Page 12 of Exiled Mate

The fact that both of them might have completely moved on and forgotten me?

Yeah. That sucks.

Rhea is a really nice woman, and for a while, I was looking forward to having her as a mother-in-law. I would like to think that she felt the same way about me, but considering that I walked away from her child, it’s probably no longer true.

I try not to think about that day. It’s… painful.

Not only did I lose the woman I loved and wanted to be my mate, but I also lost my pack. Faith in my alpha. Faith in the system as a whole, because if Chet could so easily win Thorne’s approval with falsified evidence, then anyone’s position in a pack could be at risk.

I know the dangers of being a lone wolf. There’s no protection from the Bureau. We have a history of violent, anti-social behavior, but I have wondered about that as the two years of my exile dragged on.

I am not particularly violent or anti-social…

I grimace.

Except for the fact that you enrolled in a fighting ring for money.

Well, that was a product of circumstance. I think that for many lone wolves, the fact that they’ve been exiled and have no further way to participate in society forces them into violence.

Maybe.

The only thing that still bothers me about the day that Chet sold me out, however, is that I wasn’t able to explain to Terra (or Rhea) what happened.

I am not supposed to talk to anyone in the pack. I’m not supposed to be on pack lands. Both terms were effective immediately, and I’m violating them by being here.

But I have to.

If Terra’s safety is at risk, then there’s nowhere else for me to be. And if Chet manages to gamble away the pack’s savings again, including the money that Terra and Rhea make from selling these lotions and stuff…

Then I’m here.

The day winds down. Terra starts to walk home, and I notice that she has a backpack on. I follow her, curious about where this will go.

The night is just creeping through the woods when she turns.

I freeze.

Terra drops the backpack and walks away. With her back to me, she says, “I know that you’re following me. Put on some damn clothes and say what you need to say.”

Cautiously, I walk forward and pick up the backpack. It does have a pair of men’s sweatpants, but I notice that there’s no shirt.

Oh, well.

If she notices the latticework of new scars crossing my body, I don’t have to tell her that they’re from two years spent in an illegal fighting ring. If, of course, she does notice.

I shift and put the pants on. “I’m not following you,” I say.

“Really? So what do you call lurking around all day, then?”

“I just…” My voice trails off.

I could tell her everything. I’ve already broken the promise that I made Thorne. There’s nothing left for me to do except help Terra and keep the pack from imploding due to Chet’s stupidity.

But I don’t want to do that. Thorne is dead to me, and any respect I had for him, gone.

I just need to tell him about Chet for Terra’s sake. That’s it.

“I think that it’s best if we don’t talk,” I say quietly.

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