Page 9 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

I huffed. “At least then I know my niece isn’t yanking my heartstrings.”

Hector caught my shoulder. “Buddy, you are losing it. Pop a squat and chill for a second, sheesh.”

The way my ass hit the ground made it seem like Hector had a spell on me. In reality, it was the Alpha bond that drove my instant response. He kept his hand on my shoulder, kept squeezing the muscle there, and kept standing over me like he was shielding me from the world. After I dropped my head in my hands, I realized how hard my body was shaking.

“That’s it,” Hector said. “Just breathe, Man.”

Faye plopped on the ground beside me. She placed her hand on my other shoulder. This time, I didn’t shake her off. “Hey, sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. I just—”

“No, I’m sorry,” I interrupted. “I blew my lid at you.” I looked at my sister, trying to smile. “Sorry. I’m just not thrilled right now.”

“I know.”

I frowned, averted my gaze, and tried to figure out why my heart wouldn’t stop racing. I held my sister’s hand, held my best friend’s hand, and held on to a sense of stability for a second as I watched our pack trot around the cauldron that had stopped bubbling. Above their heads, the sky ominously twinkled with light from distant planets and stars.

I sighed. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You care about her,” Faye stated calmly. “That makes you scared.”

I would have snapped her head off if Hector hadn’t squeezed my shoulder again. Another calming breath later, I wasn’t as pissed off. But I was still mad. “Is this really a good idea? Her Alpha doesn’t like me.”

“Mates don’t care about limits,” Faye replied.

Hector patted my shoulder. “No, but we can figure something out. Let’s talk to Adrian.”

Our previous Alpha was making his way through the chaotic sea of people. Every time he made progress toward us, he got stopped by someone for a handshake or a quick hug. He looked like he needed a nap by the time he made it to us. I reached for his hand, instinctively pulling him into a brotherly hug with my chin resting on his shoulder.

He patted my back firmly. “We have much to discuss.”

“That we do.”

Hector beckoned us away from the noise, closer to his home, which had a few guards near the driveway and backyard. They didn’t want to take any chances with the most recent demon attacks.

Honestly, neither did I.

Adrian wrapped an arm around Hector. “It’s time I told you about the year I used Cliff as a drug mule.”

Hector stiffened. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

I rubbed the back of my head, glanced at Adrian, and didn’t proceed until I got the nod from him that it was okay to talk. “Yeah, I sort of…used to run drugs up to Maine.”

My Alpha glared at me. “What kind of drugs?”

“Prescription.”

His glare fell on Adrian. “Why didn’t you mention that before?”

“It’s old news. It’s not relevant.” Adrian shrugged with a humbled look of defeat. “It was one year. I never thought it would come up again. Cliff was one of five people who was part of the operation. Very small.”

I nodded. “It was several years ago.”

“Still,” Hector insisted, “that’s something necessary for me to know—so I can lead our pack into the future. Isn’t that what you wanted, Adrian?”

I could see now how badly I had hurt my Alpha by withholding such information. I bowed my head in penance, hoping my heart’s genuine apology could be felt. As soon as his hand met my shoulder, I knew that I was forgiven. I knew Adrian was forgiven. Hector couldn’t stay mad for long. Not with a woman like Faye at his side.

When I lifted my head, I felt absolved but not totally off the hook. “You say the word, Hector. I’ll defer to you, always.”

Heartfully, yes, I meant that. But there was something inside me that roared in opposition, a fear of the future or perhaps a fear of the past coming back to bite me. It wasn’t like I left Robyn on the best of terms. I hardly left her on any terms at all.

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