Page 98 of Rejecting his Mate

“Which is what?”

Cade struggles to keep a hold of his brother, and Wyatt and Jackson drift forward, ready to help.

Hester tosses her head, and when she speaks, her lofty tone pisses me off, never mind Sawyer. “That’s her business, and if you want to know, you’ll have to ask her.”

“You bitch,” he snarls, and my eyes go wide.

“Sawyer!” I gasp.

His eyes meet mine, and I see so much rage in them. “She’s done something to her. Something to keep her from me.”

Hester sighs. “I think it’s quite clear whatever I did, didn’t work. She recognized you as her mate. If you want my thoughts, I suggest you give her time and space to come to terms with stumbling over her fated mate like this.”

“There is nothing to come to terms with,” Sawyer says. “She’s mine. Don’t get in the way of that.”

Hester turns her head to the side. “You don’t even know her name.”

“I don’t need her name. I know her and what she is to me.” He turns to Cade, “I’m going for a run.”

He turns and drops to all fours, turning into his wolf. This shift is nothing like the one we just witnessed. It happens quickly and smoothly.

I try to go after Sawyer as his wolf rushes off, disappearing behind the cabins. Cade stops me, turning to Wyatt and Jackson. “Go after him.”

They do as asked, undressing as they go. I watch the ease with which they shift, feeling a little envious that my own wolf was never able to do that.

Cade turns to Hester. “If they are fated mates, nothing you do will keep them apart.”

Hester smiles, but it is not a nice smile. “Roux never wanted to be mated. And that might still be the case, even though her fated mate has appeared. What she decides is between her and him, not us.” She jangles the keys. “Let me show you to your cabin.”

We follow her further down the path, but my gaze goes back to the last place we saw Sawyer’s mate. It will be hard for him to accept she might not want him, and she’s going to find it hard to deny the pull of biology. I have never seen fated mates together before, but I do know about them. They are the stuff of myth and legend. So few find their fated mate that it almost seems criminal that Roux would not want hers. I’m not even sure how she managed to resist him.

Hester leads us to a cabin nearly at the end of the path. There is only one other down this end, and it overlooks the lake.

“Tessa and Abel have that cabin.” She points at that one. “You can have this one.”

The cabin is on the larger side, with windows on either side of the door and set back a little from the path. There is a little porch at the front with two stepsleading up to it. Unlike some of the other cabins, there are no personal touches in sight.

I glance at Cade as he takes the key. “Thanks.”

“Um, where am I staying?” I ask hesitantly.

“With me,” Cade says without looking at me.

I’m relieved and also a little happy at this, although if I wasn’t so worried about Sawyer, I would have made a joke about him not being the boss of me. But I don’t like the idea of Sawyer being out there when we are still on the radar of the Order, probably more so after I killed the ones in Spencer.

“We eat at six in the main house,” Hester says. “You’re welcome to join us. You’re all safe here. You don’t have to fear anything.”

“I’m grateful for your hospitality,” Cade says, “but if you do a single thing to harm my brother—”

He lets the threat hang in the air, which suddenly feels stifling.

Hester turns her head to the side as if considering him. “You may be vargr, and everyone else might find you terrifying, but don’t mistake me for someone you can walk all over. I may not be able to become a wolf, but I don’t need that to kick your ass.”

She turns and walks away, heading back up the path toward the house. “Can we try not to piss off the powerful witch?” I ask.

Cade makes a growl low in his throat. “I didn’t expect my brother would find his mate here either, but she needs to step off and let them figure it out.”

“Agreed,” I say. “Do you think Sawyer will be alright?”

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