Page 19 of Forsaking His Mate

He doesn’t care that I don’t want a mate.

He doesn’t care about the danger we would subject her to by making her ours.

My wolf is driven by need. I’m struggling to deny it, too.

My body itches to go to her and tell her I made a mistake, but I can’t. I rush toward the front door instead, needing to get the fuck out of here.I’d thought she was Roux from behind. She has that same dark hair streaked with white, but her scent was different. It nearly drove me to the edge.

“I heard screaming.” Hester’s voice has me twisting around.

I’m so on edge I didn’t even sense or scent her presence. She’s coming down the stairs, tying her robe around her body as she moves. Her hair is in disarray, but her eyes are alert and sharp.

I lift my hand, pointing toward the kitchen, but the words stick in my throat. My body is trembling, every inch of my skin on fire.

“Who screamed?” she presses when I don’t offer anything.

“I… I need to leave.” I move toward the door again, but Hester is quick on her feet and stops in front of me, placing her hand over the door to stop me from opening it.

“Abel? What happened?”

I want to ignore her and keep running, but Hester has been good to me and I hold too much regard for her to disrespect her. “The girl in the kitchen…”

“The girl?”She glances in that direction and sniffs the air.“Tessa? What about her?”

Before I can answer, the kitchen door opens, and Tessa is leaning against the frame, her eyes wide, tears streaming down her face.

Tessa.

A pretty name for a pretty wolf, and she is pretty. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a way that shouldn’t be attractive, but my cock is standing to attention. She has piercing green eyes that remind me of the emeralds, but they are wary and filled with pain.

She’s petite for a wolf, but I can scent she’s not entirely one of us. She’s like the other women Hester has here.

She’s tau.

Judging from the way she tried and failed to shift, a latent one.

Hester glances between us and I know she’s wondering what the hell is going on.

My head swims as I try to drag my gaze from Tessa’s tear-streaked face. Fuck, I want to go to my mate.

Claim her.

No. I shake my head. “Stay the fuck away from me,” I hiss, pointing in Tessa’s direction.

I don’t miss the ripple of agony and fuck, I want to take it back, but I’m too engrossed in my own emotions to do that.

“Abel!” Hester grabs my arm before I can get to the door. I don’t shrug her off, knowing my strength makes it likely I’ll hurt her, but I don’t let her stop me either.

“Let me go,” I growl.

She does and I storm out of the house. I can feel Tessa everywhere, and my wolf is screaming at me to go back. I ruthlessly push his voice aside and rush around the back of the house toward my cabin.

Roux is sitting on her porch, a mug clutchedbetween her hands as I pass. Her dark hair is streaked with white, even though she isn’t old. Moon touched, we all joke. It reminds me of the little wolf in the kitchen, the one who mine wants to claim.

She stands as I speed past her, calling my name, but I ignore her, rushing up the steps to my porch and into my cabin.

I want to shift and run as my wolf, but I don’t dare give him control when Tessa is this close to me. Instead, I sag against the door and try to calm my racing heart. This is what I always feared would happen.

I ran away from everything I knew to find peace with what I am, to stop it from consuming me. Hester gives me that; she keeps me controlled and stops me from sliding into the darkness that has cursed all the males in my family.

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