Page 1 of Alpha's Rejected Mate

Prologue

“Alpha, this is a good thing.”

Mateo Fox glared at the father of the woman who was now his mate. Harper Shen being his mate was not a good thing. She had only just turned fucking eighteen.

This was what his luck got him. A child mate.

No, it wasn’t going to happen.

He inhaled the air, and knew she was in his home.

The wolf wanted to claim her, but Mateo was the one in charge, not his wolf. At forty years old, he didn’t give in to his basic animal urges. His father stood in the corner, and he knew the older man wasn’t happy, but he stayed silent.

“Do not tell me this is a good thing. You and I both know this is not good.” Harper was nothing more than a child. She had no place as his mate, or by his side. “I want her gone.”

“Gone?” her father asked.

“Yes. Harper Shen, from this day forth, will be banished from the pack.” It was the only way to guarantee his own sanity. He didn’t know who was charged with granting mates, but either way, this wasn’t fucking funny.

“But, sir, she’s … my daughter.”

“Then you better make sure you have family elsewhere that will take her. I don’t want her. Get out and take her with you!”

He wasn’t even going to tell her to her face. Mateo was pretty sure she heard it all anyway.

His mate. It was never going to happen.

Mateo waited, listening to the sound of the door closing, and then he knew his father would talk.

“You’re making a big mistake,” Mateo Sr. said.

“What do you expect me to do? Mate with an eighteen-year-old?”

“You didn’t have to mate with her right away, but you cannot deny the fact she is your mate.”

“I’m not denying it. I’m getting rid of the problem.” He swiped his hand across the desk. “Do you think this is funny?”

“I’m not laughing, son. You’ve been a fine alpha up until this point, but mark my words, you will regret these actions.”

With that, his father turned and walked away. After handing over the pack leadership to him, his father had never intervened, never questioned him.

Mateo knew he was acting irrationally, but what did they expect him to do? Harper was a child. She didn’t know what it took to be his queen.

There was no place for her in the pack, and seeing as he rejected her, he’d shown her mercy and kindness in removing her from the pack. Now, she could live her life far away from him. He didn’t need to worry about his wolf, and they could be at peace.

The wolf inside him wasn’t happy. He knew that, and it was going to take some time for his own being to make peace with his decision.

Chapter One

Seven Years Later

“You think this is wise?” Harper asked her friend Franny.

“No, none of this is wise, but come on, you’ve got to admit it’s fun.” Franny dragged her up to the bar.

The music was loud but with her expert wolf hearing, she could hear Franny just fine. The rest of the group was also around the bar, some dancing, others ordering drinks.

She hated when the rest of her pack friends wanted to go to the local human town. It always made her feel nervous. They all had to be careful, according to her new alpha’s demands. They didn’t want humans hunting for giant wolves. From what she knew, the pack had dealt with that in the past, and it had cost them a few members.

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