Page 2 of Banished Mates
There were only a handful of times I’d seen him snap on someone in anything resembling irritation.
“Camden, I-I’m sorry—”
I couldn’t just stand here and listen to her. My knuckles were white as I clenched my hands into fists. I stepped out from behind the tree and marched directly over to them. Their heads whipped in my direction as the leaves crunched under my heels. Meridith’s brows lifted and she swiftly got to her feet.
I narrowed my eyes at them as I took in their expressions. Camden’s brows lowered and knitted together; the corners of his eyes pinched. His lips parted.
Good, if he was stunned, it meant he hadn’t heard me skulking after them.
I stepped in front of him and craned my neck to look him in his light brown eyes. The yellow in his eyes popped with the autumn colors of the trees surrounding us. The sun reflected off the foliage and bounced off his pale skin—turning it a glowing golden.
Camden blinked down at me as his face relaxed.
“What are you doing here, Willow?”
Me? What wasIdoing here? He had to be joking, right?
I scoffed and poked my finger into his chest.
“Why are you asking me why I’m here? It’s pretty obvious why I’m here,” he snapped. I narrowed my eyes into slits.
“You’re young, Den. You have a century and a half at minimum left in your life and you want to mate yourself with someone you know you’ll not get along with?”
I was grasping at straws. I didn’t know if he’d eventually get along with her, but I didn’t have the guts to stand by and watch it. I was a coward, and I didn’t want to give him up even though anormalwerewolf mate would be good for him. Would rule next to him better than me, who would never shift because it would put me and the life of everyone I cared about in danger.
Omegas were not supposed to exist anymore after they’d been hunted into extinction. If any werewolves found out I was one... The horrors that could come from it, especially having werewolves after me because of what I’d be able to do. I didn’t even feel safe or comfortable with my pack finding out. Alpha Torrin couldn’t control everyone, and he would undoubtedly use me for his own gain.
There were many willing to destroy entire packs to dominate an Omega.Me,causing my loved ones to die? Nausea soured my stomach. If werewolves found out, they’d kill Hector and Camden, and anyone else that got in their way, simply to take me... to use me as history stated covetous packs and werewolves used Omegas.
It was a complete opposite of how we were supposed to be treated. Omegas were to be cherished and taken care of—treated as the gift we were, but instead, we were hunted for various reasons. Jealousy, breeding, sex—you name it. I was born with the target on my back, and if I ever shifted, everything I cared about would be gone, like my mother warned.
I would cause the death of anyone I loved...
“I have to get mated, Willow,” he snapped. “I’m just doing what I must. What are you going to do about it?”
The last sentence took me off guard. It seemed like he was daring me, or at the very least trying to set me off. I forced away what I wanted to tell him.
“And I mean so little that I can’t know?”My wrist twinged with my exaggerated motion.
His jaw bunched.
“You know that’s not it,” he snarled.
I tipped my chin up, meeting his gaze without flinching.
I ground my teeth so hard that my jaw popped.
He cupped my chin and his fingers dug into my cheeks, forcing my teeth apart.
“Don’t grind your damn teeth.” He sighed and his free hand lifted to his hair, brushing back the messy strands so his face was on full display. I devoured his expression, tracing my gaze over the tense muscles around his mouth. I’d always hated his godly good looks. His high cheekbones, sultry eyes, and expressive thick brows all came together to create an unmatched specimen. He received too much attention for my liking. I wanted to be the only one to admire him, but with a face like that, everyone turned to look.
Even with all that, his smile was what did me in. A smile reserved for me. I’d never seen it angled anywhere else, and I ached to keep it that way. Even if ithadbecome a rarer occurrence.
“We’re on a date—”
I whirled so fast the earth spun, but I masked my dizziness with a glower. I hadn’t looked at her for a reason. Setting my gaze on her made my blood boil. Meridith frowned as she looked down at me. I was tall too, but she had me beat by a few inches and it was instances like this that I rued that. Her gaze held no real antagonism, as if she didn’t see me as any sort of threat.
Who did she think she was, forcing a kiss on someone?
