Page 48 of Rejected Bullied Mate

I weaved through the crowd, waving at some familiar faces, but not stopping for any chit-chat. The door was at the far end of the building, but I couldn't help but stop short when I caught sight of Samson.

He was standing under the towering T-rex skeleton, a much shorter figure standing next to him and reading the informational plaque out loud. I thought Kit was going to explode with excitement when I told him his big cousin Nayeli was having her birthday at the museum, and I'd breathed a huge sigh of relief when he decided it was Samson he wanted to show around, not me.

As I watched them together, I wasn't sure I could blame Kit for being so excited. Samson looked downright dashing in his black suit, with Kit looking like his little clone in his own tiny tuxedo. They made quite the pair, and the sight of them together sent my heart into overdrive.

Was this really the man who had been so cold to me just weeks before? Was this the same wolf who had rejected me seven years ago after our night together?

There was no question about it—my feelings for Samson were anything but platonic. I cared for him, I wanted him, and now I was sure that I didn't want to be anywhere else except by his side. I pushed aside the guilt I felt at the realization. I should have been trying to leave again—for my own safety, and for Kit's. Instead, I'd given in to my weakness and stayed. And now that I was here, I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.

Samson must have heard my heartbeat or my breathing from across the room, because he turned around, meeting my eyes with a knowing grin. "Kiera," he said, his voice husky. "Come here."

I walked towards him, ignoring the eyes on me as I crossed the dance floor. All I could focus on was the wolf in front of me, looking at me like I was the only person in the world. He tapped Kit on the shoulder, "Go find your big cousin. I need to talk to your mother alone."

Kit grinned and took off without another word, and before I could say anything, Samson took my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor as the music shifted to something slow and sultry, the sound of it curling around the edges of the main hall.

"Samson—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Just dance with me," he murmured, pulling me against his chest. "I know you want to."

He was right, damn him. I sighed, pretending to be more annoyed than I really was, but settled into the dance with him easily. After all, we'd had quite a few opportunities to learn how each other's bodies moved. I knew what Samson wanted, and I knew how he liked it. He'd been demanding, insatiable, and just rough enough when I needed him to be.

As a dancer, he was still domineering and possessive, his hands holding me as close as was appropriate at a party filled with our peers. "Nayeli told me you planned all of this," I started, looking up at him from under my lashes. "She told me about what you've been doing with the pack, too. Helping them.”

I expected him to be smug or dismiss my words like usual, but instead, he nodded, "I guess you could say that."

"Samson—"

"Kiera," he cut me off again, "I don't want to talk about pack business right now. Can't I just enjoy dancing with my wife for one evening?"

It was the first time he'd said it so bluntly, and I swallowed hard against the sudden lump in my throat. "We can dance," I said finally, trying not to let my voice waver. "I'll be quiet."

"That's a first."

I laughed, but lay my head on his chest nonetheless. For a few songs, we could just be a normal couple before the real world came barging back in.

***

When the music kicked back into high gear, Samson kissed me quickly and went to hunt for Kit. I was burning up—from exertion this time, not my heat, which Samson had worked out of me last night, thank goodness—and I made a beeline for the punch table. It had been refilled while I was dancing, and I downed a glass before pouring myself another one.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I jumped at the sound of Mason's voice, but I immediately decided that was all the reaction he was going to get out of me. I casually sipped my punch, not even looking in his direction.

"Oh, that's how it's going to be, huh? The Alpha lets you play peacekeeper for a bunch of worthless wolves, and now you think you're above all of us, right?"

"Not all," I corrected, still looking out over the dance floor. "Just you."

He snarled, but it was low enough that no one else heard. "You're so damned naive, Kiera. You think sending me to work with a bunch of fucking brats was going to reform me? Do you really think any of the pack respects you as anything else besides Samson's Omega?"

I whirled to face him, fury burning in my chest. "Watch your tongue, Mason."

His eyes flashed, but he didn't look scared. "Or what? You'll go crying to Samson? Because of you, I missed my chance to rise in the fucking ranks. Why in the hell would you defend those three idiots when they hate you just as much as I do?"

"They asked for my help," I spat. "Is that what you want to hear? They came to me hours before the challenge. I helped them, and they apologized. They're making an effort, and you aren't."

He let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, Kiera. You really are stupid. It's pathetic. You're a sad, weak little Omega that the Alpha got saddled with because you were dumb enough to get knocked up—"

"Enough."

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