Page 37 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

The hooded figure stood at the bottom of the stairs, soaking up what little dim light came from the torches on the walls. Delicate fingers removed the rich green hood. “Is that really any way to talk to me?”

My heart pulsed hard. “Robyn!”

She rushed across the room and fell to her knees, the robes billowing around her. The tips of her fingers came through the iron bars like she was about to claw the door off the cage. My instinctual response was to clutch what I could touch of her hands through the bars and shove my forehead against the thick iron.

“Hey,” she whispered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I had to promise Bill a date just to—”

“A date?” My nostrils flared. “Robyn, no.”

She smiled weakly. “If you lose this fight, we’ll have bigger problems than that demonic jack-off taking me on a date, okay? Don’t let jealousy win in a hypothetical situation.”

Hot agitation flared in my chest and spread to every limb. “Help me pick this lock.”

“Way ahead of you.”

Ah, there she was—that adorably rebellious girl who I had met about nine years ago taking a bobby pin out of her jean pocket to pick the padlock. I watched with hypnotized awe and admiration as she expertly worked with a peaceful look on her face. As soon as the lock was off, she tossed it aside and yanked open the door, flinging herself into my lap before I could step out of the cage.

I laughed. The spirited feeling of joy consumed me temporarily, reminding me that there were so many bright spots in life where darkness appeared to exist endlessly. I hugged my sweet girl, who always found me, no matter how late or how dark it was in the night.

“Took you long enough,” I teased. “You here to bust me out?”

She whimpered weakly. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to get you past that knucklehead upstairs. I had to leave Sydney with Jillian at home because the streets are insane right now.”

“Yeah, that guy looks like he can bench an entire truck with one arm.”

“At least you’re not fighting him to the death.”

I gulped as I gripped the small of her back. “Eh, it’s kind of scary when you say it like that.”

“I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want to lose you.”

My smile cut through the sadness that threatened to take over. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me ever again.”

“That was before I saw how much Sydney adores you.”

“She thinks I look funny.”

She chuckled lightly. “Yeah, but she’s a good judge of character.”

“Oh? Is that so? I thought I was a spineless fuckboy.”

“Inevercalled you that.”

I guffawed as I guided her back. From this angle, the soft lighting made her look angelic. I peered into her eyes, enjoying how she closed them every so often in submissive contentment. I half-expected her to start purring with how much she looked like a satisfied cat taking a nap.

I cupped her face. “You implied it.”

“Okay, I implied it.”

I smirked. “Something must be wrong if you’re not fighting me.”

“Cliff,” she whispered breathlessly. “I never want to fight you again…”

She kissed me then, a glorious sensation infecting me that made it feel like my stomach was doing backflips, front flips, and side flips. I didn’t bother trying to contain my enthusiasm. Robyn was a spectacular kisser. She knew how to slide her fingers through my hair to make my skin tingle with desire. She knew how to accept my tongue when I plunged it into her mouth, capturing it with a lush groan that drove me wild. She leaned in when I adjusted my arms around her waist and then arched back to expose my throat to her.

Yes, that was just what we both needed right now, wasn’t it? A bite—which would ensure our bondandour protection. Just one bite would keep my mate from being groped by a possessed freak like Bill Parks, who had no problem betraying his own people for greed.

Robyn nipped my lower lip. I growled as I deepened the kiss while pulling her into my lap, firmly smoothing my hands over her hips to keep her in place. She straddled my lap with a generous roll of her hips, folding into place like she did three years ago. Like she did for many years before.

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