Page 47 of Fated to the Alpha

It was her dominance. It made her a target. With one less tool in her shifter toolbox to help her in a fight, she’d be easy pickings. And likely, Kimberly understood that too. So many years of her father’s reminders of how weak and defenseless she was would guarantee that she’d come to that conclusion. It must have destroyed her confidence and sense of security, even in a safe place like Tolstone. Everything she had done, like chopping off her hair and trying to learn self-defense, was her trying to help herself feel safe again.

Now, the change in Kimberly made a lot more sense. She wasn’t the same bubbly, free-spirited girl he knew. Life and trauma had scarred her, sucked out the spark that he loved so much. A bit of it came back when they were together, and they could step back in time, but the damage was still there. Getting kicked out of her childhood home, losing her alpha, and then becoming prey to a psychotic shifter all left their mark on her. Shane didn’t want to acknowledge it before. He had to now. The old Kimberly really was gone.

“We all thought Kimberly was coping just fine after the attack,” Gage continued. “She had a little counseling, and we were back into the normal swing of things.”

“But you were wrong.” The menace in Shane’s tone was unintended but fully felt.

Gage nodded regretfully. “We were obviously wrong. You have to know that if we even remotely suspected that she needed help, we wouldn’t have ignored it. When she cut her hair, that was the first time she acted out, but she assured us she was fine.”

Shane shrugged. “Of course, she would. She’s the type that doesn’t want to burden anyone with her shit. You have to pull it out of her.”

Gage scrutinized Shane as if he had just said something intriguing. “But she went to you for help and not us. You were trying to teach her how to defend herself.”

“She knows me.”

“Uh-huh. And where have you been for the last ten years?”

Shane’s lips curled up in a snarl, but Gage didn’t back down so easily.

Beat this wannabe alpha into the ground. Show him who is better, who is stronger. He failed to protect. You are better.

“I already explained myself to her,” Shane replied. “I don’t have to explain jack shit to you.”

Gage paced dangerously close. They may have been matched in size and strength, but Shane had more dominance and more to lose.

“Maybe not, but I’ll tell you one thing. Whatever it is you’ve got cooking with Kimberly, trying to rekindle some old flame, forget about it. I know exactly what’s going to happen. You and your pack will leave, she’ll stay, and her heart will be broken. Again. We’ll have to pick up the pieces, and I can’t guarantee that I won’t wanna feed you your own intestines for that.”

Shane’s dominance revved up as Gage stalked deeper into his space. He wouldn’t be moved or intimidated.

“If we want to see each other, you can’t do a damn thing about it.”

“Watch me,” Gage growled, bearing his own fangs and face twisting with the threat. “She is my pack. She is my responsibility. If you know what’s good for you and what is best for her, you won’t let this go any further. No more dates. No more hanging out. No promises.”

“Did you plan on coming here and telling me what to do?”

“I have a right to protect my pack.”

“I’ll see her as long as she wants to see me.”

“You want her to cry over you again? You want her to be a miserable wreck after you leave? If you care anything about her, you’ll end this now. Kimberly deserves someone who’s going to stick around.”

Shane opened his mouth to argue, but he had no comeback. He didn’t want to break her, but he still needed her, needed her to be a calming force while he tried to make sense of who he wanted to be as an alpha. Part of him still considered the idea of ripping Kimberly away from Gage and taking her with him whenever they moved. He didn’t think she deserved a half-assed alpha like Gage. Yet, standing toe to toe with the wolf, he began to second-guess his initial assessment. Gage had the balls to stand up to him, take the brunt of his dominance, and stand up for the well-being of his pack. Because of that, maybe Shane misjudged him.

“You’re right. She does deserve better.”

Gage didn’t waver but waited for Shane to withdraw some of his dominance before taking a step away. Shane had to hold back his wolf from the instinctive need to reclaim the ground he just ceded to this other alpha.

“I’ll talk to her,” he assured.

“Let her down gently,” Gage advised. “We’ll take care of the rest.”

What Gage didn’t know was that Shane had no intention of backing down from Kimberly. He never said he would. He said that Gage was right, she deserved better, and that he would talk to her. What Gage assumed from that was his own problem. Gage could puff up all he wanted. Shane wasn’t about to let anyone, not even Gage or Dominic, tell him what he could or couldn’t do with Kimberly. What they shared was none of their business.

What he had to decide was how to go forward. Kimberly clearly had some reservations. If she didn’t, she would have told him all of this long before it got this bad. She would have told him everything about Nathan, but she didn’t. She didn’t trust him. She kept secrets from him. He thought they were beyond that. If he couldn’t trust Kimberly to share her fears and past with him, how could he expect her to share anything else? What more would she hide from him? Could he trust her after all of this?

Once Shane laid eyes on her, he felt as if he could breathe again. Now, he was back to holding his breath, bracing for betrayal, for another fallout. Kimberly was supposed to be his peace, but all that felt gone now. Deep down, he knew they could reconcile. He just didn’t know how or when. He needed more time to process, more time to come to terms with their new situation.

Whenever they talked again, he had to do so carefully and with a clear head.