Page 55 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

Chapter 17 - Cliff

Lingering rain clouds sheltered Sunday morning from yesterday. After Robyn and I had run through the forest, we stopped at the mechanic shop inside pack territory to catch our breath. Something about seeing her sweaty and worked up had renewed my desire to make her feel like I was here for the right reasons.

That meant proving my dedication to her.

I traded a look with my sister, who nodded with a grin. She nudged Robyn and said, “So, has Cliff told you about our traditional mating ritual we do down south?”

Robyn adjusted her plate at the kitchen table. “No, I don’t think he has.”

“It’s a wonderful event,” Faye explained, “the whole pack gets into it.”

“Is that so?”

Faye beamed while grabbing a napkin to dab Sydney’s mouth. Robyn smiled gratefully. Sydney waved her fork, causing both women to stare sharply until she stopped.

I tried not to smile too much. It was nice seeing Robyn get along with my sister while my best friend helped me finish up the dishes. I went to the table, collected the empty plates, and kissed Robyn’s head. Her face burst with splotches of red as she wiped the area on her head where I had kissed her.

“Yeah, it’s fantastic,” Faye continued, “and I think it might be something neat to introduce to your pack here.”

I set the dirty dishes in the sink while Hector cast me an uncertain glance. It was like he was thinking what I was thinking—Will she go for it?

“I remember when I did the mating ritual with Hector,” my sister recalled. “It was…magical. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it since.”

Hector smiled. “You don’t mean that.”

Faye sighed lovingly. “Oh, but I do.”

Hector scratched his head. “Wait, so the sex hasn’t been as good since then? Because last week, you didn’t complain about—”

I swatted my best friend on the arm. “Hey, maybe you should stop while you’re ahead, buddy.”

Faye turned so pale that I could have probably swapped her face out with the full moon. Robyn coughed and then covered her mouth. The way her eyes turned to slits told me she was tryingreallyhard not to laugh out loud.

Sydney poked at her remaining pancake. “What’s sex?”

Robyn jumped from her chair. “Hey, how about cartoons with your niece?”

Faye laughed nervously. “I think what your Uncle Hector meant to say waschecksand how thosecheckswere bad last week because they couldn’t be cashed and—”

Hector twisted a kitchen towel between his hands. “Wait, it was bad? Faye, baby, come on…”

Robyn ushered Sydney out of the room to join her niece in the living room, where she was bouncing contentedly in her bouncer in front of the television. I rubbed my forehead while Faye chuckled awkwardly. Her face was redder than a ripe tomato. Hector was twisting that towel so hard that I knew I would have to replace it when he was done with it.

“Babe,” Faye whispered, “the sex has been great. I was just telling Robyn howthatexperience is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Hector held Faye by the waist. “But it’s good, right?”

“Yes, it’s good.”

I tapped my forehead once with my palm. “Okay, I don’t need to hear this from you two.”

Robyn returned with a mixed expression that I couldn’t quite read. It was like she was frowning and smiling at the same time—or maybe one of those expressions was fighting to take over. I wasn’t sure.

“Maybe we don’t talk about that in front of the kids?” Robyn asked with a breathy chuckle. “I’m sorry. I don’t want her to, like, repeat those words and—” She sighed. “Sorry. I know it’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not,” Faye said while rushing to her side. “Hey, it’s not ridiculous at all. I’m sorry about that. Right, Hector?”

Hector nodded. “Right. Sorry. It won’t happen again. I got a little, uh…insecure there for a second. My entire bad.”

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