To me, it made sense that Ashley would have been fated to have three mates to help her rule three conjoined packs though.

Glancing anxiously between Ashley and the twins, I noticed the slight nod of Rayne and Kane's heads. Being twins, they always knew what the other was thinking, and I knew in my gut that they were done with talking and had come to a decision on their own.

I watched as they both stood up and spoke as one. "Zac McMillan, Beta of Blood Moon, we sentence you to death." The last thing I heard was Ashley's blood-curdling scream.