Page 4 of Alpha's Rejected Mate

Harper glared at him, and then she took one step, followed by another until she stood almost toe-to-toe with him. “Guess again. You banished me, Mateo. You’re not my alpha. I don’t answer to you.”

He grabbed her arms, pulling her in close. He felt such urgency to press his face against her neck, to breathe her in, but he held himself back. His wolf just wanted to throw her to the ground and claim her right there and then, but he kept control. Like always, control was something he knew.

“You’re my mate.”

“No, I’m not. I’m your rejected mate. I’m not yours and I’m never going to be yours.”

She brought her arms up, slamming them down on his, and there was that strength again that took him by surprise.

“Don’t ever manhandle me again.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Mateo watched her go, a little in awe and shock. He hadn’t anticipated her rejection. He hadn’t intended to see her. Even though she was no longer a child, they were not together.

He couldn’t help but watch her, seeing the sway of her ass as she walked away from him. Harper had always been a larger woman, curves in all the right places. To some, she stood out among the crowd of wolf females as they tended to be on the slender side. Not Harper. She looked stunning.

“Alpha?” Peter asked.

“She’s different,” Mateo said. He’d sensed the anger inside her. Her wolf rejected him, just as Harper rejected him.

He should have known there were going to be consequences for what he did. “Your presence is known, we must continue. We’ve already caused too much commotion,” Damon said.

Mateo knew of the delicate balance they must play with the humans. It wasn’t so long ago there was a hunting party, and all the wolves had to be on high alert. When a human went missing, or there was a suspected animal mauling, danger always lurked for the wolves.

He had no choice but to go Silver and tell him what he did. Running a hand down his face, he turned and made his way down the street, giving them a good distance from the bar before entering the forest. He never traveled by car, not for his annual visit to the Silver pack.

He sensed the tension in Damon and Peter, but all he could think about was Harper. She definitely had changed. Silver had told him that in the beginning it was awkward for her at the pack. No one wanted anything to do with the banished female. Franny, Silver’s daughter, had been the one to bridge that gap. She befriended Harper, and he’d also learned that Harper’s skills had come in handy with many pack females.

Mateo hadn’t been aware of Harper’s love of cosmetics. After he’d banished her, and his wolf had struggled, her parents allowed him access to her bedroom, where he had seen another side of Harper.

Young Harper loved the color pink. She also loved dresses and skirts, and only wore pants in the cold season. She didn’t have music or movie posters in her bedroom, but more images of looks and styles she liked to replicate.

Harper had become the Silver pack’s beautician, opening a small salon where she styled hair and makeup. According to Silver, she’d done many a female’s mating style. To Mateo, it had felt like utter nonsense and rubbish.

Now, he was interested to know exactly what his mate was up to.

The moment he entered Silver’s territory, he sensed the power of the alpha. At first, his own wolf wanted to respond, to challenge the authority. It was built in him as alpha, but his father had taught him the value of diplomacy and patience, and learning how to build trust.

It would be so easy giving everything up to his wolf, but he knew it would lead to nonstop war, and he wasn’t interested in that.

Wolf packs at war were a thing of the past, and he intended to keep it that way. He knew of other packs struggling who lived on each others’ borders, and it was a delicate balance, but not for him.

Within minutes, he was at Silver’s home, and the man himself was already at the front door.

“You’re late,” Silver said.

“And your daughter decided to frequent a human bar and take my mate with her, along with several of your own pack.”

“Mateo, let me worry about how I run my pack and my people, and you focus on your own pack and your own troubles.”

He wanted to argue the point but he also knew Silver was doing him a favor. He thought about Harper, and he stared at the other alpha.

“I need to ask you for a favor.”

“See, you want to ask me for something. Isn’t it a good thing that you stop with potentially insulting me?”

Again, he wanted to dispute but knew the other alpha spoke the truth. He needed to get his shit together, and fast. Gripping the back of his neck, he took a deep breath. “I want to stay here until I get Harper back.”

Silver folded his arms across his chest. “Come again?”

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