Page 57 of Broken Rejected Mate

As I turn to the casting table, I catch a flash of red hair in the front row. Kira, Emin, Sarina. My stomach turns with the resemblance between the three of them—anyone looking at Sarina with those two would know instantly that there’s a connection.

“Are you ready?” Dorian asks, and when I turn my head, meeting his gaze, it feels like he’s looking right into my soul.

I realize I’ve been in Ambersky long enough for him to gain authority over me as my alpha leader again. I know how it works—the alpha leader has a connection to all his shifters. Can see the things about them that others don’t.

And, right now, holding his gaze, without him saying a word, I know that he knows.

He knows that Sarina belongs to Emin. He knows that I’m keeping it from him. His best friend.

Without saying anything, I communicate the truth, the thing that I’ve just realized.

I’m going to tell him.

Dorian nods, slightly, then holds his hand out for me to take. I pull my magic to the surface, body bubbling with a different kind of nervous energy now. Now, I just want to get through this process, make the Amanzite, and get to Emin so I can tell him the truth about his daughter.

He deserves to know. Even if he’s angry with me for lying, I’ll tell him.

We can work through it. I’m starting to realize that with Emin, I’ll be able to work through anything. That doing something alone just because you can doesn’t make you strong—in some ways, it makes you a coward. Because what’s really hard, what’s really scary, is trusting someone else to be on your team.

I close my eyes, hold Dorian’s hand in mine, let him guide the spell in just the way we did with Emin. A moment later, there’s a collective gasp, and I open my eyes to find a perfectly round, perfectly smooth pebble of Amanzite sitting on the casting table, sparkling with the imbued magic it contains.

Dorian picks it up, shows it to the crowd.

“As I’m sure many of you know, this past year has been a difficult one for this pack. Our conflict with the Grayhides has resulted in an increased demand for Amanzite, and an increased opportunity for our enemies to hinder our ability to defend ourselves and our land.” He pauses, holding the Amanzite up so it catches the fairy lights. “Thisis the solution to that problem. Our incredible casters—including Veva Marone here—were instrumental in bolstering our abilities, improving our security, and strengthening us as a whole. This party is to celebrate this accomplishment, our future prosperity, and also the casters who made this all possible.”

There’s a round of applause, and I feel more warmth move into my cheeks, the unfamiliarity of being recognized for something I’ve done.

“Being able to synthesize Amanzite means no more relying on trading for the stones, no more bartering. This stone works exactly as the real, natural one does, and I’ll demonstrate.”

Dorian pauses, holds the stone in his hand, then shifts.

The wolf that emerges from him is massive, frighteningly big. I’m a tall woman, and I barely stand over his shoulder. Without thinking, I take a step back. Even though he’s Dorian, and he’s the alpha leader of this pack, my body acts automatically, wanting me away from the potential danger.

My eyes snap to Sarina in the front row, her mouth hanging open, her eyes cast up to the stage in awe. Emin is laughing, his hand on her shoulder as Dorian shifts back, returning to his previous form.

He holds the stone up.

“Veva Marone, you have the gratitude of the Ambersky pack!” he calls, then turning to me, he says, voice lower, so only I can hear it, “Yourpack.”

Chapter 32 - Emin

The moment Veva steps off the stage, I feel her eyes on me, sense her want to get near me again, but someone stops her at the base of the stairs, catching her in a conversation.

Chuckling under my breath, I watch her try to disentangle from it multiple times, only for someone else to pull her aside.

They’re probably all congratulating her on a job well done. When I get her home, I’m going to congratulate her, too. After this long, tiring week, the only thing I want to do is take her home. Wait for Sarina to fall asleep, for Veva to crawl into my bed.

I want to mark her.

Tonight.

Reaching my hand into my pocket, I brush my thumb over the velvety box I find there, thinking of the heirloom ring that’s inside. I imagine the way it’s going to look on Veva’s finger. If I can, I’m going to find every way there is to claim another person. My ring on her finger, my mating mark on her neck. Fuck—we’ll get matching tattoos if we have to.

“I’m going to do that someday,” Sarina says, sliding into the seat next to me, scooting a bit when her feet no longer hit the ground. I reach out to steady the paper plate she holds, which contains a slice of cake.

Sarina wears a simple purple dress with a matching hair ribbon, an outfit I know my sister probably drooled over. When they had their welcoming party, when the twins were named into the pack, one of the first things Kira says was, “I hope the next one is a girl.”

Mind catching back up to the current conversation, I smile and say, “You’re going to cast? Like your mom?”

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