Page 40 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

I cocked my head to the right. “That’s fair.”

“You know what’s not fair?”

“What?”

He grinned dreamily. “That sweet ass getting covered up.”

“Cliff, now isn’t the time.”

“You weren’t making that argument five minutes ago.”

I pinched my lips together to hide my amused grin. “Alright, let’s start snooping.”

“After you, Princess.”

“I don’t know if I like that nickname.”

He shrugged while undoing the twine around one of the crates closest to him. “Baby? Sugar? Darling?”

“Nope. Unoriginal.”

“How aboutnerd?”

I feigned a gasp. “How rude, Clifton Spears.”

He chuckled as he pried the lid off the crate. Inside was a medley of straw and packaging that cradled a few giant tomes. Our laughter ceased as we became preoccupied with our discovery.

I lifted one of the books and popped it open. “Eh, sale logs.”

“Pelts,” Cliff specified, “…and the men who used to own the pelts.”

I stared with a haunted feeling at the book in front of me. “Cliff, this book is huge.”

“I know, kitten.”

“Hell no.”

He took the tome from my hands and gently set it back in the crate. “Don’t look at these books right now, Robyn. We’ll honor those names when this is all said and done.”

“Spoken like a true Alpha.”

He paused for a second without meeting my gaze, his hands resting on the thickest book in the bunch. “I just want you to be happy without destroying an entire pack.”

“Cliff, it’s not your fault that Bill is possessed.”

“No, but maybe if I had come back sooner—”

I grabbed his bicep. “If you had come back sooner, then this would have all happened faster, but it wouldn’t have actually changed the outcome.”

“I left you alone. I’m never making that mistake again.”

My brows knotted together as I dug my nails into his muscle. “Then don’t you dare die on me, Clifton Spears. Don’t youdarego through with that fight.”

He caressed my face. “What’s gotten into you? I thought it was the only way.”

“I just…I think…Iwant…” I couldn’t form a sentence to save my life. “Cliff, I have something I need to tell you.”

“What’s going on, pumpkin?”

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