Page 60 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

We ran on the snow-covered peaks, a sense of understanding between us that no one else could fathom. Rider was like me—he had no family. He’d been discarded and screwed his whole life and had to fight for survival.

For a long time, I thought he was the only one who could truly understand me. It broke something in my soul to run out on him and let him think I was dead.

“I mourned you,” Rider tells me softly. “I grieved for you, my brother. I took out my rage on everything I could see, punishing the world for taking one more thing away from me. But now I find the world is even more cruel than I thought… that a brother could fake his death to abandon and betray me!”

“Rider—”

“No, fuck you! What can you possibly say to me to make this right?”

“If you didn’t want to hear what I have to say, you wouldn’t fucking be here!” I yell back.

Rider cocks his head to the side and growls. “I should fucking kill you,” he hisses, his hands clenching at his sides. “But I know Jethro has something very special planned for you, and I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

A chill runs through me. I know exactly what Jethro’s plans are like. I’d rather throw down with Rider right here and now.

Except that Leslie is standing right behind me.

“Rider, I meant everything I said when I was in the pack with you. I’m your friend, your brother, truly I am—”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Rider cuts me off. “All of those things might have been true if you hadn’t cut and run back to that fucking pansy Bailey. What do you owe him? Why would you betray us—me—for him?”

“Because he’s my family,” I say softly.

Rider’s face goes red with rage. “We were your family!” he screams. “We took you in, gave you a home, and protected you!”

“Really? Jethro deciding to randomly kill members of the pack is considered ‘protecting’ us? There are innocent people in that pack, Rider, and they deserve to be saved. I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to stop the violence.”

“Well, you certainly fucked that right up,” Rider snaps. “Jethro’s howling for blood now, quite literally. At first, it was just territory. He wanted to muscle you guys out of the way a bit so that we could grab some resources. Now, he wants to slaughter everyone in Bailey’s pack and the Decker Pack.”

I can see by his expression that he’s deadly serious. I know underestimating Jethro would be a very stupid thing to do. He has enough numbers to do some serious damage to us.

If we could only convince the others that they don’t have to fight. They don’t have to follow Jethro. They could come to us and be safe.

“Hey there, girly,” Jethro taunts, shifting to the side so he can make eye contact with Leslie. “Did you know your boyfriend was a savage killer?”

“Actually,” Leslie shoots back, “he’s my husband.”

Rider’s smile dies, and his eyes grow even colder. He glares at me.

“So that’s where it’s at,” he growls. “You were never really a brother to me, because you had this waiting for you. Why would you choose to stay with our pack when you had this juicy, ripe plum waiting for you?”

“Rider,” I growl, taking a step towards him. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he laughs. “Don’t talk to your girly? Hey there, girly. Do you like rough guys? Filthy, dirty, violent guys? You must if you’re with this nasty creep. He’s not just unbridled rage, he’s creative, too. You should see him torture someone, or hit a gas station for loot. It’s a thing to see.”

“Shut the fuck up, Rider!” I yell, taking another step towards him.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Your delicate, soft little lady can’t take the truth? She’s not what I’d consider to be your type, either, I—”

“Rider, if you don’t shut your fucking mouth, right now, I will tear you to pieces.”

Rider stops talking, but his smile is demonic. He’s watching me carefully, and he knows I’m ready to fight.

He also knows that everything he just said about me is true, and I am fully capable of ripping him apart.

“Alright, I’ll tell you what,” Rider says casually. “I’d like to help you out one last time. For the sake of friendship and brotherhood.”

He chuckles, shaking his head a little. I can’t stop the growl that rises in my throat. He glares at me, responding to the threat.

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