Chapter 55


    Chapter 55


    God, this is so frustrating. The words on the papers arepletely ineligible and it’s all I can do to look


    at them nkly. In the two hours I’ve spent in here, I’ve literally gotten no work done. Nada. All I can


    think about is Langdon’s


    he doesn’t care for the way I’m treating Winter but as the Beta, he needs to obey my will, even if he


    doesn’t want to. I ignore the guilt that’s eating inside of me that tells me I shouldn’t be treating a friend


    this way.


    Just go and talk to her. Stop being such a coward, my wolf growls in my head and I pointedly ignore


    him. He


    might have readily epted Winter as our mate, but I’m still hesitant. Besides, she was doing fine,


    wasn’t she? Langdon was probably exaggerating. Bastard that he is. It couldn’t really be that bad,


    could it? Now I’m hesitating and wondering if I should contact him again. Damnit.


    Oh god no. The familiar scent of a sickening perfume permeates through the air. She’s thest person I


    want to


    see right now. I’ve been avoiding her like the gue and readily handing my credit card over, in an


    attempt to avoid her as much as I possibly can. I brace myself as the door bursts open and shees


    sailing in. I stared at her in shock. What on earth is she thinking? Especially dressing like that? It’s


    beyond ridiculous. God, does she not look in


    the mirror?


    For once, instead of being turned on by her outfit, I felt repulsed by it instead. Candice has dressed


    herself in arge coat which she’s peeled off, to expose herself in a red racy baby doll and matching g-


    string and suspenders. Usually my c**k would twitch and I’d get all excited seeing her like that, knowing


    exactly what it is she’s after, even as my wolf blocked himself in my mind so he wouldn’t have to see or


    hear anything. Her hair is in curls down her back and she’s taken special care with her make-up as


    well. But it’s all too much, all too painfully obvious that she’s over trying it. Or had she been like this all


    the time and I just hadn’t noticed? Surely I wasn’t that blind? Was I?


    “Hello handsome” she purrs and I cringe. Her voice sounds sugary sweet andpletely fake to me.


    My Wolf is in full agreement. It’s also extremely annoying and whiney. It’s actually grating on my


    nerves.


    “Candice” I said shortly, “now is not a good time” | added, pointedly looking at her ensemble with


    disdain. Her face contorts into a shocked expression, before she hastily reces it with arge smile.


    All I want is for her to leave, before I say something I regret. Or do something. But she doesn’t seem to


    get the hint.


    “Don’t be like that” she breathes,ing around the back of my chair as I still, in stunned disbelief. She


    begins to massage my neck and I feel nothing but disgust at her touch, wanting to p her hand away


    from myself and barely holding back. My wolf wants to w her eyes out, but that’s nothing new. Me,


    feeling this way towards her, however, is. It’s also aplete shock.


    I ced my hands on top of hers and forced her to stop. She makes her way to the front of me as I turn


    in the chair to regard her, my eyes pitch ck as my wolfes dangerously close to the surface. For


    once he hasn’t blocked himself from me.


    Candice pouts at me, batting her eyshes dramatically. I’mpletely immune to her charms.


    “You need to leave” I say gruffly and she stiffens, her own eyes narrowing now, anger clearly visible on


    her face.


    “Why” she shoots out, her arms folded across her chest “why do I have to leave Kai? Tell me what’s


    going on” she pack! Even if she’s my girlfriend I won’t tolerate this disrespecting from her.


    “I’ve told you” I began furiously, still hoping to prevent myself from blowing over and losing it


    completely.


    “I’ve been by your side for almost a year or is it longer” she wails, “and in that time, you’ve never, once,,


    embarrassed me like this. I thought you loved me” she sniffles and I feel a pang of guilt. She’s right,


    this is the first time I’ve refused her. The first time I’ve felt this much disgust towards her.


    But then she provokes me further. “It’s that rogue isn’t it? The girl who came onto the territory and can’t


    speak? I’m not stupid, Alpha Kai” she mocks “I’ve heard the rumors and the gossip going around the


    pack and it says that


    you and her are mates!” She almost explodes as I sit silently in the chair. I should have known that


    nothing could be kept a secret in the pack. Winter’s identity and who she was, was bound to get out


    sooner thanter. But why has


    Candice waited until now to ask or say anything? How long has she known? Or had she just found out?


