Katherine turned to look at him. She didn't look happy. Instead, she looked rather pissed. "Who's Davina?"
"My aunt," he said calmly, watching her. She was rather tense now, and closed off, he noticed.
"And whose baby was that?" Her voice was calm too, much too calm for his liking, especially when he could plainly hear her anger and jealousy.
"She's mine."
He saw her eyes widen in shock. "You have a baby? A pup?"
Zander nodded. "She's six months old."
Katherine scoffed and turned away from him. "And I suppose you expect me to raise her, don't you?"
Zander felt his heart drop. "She's my pup. I'm her father. You're my mate."
"What about her mother? Can't she raise her?" Katherine asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked back at him. "I suppose you got some random girl at your pack pregnant? Are you a playboy, Zander? Do you sleep with all the girls there? If I came back to your pack, how would I be treated? Would those girls be hateful towards me because I'm your mate? Is this girl you got pregnant your girlfriend? Is she still your girlfriend? How's she going to like having me replace her?"
Zander stared at her, trying to follow the list of questions she'd thrown at him. She sounded jealous and he didn't like the accusations she was throwing his way. She seemed to have already made up her mind about him even though she knew nothing about him, and that was frustrating. He didn't even know where to start, she'd asked so many questions. "Her mother is not a member of my pack and she's not my girlfriend. I don't appreciate the accusations, Katherine." He'd leave it at that for now.
"Well it doesn't matter anyway because I'm supposed to be the next Alpha of this pack! I expect you to leave your pack and join mine, to support me and give me pups! I don't need an illegitimate pup threatening my own! My eldest will be the next Alpha of this pack, not your little bastard," she practically shouted at him.
Zander's lips parted in shock, and he gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists. He was very close to wrapping them around her neck. "First of all, my daughter is staying with me. No one else is raising her. If you don't want to, fine. Second, you're not willing to compromise on anything. You just expect me to join your pack even though your rank is below mine. You haven't even given me a chance to discuss it with you. But the part about my daughter is a hard no. I will not let someone else raise her, including her mother." He stepped closer to her and for the first time, let his aura free. "And Katherine, if you ever call my daughter a bastard again, I will do more than just let you feel my aura."
Her mouth dropped open in shock, and she released her own, but with much more force than he had. "But, I'm your mate! I'm an Alpha!"
"So am I," he growled at her, trying to keep a tight rein on his control.
She rolled her eyes at him. "You're not even a Remington."
Zander breathed out slowly, pulling his aura back in. He tipped his head sideways. "Does it matter?"
"Apparently not." She sighed softly. "This isn't going to work, is it."
Zander knew it wasn't. She wasn't willing to give an inch and he couldn't. "You're right. I'm sorry, Katherine."
She nodded, and her gaze turned steely. "Do it, before I do it myself."
He huffed out a small sigh. "I, Zander Remington Beckham, Alpha Prince of all werewolves, reject you, Katherine Lopez, future Alpha of Buckeye Pack, as my mate." He grunted as a sharp pain hit him, though he kept his gaze on her.
Her eyes widened at the use of his full name and she closed her eyes for a second then opened them again, a pained look on her face. "I, Katherine Lopez, accept your rejection." She said it hoarsely, and then turned away from him.
The pain grew much more intense as the bond was severed and he gritted his teeth, feeling for a brief moment like his heart was being painfully squeezed. He stared at her back for a long moment, watching her shoulders shake, though he no longer felt the need to confront her. He then turned and walked out of the room, leaving her to break down if she needed to in privacy. He was pretty sure she was falling apart and he needed to get out of that room that suddenly felt way too small. Dad?
Hey. What's going on? Have you got everything worked out?
Worked out. That was laughable. I'm ready to leave. Are you done? I'm going to be outside. He needed to get out of this pack house.
What about Katherine?
It's complicated. I'll tell you on the flight back, but I really need to get home as quickly as possible. Darcy is not happy that I'm gone. Zander stepped outside, closing the door behind him, and stopped to take several deep breaths. He almost felt like he couldn't breath for a moment there.
Okay. Let me talk to Alpha Jackson and I'll meet you outside.
It took about ten minutes before both Dimitri and Alpha Jackson joined him, and they got in the SUV and headed back to the plane. Jackson seemed like his usual self, and Zander had a feeling the man had no idea his daughter had just rejected her fated mate. He couldn't totally blame her either, but at the same time, he had to do what was best for him and Darcy.
It was another twenty minutes before the plane was ready to take off, and Zander paced the floor while Dimitri talked to the pilots. He couldn't get home soon enough. All he could think about was Darcy right now, and ignore the way he almost felt like he was suffocating and how badly his heart was aching.
Dimitri finally walked into the back and sat down. "We're taking off here in a couple of minutes."
Zander nodded and sat down. He felt off now, the pain from the rejection still strong in him. He felt like shit and wanted to just go home and sleep, even though he knew Darcy would need to be his first priority. He needed to focus on her and not his own problems.
"What happened with Katherine?" Dimitri asked him once the plane took off.
Zander looked up at him. "I rejected her." It sounded so simple and didn't even begin to describe the pain he was feeling.
Dimitri's eyebrows shot up. "Why?"
"She wanted me to leave the pack and join hers. She still intended to be the Alpha, which I can understand, and would have discussed with her, but the moment she found out about Darcy, she refused to raise her," Zander said quietly. He still wanted to throttle her for what she'd said. He had a feeling Katherine would have never treated Darcy the same as her own pups. And hopefully he wouldn't have been blind to it. He was glad he'd seen what he'd seen early on.
"Seriously/"
Zander nodded.
"You probably did what was best even though it hurts like hell now. It would have caused problems on down the road," Dimitri said quietly.
Zander could agree with that, if he thought about it rationally. He didn't know Katherine well enough to know how she could be, but he also wouldn't tolerate anyone mistreating Darcy.
He pulled out his phone and shot a text to his mother, letting her know they were on their way back. The flight would be quick and he was glad. All he wanted to do was hold his pup and make sure she was okay. "She's my first priority. Before a mate."
"I know," Dimitri said quietly. "And she has to be. She's also completely adorable."
Zander smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. Darcy would always be his first priority, and if he had to choose her over a mate, then so be it. He would do that. It would be just him and her. He sighed softly. He would always pick her first, even if it meant he'd be single for the rest of his life. Then so be it.
