Page 36 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

Perhaps that was why he was currently possessed.

Cheers erupted around me as Bill raised his hands. For a guy who inspired fear, he had an eloquent way of capturing thecrowd’s attention. Once he had soaked up enough attention, he dropped his hands and dismissed most of the crowd. He spoke to his three henchmen while pointing at me.

Soft fingers touched my neck. I swung my head left to find Robyn standing right next to me. Her lemony eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I didn’t realize how powerful that would be.”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just realized—” Her focus snapped to Bill, who was approaching us with his henchmen. “Let me handle this.”

I took her hand. “It’s okay. I’ve got this.”

“If I speak to him, then—”

Bill clapped his hands loudly. “What an incredible display of strength. I was expecting you to do it in Robyn’s name, but…” He stopped clapping while focusing on Robyn. “I suppose when you settle, that’s what you get.”

Robyn visibly flared with rage. “I’m petitioning the current Alpha to allow the challenging Alpha to—”

Bill cackled. “He’s no Alpha, dimwit. He’s a child playing with fire for the first time.” He squinted at me, sneered, and then smiled. “Just because he didn’t burn himself yet doesn’t mean he’s won anything.”

“I’m petitioning the current Alpha,” Robyn repeated sternly, “to allow the challenging Alpha to stay with me. What do you say?”

“Denied,” Bill snarled. “Get back inside where it’s safe. I’ll visit you later to—”

Robyn growled. “I’m petitioning the Alpha to see the challenger this evening!”

Bill huffed with irritation as he flung a last-straw glare at Robyn. “Moe, take the challenger to your basement and secure him.”

Robyn bared her teeth while grabbing my arm, grunting with rageful defeat when Moe muscled my arms behind my back and paraded me through the patchy crowd that lingered in the street. My back prickled with a distinct awareness of Robyn, her hoarse voice trying to get one up on Bill, and her scent of licorice and pepper tickling my nostrils still. That smoky sweetness made me salivate and I dared to flip around just to have another look at her.

Goddess.

What a sight.

Fading sunlight brightened her auburn hair with sparkling orange strands. Though her golden eyes were furious, they held power as well, a devotion to defending herself, her neighbors, and me.

And me.

Her skin glimmered with golden glitter on her tawny beige tan, cheeks red with anger, eyes wide with commitment. Sydney lifted her head from her mother’s shoulder and inspected her surroundings with drooping eyelids. The poor girl was just trying to get some shuteye. She made me want to be a better captive, a better challenger. My behavior would surely dictate what happened to Robyn and Sydney next.

It was best not to stir the pot.

Robyn caught me observing her and paused, her features shifting quickly from passionate defense to affectionate offense. Her eyes bubbled with admiration. To receive that look fromher was a spiritual trophy in my mind. That alone gave me the strength to smile and turn back around.

Head held high, I marched with Moe to his home, where he muscled me through a sparsely decorated living room into a cramped hallway. From there, we ducked through a wide doorway into a cool and dry basement. Crates occupied the left side of the room, with a cage in the rear right corner. Antique electric lights were strung along the walls, casting a soft hue on the space. The cage was where Moe chained me inside the iron cage that was just tall enough for me to sit upright against the brick wall.

A pipe dripped somewhere in the basement. Under my boots was that shiny gray cement that looked a lot like cliff rock. Long scarlet-brown braids hung in Moe’s face as he bowed down to check the lock. Beady black eyes stared suspiciously at me.

I snarled.

The burly guy laughed huskily and retreated to the stairs, where he noisily climbed back to the surface. I was left alone inside the cage, with my brain spinning through different outcomes. The good news was that the first phase of the plan was working now—I had access to whatever was in this basement. And, if I played my cards right, this entire house.

I just had to pick the lock on the cage. I patted my pockets to find my lock-picking kit and casually pulled it out to sort through my picking options. Knowing most pack customs, the Alpha would probably keep me overnight in this cage to ensure sterile fighting conditions. What they didn’t anticipate was that Iwantedthem to lock me up in one of these houses so I could gain access to their archives.

Anything could be considered archives down here. Diaries, sale logs, financial statements—if it kept track ofsomething, then it was sure to tell a story. Once I picked my favorite lock pick, my ears tingled—the hinges on the door upstairs squealed long and low.

Quietly, I shoved the lock-picking kit back into my pocket and watched the stairs on the other side of the basement. Light spilled over the pale khaki wooden steps. A shadow appeared in the square of light, then faded as the door shut. Footsteps clapped through the silence of the basement as my visitor approached.

I bowed my head. “I’m not hungry if that’s why you’re here. I just want to know the schedule.”

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