Page 8 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

And if that happenedafterI horizontally danced my way through the Florida Keys, then that was more than fine with me.

Since I was here on a technicality, I tried to find someone cute to focus my energy and frustration. One of the women near the cauldron was weaving flowers together into crowns and passing them out. I wandered toward her to get a better look at her lithe body and smoky charcoal-black skin with silvery undertones. Long crimson hair tickled her upper back.

I passed by with a sly smirk, holding eye contact fiercely before turning away. I knew how to play the game, and so long as I enticed her, then I could chat her up for a good distraction tonight. Assuming she didn’t get mated with someone, I would have something to look forward to later when my sister was fawning over the newly matched mates.

My spritzer was crisp with lemon and raspberry, a tang that made it easier to throw a few more sly smiles out—to a busty blonde, a curvy brunette, and an alternative chick with wide hips and small feet. That would save my place for somebody. Now I just had to turn around and face the crowd to scope out which of those four women was humping me with her eyes.

There’s a tiki torch. That’s a good spot. Well-lit. And turn with a smolder while raising your drink for optimum casual—

“The petals have surfaced!”

My loudslurpcut through the sudden silence, inviting half a pack’s worth of dirty glares and irritated frowns. Embarrassment might have been eating me alive internally, but on the outside, I was cooler than the drink I sipped. I offered the crowd a friendly grin and held up my glass. “Cheers, Sister. Glad we’re progressing into a new age together.”

Some pack members clapped while others remained confused. Faye smiled gratefully at me. “I’m so glad to hear that, Brother. Because you’ve been matched.”

Gasps fluttered through the crowd.

My smile slowly melted as I watched Faye lift the two petals. So innocuous, soft, and pretty. Who knew they would release the lever holding back the chaos in my life? I stepped toward the cauldron, unnerved by my sister’s abrupt silence. Please, tell me it wasn’t one of these single moms. I couldn’t have someone competing for Sierra’s weekly uncle time.

Another step toward the cauldron seemed to make the fire look farther away. “Faye? Who is it?”

One of the women near her with bright pink hair and studs in her nose waved her hands, encouraging Faye to say something. Hector stepped in, appearing like a shadow out of the crowd. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, looked into her cupped hands, and then stared at me like he was getting ready to give me some wicked bad news.

Shit, I couldn’t stand the silence anymore. Didn’t anyone need to sneeze or cough? A belch would be better than this invasive quiet that felt more like a threat than a pause. I marched to the cauldron and set my drink aside, then held my hand out to my sister with a similar smirk to the one I flashed earlier. Well, if I was going to be putting on a performance, then I better put on a good one.

“Come on,” I said with a playful tone, “who’s the lucky lady?”

Faye smiled tightly as she tentatively set the petals in my palm. I stared at them for several quiet minutes. Because there was no way what I saw on them in dingy handwriting was correct. It had to be a joke. It had to be something my sister pulled to get back at me for not taking this mate match ritual thing seriously.

“My mate is…” I licked my lips as I took a shaky breath, “…Robyn Wade.”

Celebratory applause exploded around me. The sound flooded my ears, blocking out the world around me. Torches were raised by dancers who took to the center of the crowd to rejoice in the announcement. But me? I was stuck here with two petals in my palm, delicate plant matter made of rosy pink with names written with a black felt pen. I searched the ground for that lost marker, searched my sister’s hands, searched the tomes and stacks of items next to the cauldron, searched under the fabric seated on the table, and then the table next to that.

And when had these tables gotten here?

My mind reeled as I tried to piece together the last few weeks. Between Faye reporting her silly dreams to me and earning my badge as Best Uncle Ever, I hadn’t noticed the void in my heart growing. Yet now that I saw Robyn’s name written next to mine, that space crowded up with emotions. The conflicting feelings soiled my mood—which hadn’t been great from the start, regardless of this happening.

A dancing wolf bumped into me. Behind him was a long train of dancers, wolf and human alike. People were stripping away their party clothes to shift freely as Faye and Hector nudged their way through the thickening crowd to get to me.I clamped my fingers around the petals and stomped around three people to get to my sister. When I caught her arm, I guided her through the sea of shifting bodies.

Hector was hot on our heels when we broke through the other side. I didn’t stop until Faye dug her heels into the solid earth. She grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. “Snap out of it, Clifton.”

I felt how much pressure forced my eyelids to stay open as my cheeks pinched inward. Jaw tense and tongue ready to lash, I shook off her hand and brushed invisible dirt from the area. “Ha-ha, a good joke, Faye. Who are the real mates?”

“You are.”

My attention snapped to Hector. “Is she joking right now?”

He shook his head. “I watched her take the petals out of the cauldron. There’s no way she played a prank.”

“You two would know better than me about pranks.”

I burned up with indignation. “What?”

Faye clenched her fists at her sides with her chest puffed up like she was getting ready to throw a punch. “I can’t believe you think I would try to pull the wool over your eyes.”

“You’re the one who’s been having that creepy dream.”

“Well, sorry my powers are socreepyto you, Cliff. Maybe you won’t think they’re creepy when your niece has her awakening.”

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