Page 26 of Semi-Rejected Life

The entire experience was fun for about twenty minutes. However, by then I was so deeply overwhelmed by the sheer volume of attention that I had to silence my phone and find something else to do. Flattery was nice, but too much flattery was uncomfortable to say the very least. And, even after all the cocks and asses I’d seen, all I could think of was Vincent.

It was irritating to say the least.

So, I decided to do the one thing that was sure to take my mind off things for a bit. Surfing. And, if the waves weren’t big enough, at least some time out in the water would get me away from this room where I’d been holed up for days.

The beach was just a short ten-minute trip away. When I arrived I was happy to find the place wasn’t completely packed. Of course, it was still pretty early in the day, so that meant most people were still at work. There were a few vacationing families, but mostly they kept to themselves.

To my dismay, the waves were pretty small. So I left my surfboard in my van and took only a towel and my bag with me. Both I stored in the shade under a tree at the edge of the beach. There was no sense laying out in the sun because I knew all I’d think about was Vincent. I needed to get in the water.

I jogged through the sand, into the water, and dove in without a second thought. The cold water seemed to penetrate my brain, forcing all thoughts from my head. For a brief moment I was free of Vincent and my wolf’s constant chanting in the back of my skull. All the existed was me and the waves.

I’d thought ahead to bring my goggles and slipped them on at the second sandbar. After that, I took to diving in roughly ten feet of water, searching the sandy bottom for cool rocks and pieces of sea glass. To my surprise, I was able to find quite a few which was wonderfully distracting. Not only did I pocket a couple of neat looking Petosky stones, but I managed to find a handful of amber and green sea glass buried amongst the patches of stones.

However, I quickly tired from the constant diving and headed back toward shore. I was just walking up out of the surf when my gaze caught a couple of guys sitting back toward the edge of the beach near where I’d stored my bag. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when the wind shifted, I caught the familiar scent of sweet licorice on the wind.

It couldn’t be…

And yet, the closer I got, the more I realized I recognized the thin tanned man leaning back on his elbows on a giant blanket. His dark hair had a gentle curl and I would bet my life that if he took his sunglasses off, those eyes of his were bright green. It was Vincent. There was nobody else it could be.

But there was someone else kneeling behind him. Another man.

The scent on the wind told me he was human. But my eyes saw the blond hair, dashing smile, and a body that looked like it had been carved out of Roman marble. The dude was fucking drop dead gorgeous. And judging by the way he was slowly and methodically rubbing sunscreen onto Vincent’s shoulders, they weren’t just friends. From the looks of it, Vincent was enjoying the attention a little too much for my liking.

I told myself to ignore it. What Vincent did with his time, his body, and his life were none of my concern. After all, I was the one that had been avoiding him. He had every right to go out with whoever he wanted. We both knew I was not interested in a relationship with him.

Mate.

The wolf inside had his hackles up.

Mate.

That blond guy was laughing now, his hands trailing down Vincent’s chest and swirling through that beautiful dark chest hair of his.

Mate!

No. I had to tear my gaze away. It wasn’t my business and it didn’t matter that Vincent was obviously lavishing in this man’s attention. I tried to quiet the wolf and turn away from them.

MATE!

Something in me snapped. The wolf broke through my barriers and took over. Instead of heading for my bag like I’d planned, I found myself marching toward the pair of them, my lips curled back in a snarl as a deep growl rumbled through my chest.

Vincent looked up as I approached, his face falling the moment he saw me. The blond guy didn’t notice I was there until I had my hand wrapped around his wrist.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snapped, doing everything I could not to murder him right then and there.

Vincent was on his feet, putting himself between us. He grabbed my wrist, squeezing hard enough to force me to let go. I nearly felt my bones crack under the pressure.

“W-Who is th-this?” blondie stammered, shaking out his wrist.

“He’s nobody,” Vincent growled, staring me directly in the eye. “Just a piece of shit I went out with once.”

It hurt, but I was still focused on the other guy. “Get the fuck out of here!” I roared, lunging at him as my eyes shifted to gold. “And if I ever catch you touching my mate again, I’ll fucking kill you!”

A look of instinctual fear filled the man’s face as he fumbled backward into the sand. He scrambled back to his feet, grabbed his bag, and ran toward the parking lot. I couldn’t help that satisfied grin that spread across my face. A second later it was interrupted by Vincent twisting my arm painfully to the side.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” he yelled. “I was having a good time! And who the hell are you calling mate?”

I felt a cold streak of fear, but the wolf was still in control. “You belong to me,” I snarled. “You’re my mate.” My hands were suddenly on his shoulders, pulling him close. “Nobody else is allowed to touch you!”

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