Page 2 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

Nothing like a good cycle to keep me occupied.

Faye leaned over the crib to check on Sierra or fix her blanket or one of the thousand other things the two of us often did when Sierra was sleeping. It was such a compulsion to check on her.

After feeling satisfied that Sierra was fine, Faye sidled up next to me on the futon they kept in here. “I think she’s your real mate, Cliff. And I think that means you need to go get her.”

My eyes trailed over to the crib with a heart full of desire. Who was I kidding? Robyn was the only woman who ever understood me without me having to explain a damn thing. She was passionate, intelligent, and flowed with the chaos of my life. Though things were less chaotic these days, Hector had started pulling out old books about demonic possession. Something big was happening outside our sweet little self-contained pack town.

“I should stay here,” I reasoned aloud, “because of the demon stuff.”

She sighed. “I already told you and Hector that the demon stuff is over.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Faye. I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’ll be over for a while.”

“I’m the psychic here.”

I focused on my sister, how her brows dipped together with anxiety, how her eyes bristled with tiny dots of gold like her powers were churning in that sheet of hazel brown. “I just have a feeling.”

“Ah, so powers do run in the family.”

I chuckled, but the amusement didn’t quite reach my eyes. “It’s more than that, Faye. Hector is worried that your attack might have been the first wave.”

Her expression flopped. She glanced at the crib, a reminder of everything that was at stake here. “I haven’t felt anything in the ether.”

“Can you check?”

“I could do a spell to reveal any hidden threats.”

I nodded. “I can help if you need me to help. We just need to get a bigger picture going here so we don’t make any mistakes.”

“Even more reason for you to go and get your mate, Cliff.”

“She’s not my mate.”

Yet the moment those words left my mouth, my heart lurched forward as if it were about to leave my chest. I rubbed my sternum where it felt like my heart was attempting an escape. Nothing was wrong. But somethingfeltwrong.

Faye placed her hand over my heart. “I can see the holes in there growing. You need to go get her, Cliff. You need to make amends. Before it’s too late.”

“How do you know I did anything?”

“Because you’re my brother. You’re a goofball, and you can’t take anything seriously.”

I growled, “I take your daughter’s protection seriously.”

“That’s why Robyn needs you. Direct that energy to her.”

“But Sierra—”

“Has two dedicated parents, one of whom is the Alpha of one of the strongest packs in West Virginia.” She patted my hand reassuringly. “She’sfine, Cliff. I need you to find happiness now.”

I shook my head. “Robyn probably already mated with someone else by now. I haven’t seen her in three years.”

“Okay, change of plans.”

I smiled. “I knew you would understand.”

She grinned mischievously, her eyes turning to slits as her smile turned Grinch-like. “I think we can figure out a reason to send you up to the Wildtooth Tails that doesn’t have anything to do with Robyn.”

“I’m not running drugs up there, Faye.”

---