Page 81 of My Grumpy Alpha

“They don’t want me.”

“I’ll always want you,” I whisper.

“No. You’re leaving too.”

“We’re all leaving.”

He frowns at me, tears staining his cheeks.

“Where will we go?”

"Some families.” I squeeze his hand.

“Some will take us in, we don’t have an Alpha anymore, we can’t stay here.”

"Why doesn’t someone step up?” he asks.

“Why not?”

The girl, I guess me, answers, “You’re born an Alpha, not made, and there are rumors, really weird rumors about the next Alpha being different. They’re scared, so we should be scared too, right? We should just listen and go.”

"I don’t want to.” He shakes his head.

“I want to stay with my best friend.”

“You called me your best friend.”

Tears stream down his cheeks.

“I won’t forget you. I promise. Blood oath?”

I laugh.

“Blood oath? Isn’t that forbidden?”

He turns to me.

“So when I see you again, I’ll be all yours. And you’ll know you’re mine. So when I hold your hand, I’ll remember the forest, and the rain, and remember my family even though they’re gone. Blood oath?”

I can’t say no.

I hold out my palm.

He grabs his dagger and digs into the very center, like the eye of the storm, then does the same to his own.

We press our palms together.

He smiles.

“For when I see you again.”

"For when I see you again.” I repeat.

Our blood mixes as we hold hands.

And that’s it.

The boy I left behind.