Page 12 of Rejecting his Mate

“You touch me again, and I’ll break your fingers.”It’s an empty threat. I would never be able to outmatch him in a game of strength.

Dalton doesn’t step toward me, but he does say, “I’m not going to ask you again. Where were you?”

“I was walking, Dalton. I wasn’t aware I need to check in with you every second of the day.”

He ignores my last words, focusing instead on the first part. “In the forest?”

He already knows where I go every day. I’ve never hidden what I’m doing or where I’m going. I’ve walked in those woods from the moment I came to pack lands. I’d been eight years old. The memory of driving up to the front of the house is my earliest one. Before that, it's all white noise and emptiness.

“Why ask if you know the answer?”

He snarls at me, and my stomach twists. He could hurt me if he chose to. “Once my father dies, you will be my alpha female, Halle. You need to stay with the pack. You can’t be wandering around alone.”

“Exactly. I will be alpha female. I’m not scared of being out there, and you shouldn’t be scared of me having freedom either.”

It’s the wrong thing to say. He grabs my throat, wrapping his fingers around it before shoving me back against the door so I’m facing him this time. He wants me to see his power and strength, so I understand my place. “Nothing scares me apart from losing you. You haven’t gone through the first moon ceremony yet. You can’t shift or protect yourself. Until we have pups, you need to be careful.”

There it is, the answer to my suspicions. He doesn’tcare about me. He just doesn’t want to lose my family name and bloodline. I would rather die than give him young ones.

For centuries, our kind have tried to mix the highest-ranking wolves together to ensure that purity. A pure bloodline seems to be the only thing anyone cares about in our world. ‘Different’ creates impure and dangerous creatures that can’t be controlled, hybrids that can’t shift, or, worse, who can and have no control over their animals.

The Beaufords can trace their lineage back to some of the first wolf shifters. Not all wolves can, and that makes us special.

This is why I was so coveted by Dalton and his father. Klaus wants to protect the future of this pack and Adeline doesn’t have pups. Her mate, from what I have heard, was killed a year into their pairing before she had her first heat cycle. She could have re-mated with any wolf she wanted, but I think Adeline is still in love with the mate she lost.

“You can’t expect me to stay locked up in the house. I’ll lose my mind.”

“That is the best place for you, Halle. There are plenty of rival packs who would just love to get their hands on my mate.” Dalton’s eyes are wild as he tightens his grip on my neck. “To use you against me.”

He isn’t wrong, but the Red Deer Pack is strong, with good alliances and a respected alpha. It’s unlikely any wolf would choose to snatch me from our territory while that is the case.

“Don’t pretend to care about my safety,” I snap.

His fingers are no longer gripping me, instead caressing the column of my throat in a move designed to feel sensual. Every swipe close to the claiming mark makes my skin tingle.

“Of course, I care,” he says, his voice soft now. “If I can’t take care of my mate, the pack won’t trust me to lead them.”

Ah, there it is—the real reason he wants me under lock and key at the house. He’s worried about his own reputation. I understand. Klaus’s shoes will be hard to fill when our alpha eventually passes over the pack to his son. Dalton doesn’t have the temperament or skill to walk a mile in them.

“Trust me to take care of myself.”

“With your safety, I trust no one.” The words sound sweet, possessive even, but the curl of his lips into a sneer tells me it’s neither of those things. Dalton is worried about losing face in front of our pack. “Once you go through the first moon ceremony, you will stay by my side. I won’t have you wandering off any longer. Especially with so many things out there that can harm you.”

He can’t know about my stalker in the trees. If he did, this conversation would go differently. Dalton isn’t one to share his toys, even if the wolf in the woods hasn’t done anything yet.

“I’m careful,” I promise as his nose nuzzles against my neck. It makes my skin crawl even as it heats me. The conflict between my biological drive and my emotions is exhausting.

“I need my mate where I can sense her. I can’t do that when you’re traipsing through the trees.”

Thankfully.

The thought of Dalton being in my head like fated mates can makes me want to puke. He would know my most secret thoughts, and I wouldn’t be able to hide my disdain for him. Nor would he be able to hide his either.

“Ah, there you are.” Adeline’s voice has Dalton stilling against my neck, but he doesn’t pull away. I have to push him back and step out from under him.

My aunt’s blond hair is swept up into a messy knot on the top of her head, and the lines at the side of her face that only come out when she’s smiling don’t appear as she takes in Dalton. My wolf growls, something she has always done in Adeline’s presence, though I don’t know why.

“I need Halle for a moment.” Without waiting for his agreement, Aunt Adeline grabs my wrist and pulls me into the house.

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