Page 17 of Alpha's Rejected Mate

Harper had gotten the usual permission and done the formal requests, but her parents were not known for change. Still, she loved them for at least trying with her.

“Incoming,” Franny said.

Harper didn’t have long to prepare before her storefront door opened, and there was Mateo, complete with a small bundle of flowers in his arms. She held onto the broom she’d just gotten out of her closet, and she looked at him.

“Afternoon, Harper, Franny,” he said.

Her friend gave a grunt in return.

“Afternoon,” Harper said. She always had to be polite. It was something her parents had instilled in her, even if all she wanted to do was ask him to leave. She had to be nice, at least this first time. After that, she could be done with the pleasantries.

“What are you doing here?” Harper asked, not exactly fighting fire with fire, but it was a start.

“I, I wanted to ask you out on a date,” Mateo said.

This made Franny scoff.

Mateo ignored her.

“Look, I know you don’t trust me, and you have every right not to, but you’re my mate, Harper. I want to do whatever’s necessary to make this right.”

Harper looked at the flowers, then at him, and forced a smile to her lips. “No, thank you.”

She saw how Franny sat up in her chair.

“Harper?”

“Look,” she said, taking a deep breath. She had to compose herself and try to find the right words for him to understand. “I don’t want to be with you. I like it here. You’re not going to want to stay here, but I’ve built a life for myself. I love the Silver pack. This is my home now, and that means you’re not a part of it, and you’ve not been part of it for a long time.” She brushed some hair off her temple. “I’m sorry, but it’s a no.”

She turned her back on him and began to clean up the mess.

He must have stood there for several minutes, because that was how long it took for her to hear the bell. She pressed her lips together.

“Wow,” Franny said. “He brought flowers, Harper.”

She turned to her other friend. “You don’t think I should have rejected him?”

“I don’t know what to think. He’s not my mate, but … what about our discussion yesterday? The full moon is close, Harper. You can’t just…”

“I can,” Harper said. “I’m not going to live my life afraid of him getting bored. I don’t know what changed his mind, but you weren’t there when he banished me. Even my father tried to get him to change his mind and it didn’t happen. Nothing would sway him, but now that his mind is made up, I’m supposed to, what, be happy about that? He broke my heart. His answer to finding out I was his mate was anger and disgust. Have you seen what happens when two people finally find each other?”

Franny nodded. “Yeah, their happiness is … palpable.”

“The whole pack witnessed his rejection of me. He didn’t like the fact I was his mate, and now, because he has finally accepted it, I’m supposed to be happy about it?”

“No, you don’t have to be happy about it.”

Harper took a deep breath. “Even though they were really pretty flowers.”

“I noticed,” Franny said.

Harper smiled. “But I can’t be with him. I won’t.”

****

Mateo sat at the kitchen counter, attempting to enjoy his late-night cereal. Women were supposed to love flowers and chocolate. He’d not gotten the time to get the chocolate, but he’d spent hours at the florist trying to come up with the perfect bouquet for Harper.

She didn’t want any of them.

---