Page 32 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

“Amazing.”

I nodded. “Science, natural history, space—there won’t be anything she doesn’t know about. I’ll make sure that kid is loaded with knowledge. It’ll make her make better choices.”

“I’m so glad you feel that way about a child who isn’t yours.”

“She’s my niece, but that doesn’t mean anything. I love caring for her.” I nudged Robyn, who seemed to be preoccupied with something in town. “If I can be a good uncle, then maybe I can be a great dad, right?”

She raised her eyebrows without much emotion. “Sure.”

“Hey, you okay?”

She faced me. “Yeah, why?”

“You just seem like you’re a thousand miles away right now.”

She swallowed hard as she broke eye contact. I was tempted to make a joke, but she didn’t seem to be in a jokingmood. “I think I’m just tired. It was a long day with Bill interrogating what my mother presumed was a good enough mate for me.”

“Oh, you had a date?” I bent my legs and rested my elbows on my knees. “If I had known, I would have—”

“Crashed it?” She turned so our knees were touching. “Please, tell me you would have rescued me from that boring tea party.”

I half-smirked. “Maybe. Only with your permission.”

“Save me from plenty of future ones tomorrow?”

“Is that a request?”

She nodded slowly and then bashfully smiled. “Please?”

I grinned, cupping her face with a shaky hand. The wind was starting to get to me despite the layers I was wearing. While I looked into her eyes, I noticed the warm affection pouring from her body into mine.

Knowing that she meant her words, it was easy for me to say, “Yes, Princess. Of course…”

Chapter 10 - Robyn

Mother didn’t know when to shut up.

“It’s a scandal,” she said for the fourth time in a row, “about Cliff coming back and all. You heard the rumors, Dear. Can you believe he was planning on kidnapping you and Sydney? Can you imagine?”

She made a huffing sound like she was a puppy about to sneeze and then slurped her tea loudly.

“He didn’t even propose to you. What a joke!”

I rolled my eyes and reached for my teacup. I was getting tired of hosting these little tea parties. “Did you say something about a date today?”

“No, Darling. I just thought it was important for us to catch up.” She cast a polite grin over her shoulder at Sydney, who was playing quietly with a dollhouse. “Did you hear that, Dear? It’s a family day!”

Sydney smiled, yawned, and returned her attention to her dolls. All those multicolored dresses, shiny marble eyes, and chrome-painted nails looked too lively for my daughter’s countenance. She lifelessly bounced one doll along the edge of the dollhouse, a plastic model made of pastel, yellow, and pink that I had picked up in town. She had screamed bloody murder when she saw it. Now, she seemed like she was bored of it.

I sighed worriedly. “You know, I think this bachelor business is bothering Sydney. Can’t we give it a rest for a while?”

Sluuurp.“Give what a rest?”

My lips tightened into a flat line. “Mother, you don’t have to be obtuse.”

“If only Alpha would approve a mate for you.” Her exaggerated frown wrinkled her lips together. “He has such high standards. That’s probably for the best.”

“Mom, you don’t have to speak so loud. I’m sitting right next to you.”

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