I'm the Alpha's Crush

Chapter 47

Nerves on high alert, I stood on the sidelines, watching the tug-of-war before me.

A literal tug-of-war.

Two packs, one from Maine and one from Rhode Island, were facing off in the open field where they'd held the flag football tournament and the bonfire the night prior.

For the thousandth time, I wondered what the organizers had against relaxation.

We were up next - clad in battered athletic wear after the initial events of the Pack Olympics. Malcolm was rallying our packmates' spirits, and I was scanning over the crowd, looking for him.

My breathing was shallow, bordering on panicked as I thought about the damage he could inflict by opening his mouth.

What are you going to do if you find him? Confront him? What would you even say?

Inhaling through my nose, I searched for his scent but found nothing.

Maybe he's sitting this event out.

A hesitant hope flowered in my chest.

Just a little longer. Can I just have a little more time before it all comes crumbling down?

Glancing over toward Malcolm, I watched as he joked with some of our older members, his severe expression softening as he laughed.

Just a little longer...

I wasn't aware of anyone behind me until I felt the tap on my shoulder.

Startled, I almost jumped out of my skin, barely containing a yelp as I turned.

Kayleigh stood behind me.

"Oh, uh, hi?"

Tucking some hair behind her ear, she replied, "Sorry. Um..." her eyes darted to Malcolm, then back to me, "can we talk?"

"Sure."

"Privately?"

"Of course."

Leading me a little way away from our group, Kayleigh faced me, swallowing hard and staying silent for several seconds.

Deciding to break the ice, I said, "Are you feeling better? It looks like your stings have healed." The last time I'd seen her, her face had been an angry shade of red spotted with welts.

"Yeah. That's actually kind of why I wanted to speak to you."

"Oh?"

"I-" she licked her lips, "I need to apologize. I was acting like a total brat and there's no excuse for it."

"Hey-"

"And don't try to spare my ego by pretending that it wasn't that bad - I was being a little shit, and we both know it."

She's not wrong.

"Can I ask; why were you acting like that?"

Pressing her mouth into a thin line, Kayleigh answered, "I just... this Meeting was supposed to be my chance to be someone new - to set aside the girl I was at home and try to be different."

"Why do you want to be someone different?"

"I-" she sighed, "I kind of had this realization a while ago that I don't-" taking a deep breath, she continued, "I don't actually like myself much."

That hits a little too close to home.

"Why not?"

"I spent so much time trying to fit in with the girls in my pack that I-" she shook her head, "I lost sight of who I was."