Page 116 of Rejecting his Mate

I peer up at him, hoping he can see how insanely besotted I am with him already. “Everything okay?” he asks.

I nod, and he dips his head to press his mouth to mine as if he has been waiting for dinner to end to do it. I melt against him, my body molding to his. I fit perfectly in his arms, and I understand why fated mates believe they are created to be with each other.

When he pulls back, I let myself get lost in his eyes for a moment before he takes my hand, and together we make our way out of the back door toward our cabin.

The lights twinkle in the darkness, shadows crowding behind the buildings as we make our way down the path that leads to the cabins. Lights are on in Roux’s cabin, and I wonder how she can resist Sawyer if she is his true mate. There is nothing that could stop the pull I have toward Cade.

As we pass the cabins to the right, I scent Wyatt before I see him. He is sitting in the dark on the porch of one set back from all the others. Cade senses him at the same time, changing direction and wandering up the path toward the building.

“You’re back.” It’s an obvious thing to state, butneither Cade nor Wyatt pull me up on it. “Did you bring Sawyer back?”

“Yep.”

“Is he okay?” I press.

“Nope.”

I scowl at him in the dark. Some of the light reaches this far, casting shadows across his face. It’s then I notice the bruise on his jaw. At least, I think it is a bruise. The entire bottom part of his face looks black.

I suck in a breath. “Did Sawyer do that to you?”

He doesn’t answer, and Cade speaks. “Did he?”

Wyatt leans back on the bench he is sitting on. “Your brother has quite the temper when he is pushed into a corner.”

That image does not fit with the Sawyer I have come to know. Then again, I don’t know that I blame him. If Cade had rejected me the same way Roux rejected Sawyer, I think I would be angry too.

“Where is he?” Cade growls.

“Leave it alone,” Wyatt says. “He didn’t mean it. He’s not exactly thinking straight right now.”

“That’s not the point.”

I agree with Cade. Wyatt hasn’t been my greatest fan, but he doesn’t deserve to get sucker punched trying to protect his cousin. “He shouldn’t have hit you.”

“I would have hit me too,” Wyatt admits. “He doesn’t want to be reasoned with. He’s hurt, he’s angry, and he’s confused.”

Cade huffs. “Did you see anything suspicious while you were out there?”

Wyatt shakes his head. “I didn’t scent or see anything.”

That information relaxes Cade almost as much as it does me. It’s hard not to imagine hunters gathered around the perimeter of the wards, waiting for a weak moment to strike. I don’t want to think that, but I do anyway.

“Anything changes, you find us.”

Wyatt makes a sound of agreement in the back of his throat, and Cade gives me a little tug to get me moving again.

Our cabin seems lonely down here, even though we have Tessa and Abel next door. Cade unlocks the door and pushes inside. It is warm in here, chasing away the chill that hangs in the air. It’s not quite winter yet, but it is certainly cooler here than it had been back home.

However, the shiver that runs through me has nothing to do with the weather. I feel as if we are on a chessboard, and the pieces are being moved around us. I don’t know how to protect those I care about from whatever is coming.

I watch Cade as he sinks onto the edge of the couch and undoes his boots. As he slips out of them, I remove my own sneakers, leaving them by the door. He gestures for me to come to him, and I obey. When I’m standing in front of him, he pulls me into his lap, his arms banding around me. I lean my head against his shoulder, soaking in him. “I feel so bad for Sawyer.”

“You have a good heart,” Cade says, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “Things with my brother will work out because his little tau wolf will not be able to resistthe pull of the mating bond for long. There’s nothing I could have done to stop myself from having you.”

Warmth spreads through my chest. It is the same thought I have had myself, but it feels good knowing he is on the same page. He collars the back of my neck, his fingers kneading my nape. It feels so good, releasing the tension that has built in my muscles. “I understand her hesitancy if she has been hurt before, but Sawyer is not like that. He would never hurt his mate.”

Cade tightens his grip on me. “I don’t want to talk about my brother while I have my mate in my arms.”

---