Page 13 of Alpha's Rejected Mate

“What? Surely there is nothing in the wolf or pack handbook that says I’ve got to help him hurt my best friend.”

Silver sighed. “You are correct, but you cannot come between mates. If Mateo wishes to win over his mate’s heart—”

“After he completely crushed it in the palm of his hand,” Franny said. “Let’s not forget the finer details.”

Again, another sigh from Silver.

Franny wasn’t going to be much help.

“But, if you think for even a moment that Harper might be happy by his presence here, or her wolf, then you cannot keep them apart.”

She clearly wanted to argue, but instead she turned that glare to him. “Harper doesn’t have any plans on a Sunday. Sometimes she stays home, other times you can see her out in the town square, reading. It really is up to her.”

With that, Franny got to her feet and left. Seconds later, Silver left, and that meant he was alone with Lemon.

“I don’t think Franny is my biggest fan,” he said.

“No, I doubt very much she is,” Lemon said. “When Harper first arrived, it was hard on her, as you can imagine it would be for a young woman. She struggled to settle in, and, well, some people were not too sure about being near a banished member of our pack. Some consider it a bad omen, and others will not even waste their time on a person that is not going to stay around.” She shrugged. “Silver and I did our best, but we can’t force people to like her.”

“Franny does.”

“Yeah, well, Franny does not like when people are being prejudged for no good reason. Even though everyone was avoiding Harper, my daughter, she showed them all. It wasn’t long before we realized Harper was a good influence on our daughter. Sometimes, they get into mischief, like the human bar incident, but we both know if it wasn’t for Harper, Franny would be in a lot of trouble.”

He smiled. “It’s good to know my mate is … loved.”

“Yes, she is. With Franny’s help, it was why she was able to open that beauty parlor, and the women in the pack just love her. Until Harper, I think there were just girly nights, and not a lot of self-care. She helped to change it.”

“I get the sense she loves it here.”

“Oh, she does.”

“I need to take her back,” Mateo said.

“Yes, I know, but can I ask you a question?” Lemon asked.

“Sure.”

Lemon wiped her hands on the dish towel she’d been holding, and placed it delicately on the counter, before moving closer to him. “Are you taking her back because you think it is time for you to claim your mate and start breeding, or are you taking her because you can no longer live without her? Have you thought about her at all since she’s been gone? You know, besides the obvious necessary trips you’ve already made.”

“That’s two questions.”

Lemon smiled. “So it is. I wonder which one you’re happy to answer.”

Chapter Four

Harper loved to feel the warmth of the sun on her body as she sat in the town square, enjoying a bite of her apple, and the pages of a romance book. Not that she was understanding the book right now. She had pretty much read the same page for the last fifteen minutes, and this sucked because she loved reading.

Sunday was her reading day. The day she finally got to relax. Everything was set up at the shop, and she had no reason to be stressed or worried. This was her day away from it all.

She glanced down at the book.

Mateo. Of course, it would be so much easier to blame him for causing her no end of distractions while all she wanted to do was read her damn book. That insufferable man. Why did he have to arrive last night at her shop? Why did he have to fill her space with his masculine scent? Even her wolf, who wasn’t his biggest fan, had enjoyed inhaling the air.

She rubbed at her temple, feeling her annoyance rise.

There were not a lot of people around. She was aware of Silver doing his usual activity trip in the forest. He took several of the young kids into the forest and they’d climb trees. They had a rope tied up quite high, and they’d glide between them. The kids loved it and the parents loved the peace and quiet.

The moment Mateo was close she sensed him, and all she had to do was open her eyes to see him approaching. No one else was around. She wondered if there would be a few curtains twitching, but other than that, nothing. She didn’t want to be alone with him. Franny had already texted to give her the heads-up that Mateo was looking for her.

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