Page 2 of Challenged Mate
“Over here, Blair.” Holding a bag in each hand, Chase tossed his head toward the lone building in the narrow clearing. It was one story and made of wood, but it appeared well maintained despite its isolated location. Smoke billowed from its chimney. Someone was inside.
I followed Chase, choosing to ignore the burn of Asher’s eyes on the back of my head. I would need to speak with him eventually, but I hadn’t yet decided what to say. My father may have been the one to betray me, but Asher went along with it. Even knowing the consequences of winning the Alpha Games, he still did it.
And, worst of all, he kept his actions a secret until the last possible moment.
The betrayal stung.
Chase opened the door to the building and ushered me inside. I pulled up short, surprised to see three people in the room. A quick inhale confirmed they were shifters, and their scent resembled Chase and Asher, identifying them as Wilds Pack shifters.
I made a quick sweep of the room. Two bunk beds, a four-person card table and chairs, and a small kitchenette were all that filled the space.
This must be an outpost of some kind.
The shifters—two males and one female—eyed me from head to toe.
I stayed where I was, wearing a blank expression. I wouldn’t let anyone know what I was really thinking. I was resigned to being a shell of a person as I embarked on the latest tragedy that was my life.
“Orin, Peter, Jenifer,” Chase greeted, stomping his boots off on the mat in front of the door. “Great to see you.”
The trio murmured their own greetings, but their attention continued to rest on me.
“This is Blair Hemmings,” Chase introduced me. “Future alpha of the Summit Pack.”
Swift pain lanced through my chest. I narrowed my eyes, hoping to hide my pain. “Not anymore,” I bit out.
Chase’s lips set in a firm line. He didn’t correct himself.
None of the shifters said a word. Their gazes traveled between me and Chase, dissecting the tension between us.
Chase finally looked away and changed the subject, “Is the truck ready?”
“Gassed up and ready to go,” the female, Jenifer, replied. Even under her heavy jacket, I could tell she was in shape. Her legs were packed with muscle. “It’s parked just outside.” She hitched her thumb to a door on the other side of the room.
“Great.” Chase ambled towards the door. “This way, Blair.”
I took a step to follow him, but then I felt a pull in my core. I glanced over my shoulder right as Asher stepped through the open door.
Our eyes met.
My stomach clenched, and my breath hitched. Immediately, I frowned.
I hated my reaction to him, and I hated that it couldn’t be helped.
The Mother had deigned to place a fated mate bond over me and Asher. Nothing but distance would free us from its visceral pull, but distance was something we weren’t going to get. Not if we lived in the same pack.
I forced myself to turn around and follow Chase. Behind me, I heard the Wilds shifters greet their packmate. Asher’s voice rumbled, returning their greeting. My toes curled at the sound. I picked up my pace and stepped outside.
Chase was throwing the bags he carried into the back of a black Land Rover with thirty-inch mud tires. He reached out to take my bag. I handed it over.
“Feel free to take shot gun,” he told me. “I can sit in the back.”
And sit beside Asher for Mother knows how long?
No, thank you.
“I’m good in the back,” I said. “I can lie down.”
Before Chase could object, I opened the second-row door and slid onto fancy leather seats.
