Page 47 of Because You Rejected Me

“I can hunt in wolf form,” I replied. “It’s not my favorite, but I’ll get used to it.”

“It’ll be hard,” he said, beating the eggs into a slurry. “But then again, I suppose wolves like you and me are used to that sort of thing. Life is never easy for us.”

“You’re not going to try to stop me?”

“No,” he stated simply. He poured the eggs into the hot skillet and began giving the pan a shake. “Why would I try to convince you to stay? You came to Shifter Grove broken and alone, and that’s just the way you’ll leave. Who cares about the friends you’ve made or the love you found, right?” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Fated mates are a dime a dozen. I’m sure you’ll find plenty more out in the middle of the woods.”

Anger flared in my chest. “It’s not like I want to do this!” I barked back at him. “But my old Alpha tried to kill me, in case you didn’t notice. And I can’t let Ace or you or anyone else get hurt because of me.”

“If I recall, Ace is the one that saved you. Twice.”

“He shouldn’t have had to do it at all!”

“But he did,” Sam said, pointing the spatula at me. “Because he loves you.”

Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as the anger bubbled up, turning to despair. “What if he dies protecting me? I would never forgive myself!”

“You think you leaving, without telling him why, won’t do that?”

I opened my mouth to retort but snapped it shut as no words came to mind.

“You were betrayed by your family and your pack, just like he was. They kicked you out, not caring whether you lived or died. His did the same to him, and he spent ten years in solitude because of it. His heart remained broken until you came along.” Sam took a good, long look at me. “Are you going to sit here and tell me that you, the love of his life, leaving without warning, abandoning him just like they did, is going to keep him safe?”

“But… he could… get hurt…”

“If you leave like this,” he said, gesturing at me with irritation. “You’ll hurt him more than anyone else ever has. He will never recover from your act of foolishness.”

Tears continued to flow down my cheeks. Sam turned off the burners, abandoning the half-cooked breakfast, and walked over to me. He put his hands on my shoulders, his gaze fixed on mine as he spoke.

“I know you’re scared, Matt,” he said, taking a deep breath. “What happened last night was insane, and it never should’ve happened. It caught everyone off guard, not just you.” He leaned down, getting face-to-face with me. “But this hotel… this town is full of people just like you. They understand what you’ve been through, just like Ace does. You saw everyone at the party last night. We’re a family, and whether you like it or not, you’ve become part of that family.”

“What if–”

“What if anything?” Sam said, cutting me off. “You can sit here for the rest of your life and worry yourself to death about what-ifs, about things that will never come true.” He reached out, laying his hand over my heart. “I know it feels like your heart betrayed you in the past. But I can promise you that Ace is the real deal. You found the perfect guy just for you. And he’s an Alpha to boot. If there’s anyone in this backwater town that could protect you from anything, it's Ace.” He pulled his hand away, giving me a soft smile. “You’re not a burden, you’re not stupid, and you are worthy of love. And I will not sit here and let you throw away the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you because of fear.”

My resolve, which had been shaky at best, disintegrated the moment he finished speaking. I leaned forward, falling into Sam’s arms. My shoulders shook as I cried, but he never said a word. A minute or two passed before he pulled me away and gave me a smile.

“I think there’s someone better for this,” he said.

Lifting a hand, he waved. I turned in my chair, my gaze coming to rest on that dark handsome figure in the black cowboy hat. Before I knew what was happening, my feet were carrying me across the kitchen. I slammed into Ace, throwing my arms around him, the tears flowing even faster now.

“I’m so sorry, Ace,” I cried, holding onto him with no intention of ever letting go. “I’m sorry…”

He wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me tight to his chest. “It’s okay, beautiful,” he said, a smile filling his face. “Everything is gonna be okay. I’ve got you.”

“I love you, Ace. More than anything.”

“I love you too, beautiful.”

Epilogue: Matt

Two Months Later

“Well,” I said, hefting a duffel bag up on my shoulder. “That was pretty easy.”

Ace threw my backpack on, picking up a potted plant from the desk near the window. “Sure was,” he replied. “I think this is probably the easiest move I’ve ever had to help with.”

“Probably helps that there’s not a lot of room for expansion here. And honestly… I’m hardly here anymore. Seems silly to stay and eat up one of Sam’s rooms.” I paused for a moment, looking up at him for the four hundredth time in the past few days. “Are you sure it’s okay that I move in with you?”

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