Page 7 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

"Yes, but what does that entail really?"

"Paperwork, events, saving lives, everything you see on TV. You still watch TV, right?"

I almost smirked at his sarcasm but held it in, and April frowned.

"And here? Why did you land here?"

"I just did," he said, with a shrug, pulling some eggs out of the fridge. "I looked for a place to settle, and I landed here. I found a simple job at a grocery store while I went to school. I was quickly drawn to the fire station soon after."

April took another sip of her coffee, and Cayden glanced at me. I felt that shock roll over my body, and I felt the need to get closer to him. I dug my nails into my skin and bit hard on my cheek.

April shook her head. "So, have you found your mate yet then? Maybe that drew you here."

It felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. I caught the way Cayden glanced at me ever so quickly before looking back at his sister. A secret we both never spoke of.

We never spoke about it, but we knew. We made enough eye contact to understand what it meant. And when he looked away so quickly, I knew he wasn't going to accept me.

He'd rejected me before. There was no need for me to think he would change his mind.

"No, I've not."

"Pity," April said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Cayden sighed. "Is my sweet loving sister going to be making an appearance anytime soon? Because this twisted, bitchy one is kind of a pain in my ass."

April growled low, a warning that he was pushing her button. But Cayden didn't seem to care. He cracked a few eggs onto the pan and glanced back at us.

"Don't," she snapped at him.

"Don't what?" he pushed back. "Ask questions so I can get to know my sister. Don't try to understand why she showed upat my front door after not seeing me for eight years. Don't what exactly?"

"Don't expect me to just open my arms and spill my life on you."

"You came to my apartment," he said plainly. "Remember that. So, why are you here?"

"I told you a vacation."

"And I'm not buying it," he snapped back, his words coming out short, and even April shrank a little in her chair. "I love that you're here, but if you have something you need to tell me, tell me, April. Don't come here and yell at me about how crappy of a person I am because I made a good decision for myself."

I had always wondered why he left. No one really said. Even April didn't know. When she told me he decided randomly, I could tell there was more to the story, but she didn't know the rest.

April curled her hands into fists. "A decision you didn't even think to ask what my thoughts about it were. You just left. You didn't even bother to stay. You didn't even try."

Cayden tossed the eggs onto a couple of plates and grabbed them onto the counter. "I don't have to explain myself to you. I made a decision that was right for me."

"And you left me alone!"

"Because the pack thinks a certain way!" Cayden growled back, and the entire room went quiet. "Excuse me if my mindsets don't…." he stopped, not finishing the sentence.

"Don't what?" April asked.

Cayden worked his jaw and leaned back. "The pack has always looked at women for breeding." He glanced at me and then back at April. Neither of us could argue that view because it was true. They did.

Women were pushed to marry early to have children. The pack was growing smaller each year, and their eagerness about marriage only increased.

"I didn't want to stay in a pack that views its woman as things rather than people," he stated. He sighed and looked at his phone. "I made you guys eggs. I apologize for not making pancakes, but I need to get to work."

He pushed the plates towards us before he hurried and grabbed his jacket and keys. "Message me what your plan is," he said, stopping in the doorway. He stared at us for a moment before he slipped out and shut the door.

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