Page 2 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

“Yeah,” Bae says. “But it looks like that one recently got killed in a leadership challenge. The new one, Jethro, is worse than the one I killed. He might move on us.”

“Fuck!” I can’t hide my shock. All-out war is something packs should avoid, not encourage.

“Yeah,” Jack chimes in, nodding. “So, I know this is a big ask, but we need someone to go undercover over there and report back to us any useful information.”

There is a very deep and complete silence as all of them look at me. It takes a moment for my brain to catch up.

“Wait… me? You want me to go?”

Bailey nods. “Yes. I’m sorry, but we’ve chosen you as the best candidate. There really isn’t anyone else we can trust with the skills for the job.”

A slight chill runs through me, and for a second, it’s like the tattoos on my arms and chest burn. Bailey is referring to the old me, the one that existed before I finally settled down and started taking care of myself and heeding the pack.

Bae’s eyes glow gold, just for a second. His wolf speaking to mine. He values my inner savagery, my experience with violence, and my knowledge of street criminals. At the moment, it seems as if this has made me extremely useful.

“Look, I know this isn’t ideal,” Jack says. “You’ve got a girl, we all know that. Darla Simmons, isn’t it?”

I nod, feeling sweat trickle down my sides. They all believe I’m with Darla.

Good.

“I am asking you to put your personal feelings aside, just for a while, and be of service to your pack,” Bailey says. The firm look on his face and the hard glint of his eyes speak volumes. He isn’t going to force me, but he also wants me to prove my loyalty and show that I’ve put my dark past behind me.

“I should be the one going,” Jack says. “And I will, if I have to. But I’ve just settled in with Lena and the baby, and I did you a massive favor by stepping in to take on the arranged marriage. You were the first choice for that. I wanted you to keep your girl.”

I can’t stop sweating now. This feels like a disaster on every level. I can’t refuse, though.

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “I’ll do it.”

“You’ll be gone for quite some time,” Decker speaks up. “Maybe a year. This will also be very risky. It might not end well for you.”

I laugh softly. “I doubt they could throw anything at me that I haven’t already seen,” I mutter.

“What about Darla?” Jack asks. “Are you sure you can leave your mate?”

My stomach twists a bit. “I’m not sure she is my mate,” I say. “I think she’ll be fine with some time apart. We aren’t right for each other, anyway.”

“I thought you were buying her a ring?” Bailey asks.

I shake my head. “I had a look at the rings. But honestly, watching you guys pair up has made me realize I’m not quite ready to quit sowing my wild oats yet, if you get what I mean.”

The others all have a laugh at that. I feel like absolute hell right now. I’m not even lying, and that’s partially why I feel so bad.

“Okay, then,” Bae says. “Get yourself ready. I’ll meet with you later this evening before you go. Let me know when you’re ready to leave town.”

“I will,” I answer, standing up. Bae comes over to me, and I give his hand a firm shake.

“I won’t let you down, alpha,” I say. “I can and I will complete this mission and prove myself to you.”

Bae nods. “I have faith in you, Kyle. I know you can do this.”

The meeting breaks up, and I head out of the diner. Before I start getting ready to leave, there’s something I have to do first.

I walk away from the diner towards the nearest line of houses. Leslie’s house isn’t far away, and it won’t take me long to walk there.

Jack wasn’t the only one who picked up a girlfriend in Silverton during the peace talks. I hit it off with Leslie one night in the diner and couldn’t get enough of her from that moment on. The trouble is, it seems like our relationship was doomed from the start.

I wasn’t regularly invited to meetings, so I had no good reason to be at Silverton. It was very difficult getting away to see Leslie. Then the whole thing with Jack and Lena went down, and he was forbidden to see her.

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