Page 4 of Rejecting his Mate

“You owe me this.” Mama’s words are terse as she spits them out. “You owe him this too!”

“Think what you’re asking me to do, Kinsley,” the other woman hisses at her. “The risk—”

“Don’t you dare talk to me about risk!”

Mama’s gaze suddenly snaps to me, and her anger softens. “Halle.” She comes to the side of the bed and pulls the covers back. The cooler air pebbles my bare legs, my nightdress doing little to ward off the chill. “Put your coat on,” she orders.

“Hold on, wait a minute, I haven’t said yes,” the woman says.

As she turns to face me, I take her in. Her blonde hair is different from Mama’s red, and her blue eyes are so pale they look like granite. They are not green like mine, which Mama says are like emeralds.

“You have to do this, Adeline. You know what will happen if you don’t.”

Adeline drags her fingers through her hair, a frantic movement that makes me feel uneasy. Why are they both so upset?

Mama grabs my coat, helping me into it. I struggle to find the arms, but she’s gentle as she guides me to them, which is at odds with how outraged she seems.

“I know that. Just... Just let me think.” Adeline stares at me, and I struggle to understand the look that crosses her face.

After a moment, she closes her eyes and blows out a breath. “I can’t.”

It’s the wrong thing to say because the rage that comes from Mama makes the room feel small. “She’s your kin!”

Kin.

Family.

I peer over at the woman, wondering who she is to Mama. If she’s kin, this is the first time I’ve met her. Why didn’t I know about her before?

Come to think of it, I’ve met none of my family, though I’ve never wondered why. It never seemed important. I’ve always had Mama, and that’s all that ever mattered.

Even so, I look at Adeline, trying to see similarities in our features, and I decide her nose is a little like mine. She has a gap in her front teeth too, but that’s it.

Adeline averts her gaze as if she can’t bear to meet Mama’s eyes. “It’s not that simple, and you know it. The collective good of the pack has to come first—”

Moving fast, Mama grabs her by the front of her coat and shakes her like a dog would a toy. Shocked, my hands fly to cover my mouth.

Adeline’s fingers elongate into claws, and I brace, ready to defend Mama if necessary. I might not be able to shift yet, but I’m not going to sit by while Adeline hurts her.

Mama doesn’t let her go, and Adeline doesn’t move to strike her. The two of them lock eyes, their fury simmering beneath the surface.

Finally, it’s Mama who speaks. “If you won’t do this for me or Halle, do it for your brother. You loved him once. Halle is part of him!”

Silence fills the room, suffocating and oppressive. My wolf pup paces inside my mind, whimpering. Even she senses the atmosphere. It feels like everyone is holding their breath, myself included. Fumbling for Teddy, I pull him against me, clinging to him as if he can protect me.

Adeline’s jaw tightens. “Fine, I’ll take her, but Kinsley, you know what I’m going to have to do to keep her with me.”

Those words sound scary, and the way Mama closes her eyes, pain rippling across her face, makes a shiver run up my spine.

What is she going to do to me?

Mama wipes her hand over her mouth, and her eyes open. “Whatever it takes.”

“There’s no going back once it’s done,” Adeline warns.

“I know.” Mama swipes at her cheeks. Silvery trailsrun down either side as she crouches in front of me, her hands cupping my face. “My little Halle.”

My brows knit together. “Why are you crying, Mama?”

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