Page 35 of Because You Rejected Me

I wrapped my arms around Matt, pulling him close against my chest. Running my fingers through his hair, I told him, “It’s okay now. You’re safe.” I gave him a rather serious look. “But, if something like this ever happens again, forget that fucking bike.”

“But–”

“No buts,” I said, cutting him off. “Sam would understand. A bike isn’t worth your life when there’s a crazy person on the loose.”

“Is that what you think it is?” he asked with a sniffle. “Just someone off their rocker?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “We’re out in the middle of nowhere. Not only is Shifter Grove a haven for rogue wolves, but it’s also in an area where people go to be left alone or forgotten. There’s nothing but woods and farmland out here for a hundred miles. If you couldn’t cut it living with society, this is a perfect place to go so you can be as insane as you want to be.”

“Is it really that bad out here?”

I shook my head. “No. I’ve never heard of anyone getting seriously hurt, especially on purpose out here. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Then again, it could’ve just been a drunk person or some tweaker with road rage. I really don’t know.” I took him by the shoulders, making sure his gaze was on me. “But I don’t want you riding that bike anymore. Not all the way out here. Okay?”

“H-How will I get here then?”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“That’s a lot of work… and you’d have to get up so early.”

“I don’t care,” I said sternly. “Your safety is a lot more important to me than an extra twenty minutes of sleep. I’ll pick you up and take you back to the hotel every single day if that’s what it takes. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Ace… I… I don’t like charity…”

“This isn’t charity. You…” I paused, taking a deep breath. “You are my mate.” I held up a hand to stop his retort. “I know you’re not ready for that kind of commitment, and I’m not asking for it. But I need you to understand that you are extremely important to me. If something happened to you because I made you ride a bike ten miles every morning, I would never be able to forgive myself.” I reached up, cupping the side of his face. “I’m not offering you charity or pity or whatever. I’m offering to show you some care. And… if you’re anything like me… well, I think you might need it.”

Matt slowly placed his coffee on the side table before throwing his arms around me. He crawled up into my lap, wrapping his legs around my waist, too, in a full-bodied hug.

“I don’t deserve you,” he sniffled into my shoulder.

“You deserve all the love in the world,” I replied, rubbing his back. “You’ve been without it for far too long.”

He didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. After a tough morning and the conversations we’d been having lately, he just melted into me, his shoulders shaking. But I didn’t care if he cried. I’d hold him through anything he was feeling, no matter what the emotion. He was my mate, and even if it cost me all the solitude and peace I’d amassed in the past decade, I’d happily trade it for him. Besides, having him around made me feel more peaceful than I ever had.

It was funny how you could cut yourself off from the world, build icy walls around your heart, and pretend like everything was safer or better than it was. But when Matt came along unexpectedly, he broke through all those barriers in an instant. Even when he rejected me, and I resisted him, I still felt the ice crack and melt. And somehow, without meaning to, he proved to me that the peaceful life I’d built was nothing but a self-imposed prison. Remembering my life before him no longer had the lightness I recalled. Instead, it seemed dark and gloomy.

Matt was my mate. And come hell or high water, I was going to do everything in my power to keep it that way. I would keep him safe.

Chapter Nineteen: Matt

Ace picked me up early the next morning so that we could get to the market on time. Both of us were beyond exhausted, having stayed up far too late prepping the night before. Ace tried to get me to take the day off, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Just because I had a rough morning didn’t mean I wanted him to lose money at the market the next day. He still had to make a living and I had a promise to keep. Besides, just being around him was enough to make me feel better anyway.

Of course, the things he’d said to me definitely helped, although I had to admit a little bit of fear. Having someone so dedicated to me was an odd feeling. I’d always wanted someone to care about, everyone dreams of that, but this was sudden and unexpected. Having the worst moment of your life happen two weeks before some of the best moments was jarring, to say the least. I wasn’t entirely sure how to react just yet. I liked Ace, true enough, but was I ready to hop into a serious relationship?

First off, I had nothing. I didn’t even have a phone I could make calls on. There was no money, no home, no transportation, and nothing to offer him. The only thing I had was myself, and honestly, that didn’t feel like much to me. Of course, that could just be the depression talking after the way the Alpha’s son had treated me. But then again, if I was worth something, why did everyone in my life find it so easy to give me up?

That was the truth I couldn’t shake from my mind. I’d spent twenty years with my family, living in the same house as them and eating at the same table every night. We weren’t close with the Alpha or any leadership in the pack. However, when one of them told a lie about me, not a single person stood up for me. They didn’t hesitate to kick me out of my home and turn off anything that could help me out in the big wide world, even though they knew I wasn’t prepared for any of it.

The only person who showed me pity was the Beta, and I didn’t even know his name.

So, with all that percolating in the back of my mind, I was having a hard time coming to terms with the things Ace felt about me. It was hard to see why he liked me or why he wanted to keep me around. Hell, I couldn’t even understand why Sam was giving me a room and food for free. Even Andy gave me free food down at the market. And there was just no reason for it.

I’d always been taught that kindness and charity came with a price. But each day that I stayed in Shifter Grove was a day that my doubts about that belief strengthened. So many people were good to me without asking for anything in return. Well, everyone except that crazy asshole in the truck, but that was hopefully a one-time thing. Besides, Ace was giving me a ride everywhere anyway, so I rarely even had a chance to get run over anymore.

“You in there?”

I blinked a few times, looking up at the face that dropped sideways into my line of sight. It was Andy and his perpetually perky smile.

“Yeah,” I grumbled, my hands stuffed into my hoodie pouch.

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