Bay

"So what's up?" I asked, trying to lighten the heavy silence. I clasped my hands to stop them from showing my nervousness.

"I know." His voice was serious and somber as he studied me.

"Know what?" I asked, feigning ignorance. I knew what he was talking about but I didn't want to accept that Flynn and I had been obvious enough for someone to realize why we couldn't seem to keep away from each other.

Kyle was my friend but ultimately he was my alpha whom I couldn't technically lie to if he asked me outright. The only way to get around that would be to leave the pack, severing the connection to the alpha.

He let out a deep sigh before he massaged the side of his one temple with his fingers.

His hand dropped before his eyes met mine. I could read his inner thoughts in his eyes. There was no mistaking the sadness in them. I steeled myself against the emotion. I wouldn't allow anyone to look at me with pity.

"There was too much going on before for me to realize what was happening but I should have seen it sooner," he began to say in a heavy voice.

"How?" I whispered, still not wanting to admit it out loud.

Had it been that obvious from the start? How many had figured it out already? I kept my features schooled because I wasn't ready to confirm anything.

"The whole birthmark thing and the way you two seem drawn to each other."

He wasn't asking me if Flynn was my mate, he already knew he was.

I hadn't even had enough time to figure it out for myself and I wasn't ready to open up to him, so I kept quiet.

He studied me but I refused to confirm or deny it.

"When did you figure it out?" he asked when he sat down behind his desk and leaned back in his chair, watching me.

I bit my lip before I sank down in the closest seat. "When I was told he had killed Travis."

He nodded. "It's the only way to explain why he changed so suddenly."

"How many people know?" I asked, not really wanting to know.

I wanted to believe that it was only three of us, including Flynn and me.

"I think Crystal suspects but no one else has voiced anything."

It gave me some relief.

"You deserve better," he said, and I felt a tightness in my throat.

"It is what it is." I shrugged, trying to hide how devastated I was over it.

"I'd always hoped your mate would give you the love you deserved." His words made me tear up but I refused to cry.

"Well, that's not going to happen," I said in a whisper, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"Unfortunately we'll have to deal with his presence." He stood up again and walked around to lean against the desk.

I nodded, taking a breath to keep my emotions from bubbling over.

"I think it's best if you keep your distance from him," he suggested softly. And then in a more steely voice, he said, "I want you to stay away from him."

I frowned when I felt the alpha force of his words. The only way to disobey his instruction would be to break away from the pack and become a rogue, a loner.

"Why?" I asked, swallowing. I had already decided that I would not seek Flynn out but the way Kyle was making decisions about my life without asking got my back up and made me feel betrayed. I didn't like it one bit.

"To protect you as well as the rest of the pack," he explained, but it did nothing to soothe the hurt I was feeling that he hadn't even asked me first.

Why did he feel the need to use the power of his alpha to ensure I couldn't go against his instruction? Did he believe I would be too weak and I would eventually give in?

"You don't think I'm strong enough," I whispered, rising up out of the chair.

"No, it's not that," Kyle answered with a slight shake of his head. "You're one of the strongest people I know. But I know how powerful the pull is to your mate."

I had felt it already, I knew how difficult it was to fight.

"I don't like having my free will taken away from me." I lifted my chin defiantly, making it clear I wasn't happy with him.

"Being an alpha isn't easy," he explained, not rising to my challenge. "I have to make decisions that people may not understand. But I would never make a decision like this lightly."

I pressed my lips into a thin line. His words did nothing to ease the anger I felt. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was making this decision more for Crystal's safety than my own and that was hard to swallow.

"Well, thanks for making those difficult decisions," I snapped, deciding to leave before I said something that would rile him up and make the situation worse.

He was my brother's best friend, and I had grown up with him, but that would only give me a certain amount of leeway.

"Bay," he called when I reached the door. I paused for a moment before I looked back at him.

"Don't go against me on this one." There was a stark warning in his gray eyes, reminding me that he was still my alpha.

I bit my tongue and left without saying another word. With each stride closer to my room, my anger built. By the time I got inside my room, I wanted to throw something. I picked up a nearby photo frame with a picture of me with Kyle and my brother. Before I even realized what I had done, it shattered against the wall.

There was an unexpected knock. I looked at the door, still struggling to breathe. Had someone heard me break the picture?

"You okay in there?" It was the familiar voice of Dean.

I put my hand to my chest as I inhaled a breath to try and calm myself.

"Bay?" he prompted when I didn't immediately answer.

If I didn't answer he would probably break the door down. I had no choice but to acknowledge I was there.

"I'm fine, Dean," I said, walking over to the door.

"It sounded like something broke?" he questioned further.

I looked down at the small pieces of glass littering the carpet by the wall. And there was a small indent in the wall. It would be better to offer an excuse so I didn't have to let him in.

"I knocked something over."

He quieted and I hoped it would be enough for him to be appeased.

"Let me in, Bay," he insisted. The seriousness in his voice made it clear he wasn't going to just go away.

I let out a frustrated sigh before opening the door and holding it open.

His eyes swept over me first before they looked past me to the broken frame on the floor. Mrs. Rose walked by, watching the exchange.

"Come in," I told him so we didn't have to have the conversation in front of people.

He walked in and I shut the door. He bent down to pick up the pieces.

"I can get it," I insisted, picking up a couple of the larger pieces and putting them in the trash.

"You going to tell me what happened?" he asked, stopping to arch an eyebrow at me. He held a handful of sharp pieces of glass in his large hand.

"I was trying to find an outlet for my temper," I admitted.

He smiled as he surveyed the mess. "You must have quite a temper."

Unexpectedly, I smiled. "I do."

I had tried countless times to deal with my quick temper but I had yet to find a way to channel it into something constructive. Usually it ended up with me making decisions that weren't thought out well or were just plain destructive.

"So what set you off?" he asked while he continued to clean up.

I stilled, deciding whether he was someone I could open up to. I didn't have a lot of close friends. My brother and Kyle had been the closest I'd had to close confidants.

Breaking the rules within a pack wasn't something werewolves liked to do, which made me a loner within my pack.

It was sad that with so many people around I still felt like I was alone in the world. An image of Flynn appeared in my mind, reminding me that my mate didn't even want me.