Page 23 of Rejected Bullied Mate

Confused, I looked between Scott and Samson. "Now, wait a damn second..."

Samson grinned at Scott, but it was a dangerous smile, all teeth and threats of violence. "You're one to talk. Kiera, do you know who this man is?"

I shook my head. "He just said his name is Scott."

"At least he didn't lie about that part. Kiera, this is Scott Nevada, Alpha of the Shadowbay pack. And what I want to know," Samson was already stalking towards Scott while everyone else in the store rushed to leave before all hell broke loose, "Is why the Alpha of a neighboring pack is sniffing around my Omega."

Chapter 10 - Samson

"I'm not sniffing around anything," Scott growled, his charming facade dropping and revealing the capable, annoyed Alpha underneath. Good. That was who I wanted to deal with, not the stupid act that he put on for Kiera and everyone else in this damn shop.

"Bullshit. Pack members have told me you've been in here every shift that Kiera works." We were almost chest to chest now, Alpha to Alpha, violence tainting the air around us. "You can't tell me that's a fucking coincidence."

"Wait, you've had a pack checking up on me while I'm at work?" I could see Kiera out of the corner of my eye, hands on her hips, annoyed. "And here I thought you trusted me enough to let me have one thing to myself. I guess not."

"Later, Kiera," I snapped, hating how she flinched at my voice's harshness. Dammit. Being this close to fighting another Alpha had my self-control fraying at the edges. I turned my ire back to Scott, the one who really deserved it.

Scott, the slimy fucker, was grinning again. "Actually, my being here had nothing to do with your mate."

"Then what in the fuck is the reason?"

Scott grinned even wider, taking too much enjoyment from his stupid little secret. "Because this is my shop. I bought Crescent Moon Coffee two weeks ago, and I come in daily to check on how things are going. The store manager, Kate, hired Kiera on her own. I didn't even know she was working here until I came in for my daily check." He crossed his arms and looked over my shoulder at Kiera, which made me want to knock his teeth out. "Imagine my surprise to see the Saltfang Alpha's little Omega working in my shop. It was a really fun coincidence. I'm disappointed you figured out my game so quickly."

As much as I wanted to strangle him, knowing he had nothing to do with hiring Kiera helped my rage somewhat. He'd still kept his identity from her, and the fact that he owned the shop my mate worked at from me, but it didn't appear that he was lying. Kiera's working here really was just a coincidence that he had taken advantage of.

"You should have told me." I took a step back, but didn't get out of his face entirely. "I would have considered you an ally until you pulled this shit."

"Oh, grow up, Samson," Scott laughed, "You'd throw away an alliance because your mate is working at my shop, and I didn't scramble to tell you? You might want to reconsider." He held up a hand to shield his mouth, as if he was telling me a secret, "It makes you look spectacularly insecure."

"We both know why you didn't tell me," I growled, ignoring his jab. "It's not because you were trying to keep an ally. It's because you wanted to get under my skin."

"I didn't lie," Scott shot back, "And I'm not going to apologize for enjoying seeing the look on your face when you walked in here. Still living in Zeke's shadow, pup?"

I was going to kill him. I was going to rip his throat out right there in his own place of business, and let him bleed all over the copper tile floor. Scott had ten years on me, which meant a decade more experience as an Alpha, but there was no way in hell I was going to let him talk about my mate and my father like that. I'd taste his blood before—

"I hate to break up this little reunion," Kiera interrupted, stepping between us and pushing us apart, "But it's almost time for me to get off work, so if you're going to fight, please take it outside."

Scott laughed and backed away, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not looking to get into a fight with you, Samson."

I stepped forward, but Kiera shoved me back, her magic already thrumming through the air around us. "Out," she hissed at me. "We're done here."

As much as I wanted to challenge Scott's threat, I could feel my mate's magic coursing through me. It would have been so easy to shift and attack, to show Scott who was really in charge here, but Kiera's power wouldn't allow it.

God, despite how angry I was, her power sliding over my skin and across my nerves felt like silk. It was like she was touching me all over, making my skin raise in goosebumps. Just like she told me the other night, I couldn't feel an ounce of actual violence in her magic's touch, just a wall keeping me away from Scott. Kiera couldn't do me harm with her magic, but apparently, she'd found a loophole to make it work against me at least a little.

"No need for your beloved to leave," Scott sighed dramatically, waving his hand in the air, "I'm going in the back to count the drawers from this morning anyway. You two take a moment." He walked to the door, flipping the sign to 'CLOSED'. "Just switch this back when you're done fighting. No fucking, though. That's against the health code."

Kiera spun around once Scott was out of sight, her face red. "What the fuck, Samson?"

"Scott isn't exactly the best company for someone like you to keep, Kiera." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared down at her. "I'm not sorry for getting angry."

"Someone like me?" She took a step closer, her hands on her hips. "You mean an Omega?"

"He's a lot older than you," I countered. "I'd be uncomfortable with any of my pack women being alone with him every single day."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "It's nice to know that you don't trust me enough to be alone with another man."

"It's not about trust, and you know it."

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