Page 4 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

Hector nodded. “But that was his business deal he had going on. I’m not sure why it went bad or what went wrong. If I’m sending my liaison and mending a bridge, then there needsto be a good reason for why I didn’t personally go up there myself.”

Faye stamped her foot in a show of defeat. “I tried.”

Hector hummed curiously. “Although it would strengthen our ties with the northern packs…”

I sighed as I reached for my best friend. “Please, don’t send me to Maine, Man. I don’t want to go up there.”

“I’ll make you deal a then,” Hector offered brightly, “put your name in the mate ritual pool, and I’ll call it even.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You were really waiting to pull that one out.”

“Come on, you deserve a chance to be matched with a wolf, Cliff.”

“I already told you: I don’t care about that mate crap. I like being able to screw whenever I want and go to bed alone.”

Tough as that sounded coming out of a built guy like me, I felt super squishy on the inside about it. Truth be told, I wasn’t as enthusiastic about going to bed alone as I was claiming to be. Ever since Faye told me about her dream, I couldn’t get Robyn out of my head.

Hector squeezed my shoulder in a brotherly fashion. “You probably won’t get chosen. I just need your name. That’s all.”

I stared at my sister. “I’ll do it if Faye stops telling me about her silly little dream.”

Faye turned her nose in the air while cradling Sierra to her shoulder. “Hey, if you want to hide from the truth—”

“It’s not true, okay? It’s never going to be true,” I snapped. “Stop it, Faye. I mean it this time. I need you to stop.”

My features felt strained, pained by a burning memory of the last time I saw Robyn, with her tawny beige skin glimmering with golden hues from the sun and her red-auburn hair tickling her chin. She had choppy bangs then, a fringe she had done in the bathroom with a pair of scissors herself. It about drove her mother sideways with how unprofessional it looked.

But hell, I loved that punky look on her petite frame with her wide yellow eyes and button nose softening her expression to one of mischievous wonder. I used to love it when she wore tight flared jeans with a bikini top—nothing like seeing all that golden skin exposed in the summer sun next to the cliff.

Yeah, I thought.Nothing like that will ever happen again.

My sister turned to the changing station, pursed her lips, and downcast her eyes. “Well, alright then. If you’re asking…”

“No, I’m demanding,” I said sharply.

Hector growled in my direction, his eyes sharpening as his jaw tensed up and his hair on his head bristled. “Hey, be nice to your sister.”’

“I’m not the one being rude, Man.”

Hector pointed to the door. “Thanks for your help today, Cliff. I’ll call you about that mate pool tonight.”

“It’s tonight?” I huffed, shoved my hands in my pockets, and went to the doorway. “Guess I should go kiss my bed goodbye then.”

“Would you stop being so dramatic?” Faye snapped. “Seriously, go home and eat dinner. Shower. Change. Take care of yourself for once.”

I paused near the door frame, glancing at the changing station where Hector and Faye had quickly turned theirattention to their spectacular baby with pudgy legs and tiny feet. In a matter of seconds, they had forgotten about my presence. Sierra had that effect on people. I joked with her often about how it was one of her powers surfacing really early in her life.

If I ever had a daughter like her, I would be all over her like that, too. I would forget about the whole world just to get lost in hers. That wouldn’t ever happen, but it was nice to picture it. It was nice to think how a child with Robyn might look. It was nice to pretend that maybe that was achievable someday.

But it wasn’t. My name getting thrown into the mating pool was merely a favor for a favor, nothing that would ever carry any serious weight. Besides, if I were matched with someone, it would be a woman inthispack, not from the Wildtooth Tails.

There was no chance Robyn was my mate. None at all.

Chapter 2 - Robyn

Days like today were meant to be spent with family. Sun spilled into the living room, draping like warm blankets over the fluffy beige couches that formed a rectangle around the cream-white coffee table. Sat carefully in the center was a bouquet of roses, zinnias, and asters, varying from scarlet to violet. The scent of it filled the living room with a sense of life, learning, growth, and capability.

Through the patio door behind me came a wash of white light that illuminated the dark teal carpet, the gold lines separating the apricot panels of the wallpaper, and the multitude of canvas paintings my daughter had recently accomplished. Contrasting to the professional appearance of the house were the swatches of vivid primary colors, the slithering blocks of which turned my living room into an art gallery.

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