Page 26 of Rejected Mate

I bit down on her neck, marking her with my teeth as she came. Her body went limp beneath mine, and after a few more thrusts, I came too.

I pulled her into my arms, inhaling her sweet fragrance. Even though we’d had sex not that long ago, she was becoming more and more of an addiction in every way.

Her breathing hitched.

"Fagua?" I asked, kissing the top of her head. Hoping that the barrier I sensed growing between us would start to rip apart. "What is it?"

She bit her lip, staring up at me with wide eyes. I wanted more than anything to do whatever she wanted. To wipe away her fears.

"It’s my father. He has to be stopped. He’s hurting…" She swallowed. "Killing wolves."

I got the sense she wasn't finished and I remained quiet, waiting for her to continue. Though all of me wanted to whisk her away from all of this. Somewhere her father couldn't reach us.

"Winter." My name on her lips sounded like a prayer or a plea. "I have to do this. My mom refuses to help me. But I have to stop my father. These are wolves I grew up with and they don't realize the truth. That my family is broken."

"No, it isn't." I squeezed her tight. "Your family is right here. Me, Sky, and even Husk, even though he is a pig-headed idiot."

She laughed, and the sound warmed another part of my heart. Later I would tell her about Husk's accident and re-admittance into the hospital.

8

Husk

Ireached for the cup of water on the table next to the hospital bed and my fucking hand shook so much that I knocked it over. It bounced along the linoleum floor and rolled under the bed.

"Shit."

I groaned, leaning back down on the pillow. Couldn't even get a damn drink of water. I hated this. Hated being so fucking weak. Hated that I was crammed into this shitty hospital bed while my brothers were out there fighting wolves who were trying to take Fagua back to her father.

They needed me. And here I was, stuck, unable to get up.

I felt the anger building up inside me. I hated the weakness. I hated the guilt. I hated everything about my life.

I hated the fact that this was my own damn fault.

That I had been the one who fucked up and hadn't mated with Fagua. And now her own father wanted to take her away. I gritted my teeth, warring with myself. And I was paying the price for it every second of every hour of every day.

I deserved to be here.

I deserved everything that was happening to me.

I deserved it.

Punishment.

The word rang through my head. What an eloquent word. I was being fucking punished. By the gods. By the rules of the wolves and mates. By whoever the fuck was in charge of this shitty world.

I wanted to yell with every ounce of strength I had left. A howling, seething, desperate thing that wanted to rip out of my throat and tear at the sky.

I needed to shift. To become the wolf. To run and hunt and run and fight and run and drink from a fresh kill.

The wolf and I were both trapped, yoked together.

Everyone here including Doc told me I was the one who had screwed up because I hadn't claimed Fagua as my mate.

She deserved better than this. Better than me and how I hated that my brothers had her. How could I live with that?

The anger burned through my body, rushing through my veins and making me feel like I was going to explode with the sheer pressure of it.

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