ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Twenty-Three

By the time he finished, Kane was no more than five feet away from where Kasey and I stood. So many thoughts and questions were running through my mind, none of which pertained to what he had just said. Kane was still here. And that could have only meant that he was still a part of the pack, right?

Despite our weird and awkward relationship, a part of me wanted to go right up to him and hug the hell out of him. I was at least fifty-two percent sure that he would have allowed me to do so. But what kept me from following through was the one hundred percent fact that Kane's presence meant one of either two things: Caleb had successfully convinced his beta to stay, or Kane had only stayed this long only because I hadn't been around.

Because having me out of the picture meant that Kasey was equally out of the picture.

"Everything has a weak spot," Kasey spoke.

"True," he turned his head in her direction. "And if or when that weak spot gives way, there are eight ready and willing wolves to defend it with their lives and mend it with their blood."

If those two were being literal or just speaking figuratively, I sure as heck could not tell you. I could only tell you what I felt, and I felt that all of that talk of 'weak spots' was code for 'Ava-Rain'. And, if that had been true, on one hand, I guess I should have felt content in knowing that Kane had just declared that he would protect me. But, on the other hand, being referred to as weak was not something a girl ever wanted to hear about herself, let alone be described as. Especially not from her best friend—who I hoped had not meant it literally at all—or from a member of the pack she was meant to lead one day.

Before I allowed that feeling to truly sink in, I, instead, focused my energy on why I had come back. "You going to be okay out here?"

It wasn't until seconds after I asked that I realized my question was meant for them both. Kane was, after all, the wolf Kasey was mated to and the wolf that she was super determined to reject because of the role she was born into. And she was the human he was gifted, and one that he had made crystal clear he would never accept. Leaving them together—alone—was most likely a disaster in the making, but it was a better alternative then taking her, quite literally, behind enemy lines.

They both looked at me, but Kane's eyes quickly retreated back to Kasey as if he was waiting to hear her response. Neither he nor I had to wait very long because her answer was given in the form of a nod.

"Well," I cleared my throat. "I'll just leave you two to talk then. Kasey," I turned to her, "I'll try my best to make it quick, okay?"

"Take your time." She glanced at Kane, whose gaze was, oddly enough, still fixated on her. "Say your goodbyes."

As I knew it would, that had finally forced Kane to tear his gaze away from his mate, but, with a speed that both shocked and impressed me, I managed to look away before our brown eyes met.

If they had, it only would have been that much harder to follow through with my decision to leave the pack.

So, instead, I turned my head and stared up at the house. "Is he here?"

"He's out back. I'll get him—"

"No, it's fine. I. . ."

I'm not ready to face him just yet.

I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to say goodbye.

"I should get my stuff," was all I could say before heading for the front steps.