Page 22 of Rejecting his Mate

I stumble off the bench, away from Klaus. He feels like a stranger as his eyes appraise me. “I hate it has to come to this,” he says, going back to the rail where he balanced his mug.

I doubt he cares at all.

He picks it up and keeps drinking his coffee as if he hasn’t just stripped me of everything that makes me who I am.

“What about Dalton?” I ask, not that I care, but we are mated.

“Well, that’s an issue I gotta figure out.”

Figure out what? As far as I know, the only way to end a mating bond is for one mate to die.

Run.

My wolf urges me to go, and I listen. I push up fromthe bench and rush down the porch steps. Klaus calls after me, but I ignore him. He could easily catch me, even in his human form, but he doesn’t come after me.

I want to run, to escape from the emotions attacking me with each step. I feel like someone has their hands around my neck as I run, trying to end my life. I know it’s in my head, but I can’t stop it.

I can’t go back.

If I do, it is only a matter of time before they end my life. I don’t want to die.

I run until my lungs burn, and my legs too. Exhaustion forces me to stop and catch my breath.

Leaning against a tree, I bend over, trying to suck in lungfuls of air.

Glancing behind me, I try to make sure I’m not being followed. It’s darker under the canopy of leaves, and the pain and anxiety that had been clinging to me loosen their grip as I take in the scents of the trees, the mulch under my feet, and the leaves rotting on the ground.

This is where I feel most at home—out here in the wild.

I let my feet find the right direction as I walk, emptying my brain in the process. There’s no failed shifting, no angry mate, and no pissed pack out here. There’s just me, nature, and peace.

Klaus wants me gone, and while I understand it, I won’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. This is my family, or it was. It’s all I’ve known.

Maybe Adeline knows of other family members Ican go to. There must be other Beaufords, assuming they would even take me in.

But what about Adeline?

My stomach clenches at the thought of leaving her behind, but what choice is there? I don’t know how Klaus plans on removing the mating bond, but I don’t think it will be as easy as the pack bond, or he would have done it already. I’m not willing to be a guinea pig, even if it means being tethered to that asshole forever.

I pause and look around me, trying to get my bearings while realizing I have no idea where the hell I am. I’ve never walked this far.

The trees are packed here, making it hard to see anything but rows of bark and trunks. Something tickles at my awareness.

I suck in a breath through my nose, and that’s when I scent him.

My stalker.

I twist and spot red eyes in the undergrowth beside me. A strange sense of relief washes over me that he’s here. I don’t know why, but I feel safe in his presence.

“Are you broken too?” I ask him with a watery smile. “Is that why you’re out here, stalking me?”

There’s no movement from his position, not that I expected any. I wander over to a fallen tree trunk and check it’s safe with my foot. When the wood doesn’t break or rot, I sit.

Leaning forward, I clasp my hands between my parted thighs and close my eyes.

I reach out to my wolf, but she is as lost as I am. Shewants me to let her free, begs for it, and I hate that I can’t oblige.

Movement has my eyes snapping open. The black wolf is standing in front of me, his mouth soft and relaxed, his gaze locked on me. “I’m in a situation,” I say softly.

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