Page 23 of Rejecting his Mate

I’m not sure why I tell him this. What can he do anyway?

“I had my first moon ceremony, and it… uh… it didn’t exactly go according to plan.” I wince as the pain of that evening floods my mind. The agony of trying and failing to shift was nothing compared to the way my pack shunned me after. The rejection gored me.

The wolf doesn’t move, just keeps staring at me. “Why do you watch me?” I demand, getting annoyed. “Shift into human form so we can at least talk.”

He makes no move to do that. I blow out a frustrated breath. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” I mutter, picking at the leaves of the bush next to me. “I’m leaving. I can’t stay. They hate me, and I won’t make things hard for my aunt.”

His head tilts slightly to the side before he pads closer to me. I freeze as his nose snuffles my arm before lifting to sniff the claiming mark on my neck. The low growl that sounds in the back of his throat makes me tense. I don’t think he will hurt me, or I hope he won’t, but he sounds pissed.

The wolf pulls back, those red eyes pinning me in place. I meet his gaze, unsure of what he wants or what he’s doing.

Slowly, I reach my hand out to him, watching himcarefully as I thread my fingers through the fur on his flank. I feel him stiffen a little under my hand, but he doesn’t pull away, nor does he stop looking at me.

A little more confident that he’s not going to bite me, I move my hand to his neck and stroke him there. “You’re not that scary, are you?” That earns me a growl, making me snigger, but it's short-lived as my chest tightens again. “You’re one of the few not trying to hurt me.”

The wolf lifts his muzzle and then turns, escaping through the trees.

I stare after him, feeling the sting of rejection from him too. I have no idea where I’m going to go, but I should start walking before it gets dark. I’ve never left the pack territory; I have no idea what direction to go.

I sit there, my thoughts in turmoil, cold seeping into my bones, wondering what Klaus will tell Adeline. I hate that I’m not going to be able to say goodbye to her.

My claiming mark tingles suddenly, the only warning I get before Dalton steps out of the trees.

I stand in one swift motion, ready for the fight I can sense coming. He’ll hurt me, I know, but if he thinks I’m going to make this easy for him…

He crosses the space between us, and I throw a punch, smashing my knuckles off his cheek. His head barely moves, as if he doesn’t feel it. Instead, he grabs me by the throat. His grip is solid, an iron band around me, and the air lodges beneath his hold. I scratch at his hand, at his arm, trying to move him, but he’s too strong.

“Let go,” I croak out.

He doesn’t. He gets in my face instead. “Not only are you a defective bitch, you’re also disloyal.” He sticks his nose against my neck, near the claiming mark, and sucks in a noseful of air. “I can smell him on you. Is that why you’re always out here? Are you fucking another wolf? How long have you been making a fool of me, Halle?”

I shake my head. “I’m… not. He’s—”

His grip tightens, and my words are cut off when I can’t breathe. “You prissy little bitch. You always thought this arrangement was beneath you.”

I shake my head again, the only thing I’m able to do. My vision is clouding, and I’m starting to feel light-headed. All I can feel through the mating bond is hate. I try to push my panic back at him, hoping some part of him might listen.

“How many times have you let him touch you?” he bellows.

I want to explain, but nothing other than grunts and moans escape as I try to breathe past his hold.

Dark spots are spilling into my peripheral vision, making it hard to focus.

Just as I’m fading, he releases me with a shove. I stumble back, hitting the leafy forest floor hard enough to wind me for a moment. I scrabble back on my ass, putting some distance between us while I suck in lungfuls of air.

Dalton paces in front of me, tearing his fingers through his hair. The tension radiating off him scares me.

My chest is in agony, and every breath hurts. I rub atmy throat, the claiming mark rough under my fingers, making me wish I could cut it off.

“I haven’t done anything. Fuck you, Dalton,” I hiss, or try to. My voice is croaky and raw.

“Fuck me? You’re the one who is broken, not me. What the hell do you bring to this mating, Halle? You can’t shift, you can’t fight me. Now I find out you’re sneaking around behind my back with another wolf. You’re useless. How do I even know if you can have pups? It’s been six months since we claimed one another, and you still haven’t had your heat cycle.”

That is a sucker punch to the gut. I hadn’t even considered the fact I might not have pups as a side effect of this…defectI have.

I close my eyes and try to breathe through a pain that is not only physical anymore, but emotional too. I’ve always wanted pups, maybe not with Dalton, but I want a family. I grew up knowing nothing about mine. I’ve fought every step of the way to create my own.

I thought that was my pack, that eventually, with time, it could be Dalton, but I see that is never going to happen.

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