    “Winter is my mate”, I acknowledged heavily, and she looked taken aback for a moment, as though the


    news had truly shocked her. Or maybe it was because I had so readily told her the truth instead of lying


    to her face.


    “Reject her”


    “What?” I say, confused, and she leans into me, her lips close to my ears.


    “Reject her” she whispers, “let me be your Luna, Kai, I’m the one you love, not her, not that pathetic


    little weakling” she breathes, “reject her” she demands.


    I stand up and tower over her as she bites her lip, excitement in her eyes. “How dare you” I hiss as she


    pales. “Candice you were never going to be Luna, not now, not ever. I had no intentions of putting you


    in charge of my pack with me.”


    She pales. “But I thought” she begins to sob, a hand to her mouth, distressed “I thought that eventually”


    she trails off and goes silent as I shoot her a withering nce. She thought eventually I’d mark her and


    make her Luna of the pack? A pack that despises her? Not a chance!


    My head fills with an image of Winter, courtesy of my wolf who’s encouraging me, doing his bit to get


    me to let go of Candice. Her eyes are angry now. “I’ve wasted all this time on you” she screams, hands


    clenched into fists ” Do you know how hard it’s been to pretend to love someone who looks like you? To


    not cringe when I touch those scars of yours? I endured everything so I could be Luna” she, hissed and


    I closed my eyes. I should have known that was all she was after


    “Well it didn’t work out, did it” I say calmly as she continues to spit venom at me. “Leave Candice, at


    once. I’m


    afraid that we’re over,, done with. Stay out of the pack house and stay away from Winter, the girl who is


    my mate.”


    She drops her hands, looking defeated. “You’re going to ept her aren’t you” she whispers, her voice


    thick with emotion, “a little weakling is going to be Luna over me”. She begins tough hysterically and I


    firmly steer her towards the door, watching her body slump over as she walks through the doorway.


    She nces back at me, hatred in her eyes.


    “You have no idea what you’ve done” she tells me furiously. “I would have been a perfect Luna.”


    gave her the stink eye. “You would have been a terrible Luna. The pack hates you”, I say quietly, and


    she begins


    to sob, running wildly down the hallway as I flop back into my chair. Great, i’s not even nighttime yet


    and I want to curl up with a drink in my hand and forget everything that’s happened today.


    Teye the coat she’s left on the floor in her haste to get away. She has literally just run out wearing


    lingerie and my wolf isughing at her expense. I feel numb though, empty. Candice had imed to


    love me but had been pretending all this time. Her words washed over me and I flinch when I


    remember what she said about my scars and touching them. I’d just dodged a bullet and by a narrow


    escape from the looks of it.


    I scowl as Langdon enters the study, an amused expression on his face, his eyes twinkling with


    humour. “Was that Candice I just saw running away in lingerie?” he asks with a low whistle. I frown at


    him.


    “We broke up” I muttered, avoiding the delighted expression on his face. He’s never liked Candice and


    I knew it. I wasn’t in the mood for him to give me pretend titudes.


    “Sorry dude” he mutters and I just wave it away. My heart will heal. To be fair, it wasn’t really feeling


    that broken since Candice had spat out those insults at me. I was more angry than upset right now.


    Langdon causally sits on the chair opposite to me and folds his legs over, patiently waiting. I frown. I


    wasn’t expecting him for any meetings, so why was he here?


    “Something I can do for you” I say, disgruntled, and he leans forward, a tense expression on his face.


    “Sort of,” he hedges, “it’s to do with Winter” he adds, standing up and leaning against the doorway.


    “What is it?” I growled impatiently.


    “She’s in the dungeon, she’s now your problem. I need my space back and your her mate, not me, so


    deal with it” he says in a rush,ughing maniacally and racing down the hallway before I can digest his


    words properly. Once I do,


    poke my head out of the doorway and scream at the back of him. “You put her in the dungeon, you’re


    supposed to be looking after her. I’ll have your head for this”, I threatened as he ran out on to the


    grounds. f**k. Another problem! would need to deal with. I was going to kill Langdon when I got my


    hands on him. Then again, I muse to myself, maybe Langdon has done me a favour after all.