'You're an Alpha,' Aidan repeated, more of a statement now than a question.

Alex shrugged. Lots of thoughts were hurtling into her brain now. Aidan had taken Kit at his word without so much as asking her if there was anything additional to add to the story. She felt so betrayed. She really wanted the best for this pack and to get involved as much as she could but if she could be so easily undermined and if her mate was not willing to listen to her, then what did any of that matter.

There was conversation happening in the office that she hadn't been listening to. The group were looking at her expectantly.

'What?' she said, getting more pissed off by the second.

'This is amazing isn't it?' Marcus was talking now. 'Our Luna has the Alpha gene too? That must be one in a million.' He looked impressed and was smiling widely at her now.

'In a different pack, it might be amazing,' Alex said irritably. 'But not here. Here I'm just a whore.'

Aidan growled loudly. 'Kit, what the fuck do you have to say for yourself,' he moved around the table so fast to stand in front of him that Kit took a step back in surprise, and possibly a little fearfully.

'Oh don't bother getting him to explain now Aidan,' Alex spat at him. 'You were more than happy to believe him a minute ago and take me down a peg without having any of the story. Don't act like him calling me a whore is something you have an issue with. I get it. It's a boy's club. The Gamma can do what he wants. At least I know my place.'

Aidan tried to say something but Alex out her hand up to stop him, 'Don't fucking bother Alpha. I have no time to listen to any bullshit.' She turned to Marcus.

'Marcus, I'm going for a run. Tell the patrols I'm the big white wolf and to leave me the fuck alone.'

With that, Alex exited the office, shredded clothes littering the floor as she shifted. There were a few screams of surprise from the staff as she bounded out of the pack house and turned into the forest.

Although she still burned with anger, her wolf was ecstatic to be let loose. The air was cool and crisp, and the afternoon had started to turn into evening, the sky growing a little darker with every hour that she ran. She loved the noise of her paws pounding on the forest floor, the strength of her legs as they relentlessly pushed her onwards and the wind breezing through her fur. She went to the edge of the pack lands, continuing to circle the perimeter again and again until she had largely calmed herself down. She stopped at a shallow part of the river and lay in the slowly moving water, enjoying the cold sensation while taking a lazy drink.

She tried to amp herself up; to drum up some sort of motivational insight that would help take away the horribly empty feeling she had inside. Nothing came to mind. With the anger passing, she now felt an overwhelming sadness. She was so disappointed in Aidan. She knew herself that she could be stubborn and hot-headed and she didn't delight in the fact that she had attacked Kit, but even so, she knew what was fair and what was not. Aidan had disregarded her version of things completely and sided with Kit. Or worse again, he had assumed there was no other side. That she had just attacked Kit without cause. That hit her hard. She was his mate and she didn't even get to defend herself.

She had been sitting a while when she heard another wolf approaching. She would tell by the scent that it was Aidan but of course, she couldn't mind link him since Aidan had not officially joined her to the pack yet. 'That should have been telling in itself', she thought. 'I'm isolated from the pack, just brought here for the Alpha's pleasure'.

Aidan's wolf had started to pad softly towards her. He was enormous and purest black, his eyes boring into hers. Alex's wolf wanted to forget the evening events and mate right there in the river. Sensing the danger of having Aidan's wolf so close to her own, she turned and started running again, turning in the direction of Aidan's house.

Aidan kept her pace, staying a little way back. By the time they reached the house, it was the dead of night. Alex shifted at the door of the darkened house and went straight to the bathroom for a shower. Aidan called to her as she locked the door but she ignored him. She took her time in the shower, letting the warm water cascade down her tired body. She allowed herself to cry, the tears mixing with the water as they ran into the drain. Her body shook but she stifled the noise. She missed the council and embrace of her family now; her father, her brothers, Nolan, Robbie. The level of isolation and loneliness she felt was unbearable. It was too late to call any of them now without causing them unnecessary concern. And she would be travelling back in less than a week for Ronan and Alice's mating ceremony. That thought cheered her heavy soul slightly.

As she dried her body and took in her image in the mirror, she was sure of one thing. Kit would not be the one to cause her to despair. She had plenty to focus on with setting up her own training and a school programme and could both keep herself busy plus carve out a path for herself in this pack. The real problem now was Aidan and his expectations of her. Would he even lend his support to her ideas? 'Well', she thought, 'then maybe we're back to researching whether I can reject him as a mate'. Her wolf growled at her over this thought. Alex didn't like the idea either but in the end, if she wasn't who Aidan wanted for his pack either, maybe it would be best for them both.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Alex went to retrieve pyjamas from the bedroom she had been sharing with Aidan. It sounded as though he was in the kitchen and she was glad not to have to see him yet. She hoped he would be wearing a shirt or her resolve may not be so strong. She pulled on a navy hoody over her the grey t-shirt and shorts of her pyjamas, letting her wet hair fall down over her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the kitchen to face Aidan.

Aidan was sitting at the breakfast bar of the kitchen, taking a big bite of a sandwich when she walked in. Thankfully wearing a black t-shirt with his grey sweatpants. He looked over when he heard her, eyes looking slightly panicked as he tried to swallow suddenly, choking slightly. After a second, he held up a second plate alongside his own.

'I made you a sandwich,' his voice was calm now, the anger from his office gone.

'Thanks,' Alex said softly, surprised but thankful for the gesture. She had really wanted to eat before talking to him anyway. She pulled the plate towards her, not wanting to sit directly beside Aidan. Instead she sat on the counter nearby and started to eat. It was a good sandwich and for the next few minutes, the only noises were chewing and the occasional clink of a glass of water being lifted or returned to the counter.

'So you're an Alpha?' Alex was not expecting that this was how the silence would be broken. Aidan was looking at her expectantly for an answer or explanation. She just shrugged. He already knew the answer to this. Maybe he was warming up to an apology, she thought.

'But your scent doesn't contain any Alpha in it,' he pressed her for more information.

'I can change my scent,' she said simply. This wasn't what she wanted to talk about but Aidan clearly did.

'What? How?' he looked confused.

'It's a gift from the Moon Goddess. I was born this way. It's been useful in my career, as you can imagine,' referencing how effective it had been in battle to be able to mask and amend her scent at will. 'I don't advertise it. The same way I don't advertise having the Alpha gene. It's not necessary for people to know.'

'But I'm your mate,' Aidan started but Alex cut across him angrily.

'That didn't fucking matter to you earlier this evening when you were giving me a dressing down in front of Kit and his minions,' she had jumped down from the counter in anger, facing him directly now.

Aidan stood up, reaching up to rub his hands over his closely shaved head. He looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes before whispering, 'I'm sorry. I should have handled that better.'

Alex waited for him to continue speaking. To explain himself. To beg for her forgiveness. To give her some insight that would allow her to understand why he had acted this way.

'Is that all you're going to say?' Alex said when the silence had continued. 'What about how you completely undermined me in front of your Beta, Gamma and three other warriors? What about how you never so much as asked me my side of the story, you just went ahead and believed your piece-of-shit Gamma? That you humiliated me? The only reason you believe me now is because I had the ability to force Kit to tell the truth. If I wasn't able to do that, you would have me apologising to him right now'. Alex was shouting and had taken a step closer to her mate as she spoke, her face contorted with rage. She was livid that Aidan could still not see what he had done and she could feel the Alpha wolf again bristling, only just under her control.

Aidan gaped at her but said nothing.

'Oh go fuck yourself then', Alex stormed away.