Page 135 of Rejecting his Mate

“She stayed the night in Laurel Falls. She should be here within the hour.”

“Drink your coffee, and we’ll make our way up to the entrance.”

We don’t rush, but we don’t linger either. Once we’re finished, we both pull on our boots and jackets for the short walk to the house.

I slip my hand into Halle’s as we walk through the snow, feeling it crunching underneath our feet. We pass by the main house, making our way up the drive toward the entrance gate.

When we reach it, there is a car idling on the other side, where Halle tells me the wards end. The car door opens, and a blonde woman steps out.

I can see similarities between her and Halle, enough for an outsider to tell they are family. But this woman has a hardness my little mate does not. She pulls her coat around her as she walks toward the gate, stopping before it. I sense Adeline is nervous, especially in the way she struggles to meet Halle’s eyes.

“Hey,” Adeline says.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Halle gives her a small smile. “I was worried Klaus and the pack might have hurt you after what happened.”

Adeline shifts her shoulders. “I was more worried about you. You look safe and well.” Her gaze slides toward me, a wariness in her eyes as she takes me in. “Is this your mate?”

Halle nods, tightening her grip around my fingers. “This is Cade.”

I don’t offer any pleasantries, mainly because I’m struggling with the idea of being pleasant to this female.

“And—Dalton?” She asks this question hesitantly as if she’s afraid of my reaction. I bare my teeth at her, not wanting to hear that son of a bitch’s name.

“He’s dead.”

Adeline takes this in without any reaction. “Right.”

“Why did you do it?” Halle demands. I can tell she’s trying to be strong, but her voice wavers a little. I squeeze her hand tighter, letting her know I am here.

“Do what?”

“I remember Delphine, the witch you took me to, who erased all my memories and bound my powers.”

I don’t miss it when her aunt flinches. “I never wanted to hurt you, Halle. You have to understand my position. Your mother called me out of the blue, telling me that you were both in danger. When I got there, I expected to help her with accommodation or maybe money. But she wanted me to take you.”

“And you didn’t want to.”

She winces. “I mistrusted and disliked Kinsley. I blamed her for my brother dying, and I wasn’t ready to let go of that anger.”

“So, you punished me by removing all traces of everything I ever knew?” The words are tight, the fury palpable.

“No. Shit, no.” Adeline swallows hard. “I knew what your mother was, and I had already lost my brother because of that. You were a child, Halle, but thosehunters would have come for you anyway. I knew you wouldn’t be safe out there with your magic unbound.”

“You could have bound me without taking my memories.”

“And risk you slipping up and accidentally talking about it? I questioned my decision to take those things from you every minute of every day. In the end, all I knew was that you were happy, healthy, and safe. Do you think you would have reached twenty-one if I hadn’t done what I did?”

“You lied to her about everything in her life,” I interject. I told myself I would keep my silence and allow Halle to lead the conversation, but I can’t sit here and listen to her explain the unforgivable.

“I know. And I would do it again if given the same choice.”

“They captured my mom,” Halle tells her.

Adeline’s expression drops, and I see sincere pain there. “I’m sorry. I never knew what happened to Kinsley, but I assumed they had killed her.”

The laugh Halle lets out is dark and derisive. “Oh, they didn’t kill her. They kept her.”

“Kept her? For what purpose?”

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