Page 20 of The Alpha's Rejected Mate

Great, now he was calling my taste shit. “Well, your dad had a sense of humor,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

He blinked at me, then let out a surprised laugh. His hazel eyes wound past me, brushing the Pack Rules sign fondly. The first soft smile I’d ever seen suffused his face. “That he did.”

A prickle of warmth wound through my chest, and I both wished that I hadn’t made Gavin smile like that and that I could make him smile like that again. Objectively speaking, Gavin, with his strong features, clean-shaven jaw, and dark brown hair and eyes,was handsome. But when he smiled, he was the most mind-blowingly gorgeous.

His hazel eyes landed on me, and my breath caught in my throat as a glimmer of warmth swam in them. It wasn’t the heady desire I’d seen in them in the Moondream. But I was almost certain that they were alight with amusement and friendliness as they took me in.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door. A streak of black hair and then a flash of cold blue seemed to freeze the air in my lungs.

“So, you’ve been running amok, have you?” David growled as he entered the cabin. “Get in the car,” he ordered as he strode into the cabin, his presence banishing all of the magic I’d sworn had been building in me … and, perhaps, in Gavin.

That less than feeling shot right through my chest. Like a bad dog, I stalked past him, dismissed. I fought to keep calm as I passed Catrina’s hateful blue eyes that sparkled with glee as she thrilled at witnessing me being set down.

Colt fell into step beside me, his kind eyes searching. “Are you all right? Gavin told Dad that you’d been injured.”

My stomach twisted with guilt as I thought of the promise I’d made to Colt and broken by going out alone in the woods tonight. I kicked the dust up as we walked toward the truck. My chest deflated as I wondered whether Colt would be mad at me, too.

“I didn’t mean to go out, Colt, I swear.” I exhaled heavily. “I lost control of my wolf.” I sighed. “Then, she took off before I could stop her.”

But I shouldn’t have been worried because he drew my chin up and looked me in the eye. “None of that matters as long as you’re okay.”

He pulled me into a hug, and I told myself that everything would be okay because I still had the only friend I’d ever needed.

Chapter 10

Gavin

As Billie exited the cabin, David came over to the fire, standing at the other end of the hearth.

“Have a seat,” I offered, gesturing over to one of the armchairs.

He shook his head, remaining standing, so I remained on my feet, too.

“I’m sorry Billie’s been bothering you,” he said, his bushy eyebrows still drawn into a scowl. He clearly thought her being out in the woods had something to do with me and the Moondream we’d both witnessed.

It was my turn to shake my head. The anger that I’d felt toward her in the clearing when I’d first seen her collapsing on the ground had entirely dissipated, and I was able to say honestly, “It wasn’t her fault.”

I replayed how David had snapped at Billie just a moment ago, dismissing her as if she were a misbehaving child, and a muscle ticked in my jaw. He hadn’t even checked to see how she was. Over the phone, I’d informed him that she’d been hurt but assured him that she was being treated by our pack healer. The fact that he hadn’t even asked herhowshe was feeling seemedodd to me. Sure, she wasn’t his biological daughter, but David had adopted her when she was a baby and had a duty of care to her. He must have some paternal feelings toward her, right?

Now, his blue eyes had hardened with suspicion, and I wondered whether he thought I had lured Billie out.

He could cool in on that front. But my wolf bristled with anger at the thought of David hypothetically interfering with my business if I had wanted to talk to Billie. After all, after my Moondream, with Vana having presented her to me, I had every right to want to talk to her.

I shook away the dominance that was starting to bubble up, curbing my wolf. I wanted to broach the subject of the dragons, I reminded myself.

I leveled my gaze at him. “I found Billie in a clearing in Dalesbloom territory tonight. She’d been injured by dragons who were hunting a unicorn. Both Muriel, the unicorn, and Billie have been checked over by Helen, my pack healer, and will be fine.”

“A unicorn,” David exclaimed, his eyes widening. For a moment, something glinted in their depths, but it was too fleeting for me to catch.

“Unicorns are rare creatures, Gavin,” he said. A reflective look cloaked his face. “I’d be honored for the Dalesbloom Pack to shelter Muriel if she’s in need.”

I shook my head. “Thank you, David, but that’s not necessary. I’ll be speaking to Everett tomorrow about Muriel,” I explained.

From chatting with Muriel, I’d discovered that she’d come to this area in search of Mythguard. I’d already decided that Everett would be the best man to find a safe place for Muriel. If Aislin was right that he had Mythguard connections, then he’d know what to do. And if not, perhaps the Eastpeak Pack and Grandbay could pull together their resources to protect her.

“I wouldn’t get Everett involved,” David argued.

I blinked at him in surprise, wondering whether Dalesbloom and Eastpeak were on bad terms. I hadn’t heard anything about hostilities lately.

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