Page 43 of Broken Rejected Mate

Kira laughs. “Some people are really uptight about their kids.”

I want to say,But you kept her alive.

Sarina drifts to the side, talking to Emin, and I resist saying it. All this time, since having Sarina in the camp, I’ve been trying to keep her alive. Sometimes with Willow’s help, but also mostly alone.

And now—now there’s someone else I can trust. A second place Sarina can go, if I need it. The realization feels like the strangest weight lifted, right off my shoulders.

So instead, I just reach out and touch Kira’s arm, and say, “Thank you.”

When she meets my eyes, I get the sense that she understands what I’m trying to say. That it’s about more than watching my daughter—it’s about showing me that I can trust someone else with her. Like Emin said.

Emin steps away from Sarina and pulls his sister to the side, whispering something in her ear. Together, they look over at me—seeming more like twins and less like they have years of distance between them—then back to each other, whispering more.

“Hello?” I ask, waving at them. “Are you telling secrets over there?”

Emin smirks at his sister, then comes back to my side.

“I’m on a mission to get you to stay in Ambersky,” he says, eyes roaming my face, then darting to Sarina, who is already inthe back of the truck, reading a book. “And Kira had a few ideas about how to do it.”

I raise an eyebrow, heart picking up pace. Emin wants to keep me here, wants to prove to me that it’s worth staying. That also means he’ll let me leave. He’ll let me pick him.

Another piece of the weight lifts from my chest, and I realize with it gone, I feel closer to freedom than I ever have before.

Chapter 24 - Emin

Dorian and I stand on the edge of the border, shivering against the cold wind that rolls over us. It’s often cold in our territory, especially at night. The ground doesn’t hold much moisture, or heat from the day, which means that when the sun goes down, the temperature drops quickly.

But this cold—this is a cold unlike what we feel over there. I shiver in the brunt of the wind, which feels like a full-on assault, and glance at my alpha leader, who stands tall, like the wind and the icy affront doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

“And why aren’t we wearing coats, again?” I ask, leaning over to him, checking for signs of frostbite on his fingers. It was a full day’s run from our place to this edge of the border, where the land turns from red rocks to arctic tundra, the air getting cooler and cooler until the slight crunch of snow underfoot startles you out of your thoughts.

“I don’t own a coat that would do a thing against this wind,” Dorian bites back, frowning. “Other than shifting, I don’t think there’s much we can do here. Just try to be tough for a second, buddy.”

I knock my shoulder against his as he laughs, which somehow manages to warm me up slightly. A moment later, there’s a brilliant blue light, and we see the bright white coats of the Llewelyn pack climbing up the incline, their fur hardly rippling in the wind.

They move at a casual pace, clearly not bothered by the ice, and apparently not caring that I’m going to freeze solid at any moment here. A light dusting of snow collects on their coats, and they shake it away as they approach, creating a little poof of white that drifts off and away from us.

Their scents are strange to me—sharp, clean. Almost like eucalyptus and star anise. Something off-putting to my nose, even more than the Grayhide scent.

Right before our eyes, they shift into lithe pale women, all wearing furs and dripping with royal blue, from the jewels around their necks to the rich color of the fabric that peeks out from under their coats.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” the first one says, looking to each of us, her blue eyes flashing, looking supernatural. “We are pleased to do business with you. Have you the pranxath?”

At Dorian’s nod, I reach into my pocket and pull out the paper envelope. Opening it, I hold tightly while tilting so they can see the glittering red powder inside.

This is the powder I brought to the dark market. The powder I never ended up trading for the Amanzite because I was too busy helping Veva and Sarina.

Apparently, Leta was able to appeal to the Llewelyn for another meeting using that fact—that I missed the meeting to defend an omega.

“Very well,” the woman in front says, nodding and gesturing to one of the women behind her. She steps forward, produces a small bag. She undoes the drawstring, revealing the dark stones within. “And your Amanzite.”

We hand them over at the same time. I’m careful not to even brush her fingers. First, because I don’t want to, and second, because these Llewelyn alphas can be sensitive about touch.

“It’s been a pleasure,” the woman in front says. “Please, do contact us if you manage to procure more pranxath.”

And with that, the meeting is over. We have another day’s run back to the border, and I’m anxious to get going. Because I’m freezing, but also because my mate is at home, and after having nothing but her for nine days, I want her back. Can’t stand this physical distance between us.

“Alright,” Dorian says, rolling his eyes as we shift, getting out paws against the ground as we start back through our territory.I miss Kira, too, and you don’t see me crying.

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