Page 53 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

I hung up and walked out into the night, kicking off my shoes as I went. As soon as my bare feet hit the grass, I called the shift, and it hit hard and fast, tearing through me. The wolf took over, and for a moment, there was peace.

Too bad my wolf was just as pissed as I was.

I ran through the trees, crunching through leaves, leaping over fallen logs, and pushing myself harder and harder. I didn't have a destination in mind; I just wanted to outrun everything that had happened. My wolf wasn't having any of that. He wanted blood, and I was inclined to give it to him.

At this point, I was willing to do anything to distract myself from the pain of losing Nayeli. It was like my chest had been torn open, and the wound was bleeding out. It was impossible to think of anything else, even if I tried. She'd done this to us, and she'd left. My wolf snarled, but I forced him back under control. As an Alpha, I always had to be in control, but even that seemed beyond me at the moment.

I let go, just a little, and we hunted. The rabbit was fast, but I was quicker. It tried to hide under a bush, but I grabbed it and crushed the fragile bones between my teeth. The warm blood was comforting, but it didn't take the edge off my rage.

My wolf wanted to keep running, to find more prey and destroy it. We couldn't keep doing this, though; we needed to go back to our lives and pick up the pieces. So instead of more bloodshed, I turned towards a more human source of sorrow drowning—the bar.

It was mid-week, so it wasn't as packed as usual, but I could still smell the scents of my pack members inside. I took a breath, squaring my shoulders. I wasn't going to talk aboutNayeli or the bond. If anyone asked, I'd shut them down. I'd tell them I'd cut ties with her, and that would be that.

I didn't give a shit if it sounded harsh, either. I'd been too soft on Nayeli, and I knew that now. She'd played me for weeks, and I'd let her because I thought she needed protecting. But it had all been a lie. She'd used me.

The truth hurt.

I walked into the bar with purpose, heading straight for the barstool that faced away from everyone else. I didn't need to see anyone's pity, I just wanted a drink. "Whiskey," I barked at the bartender, "and don't stop pouring until I tell you to."

The bartender nodded and grabbed the bottle. He was a wolf from another pack, one of the few wolves who didn't answer to me. It was good, because I didn't want to be a pack Alpha at the moment. I just wanted to be Scott Nevada, the man who'd screwed up everything and wanted to drink himself into oblivion.

My throat burned as I slammed back the first glass and went straight for the second. My wolf was prowling inside me, angry and restless. He wanted to track down Nayeli and make her take back what she'd done. He didn't understand why I'd let her leave so easily.

When my hand snaked out to grab the third, another hand stopped me. I jerked my head to the side to see Samson in the stool next to me. I'd been so caught up in my head I hadn't even noticed him sit down.

"She asked me to check on you," he said after a long silence. "She said the spell hit you pretty hard."

I laughed bitterly. "And what, this is a rescue mission?"

"Nah." He pushed the whiskey out of my reach, and shoved a glass of water into my hand instead. I resisted the urge to pour it over his head before punching his teeth out. "I'm here because she's worried. She cares about you, Scott."

"Ha. No. She broke the bond and walked away like it was nothing."

"You and I both know that bond was unnatural and unsustainable. It had to happen sooner or later."

I drank the water, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying. "Don't you dare make excuses for her."

Samson, ever the short fuse, rose to his feet. "You think she didn't cry the second she walked through my door? You think she wanted to do it? You didn't even give her a damn reason to stay."

I stood too. "Yeah? She seemed pretty damn calm when she gave me her little speech about going back to our lives. You still think she cares?"

He came closer until we were almost chest-to-chest. "Actually, I think you're both idiots."

I shoved him. Hard. Samson stumbled back and stared at me for a long moment before smirking. "Damn, I've wanted to do this for a long time."

And then he swung at me.

Chapter 21 - Nayeli

I hadn't even had time to unpack a single shirt before Kiera burst into the room, throwing my keys and a hoodie at me. "You've got to go. Samson and Scott are fighting down at the bar!"

My eyes widened in shock. "What? Are you kidding?"

"Does this look like a joking face to you?" Kiera demanded, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the door. I stumbled after her, my mind still reeling.

Those assholes. Of course, they'd turn to violence at the first opportunity. All of Scott's polish had faded over the past few weeks, and it seemed he was still on edge even after the bond had snapped.

I rubbed the aching place above my stomach where the bond had been. If it was still there, maybe I could have sensed the fight before it started.

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