Page 33 of The Alpha's Rejected Mate

Finally, when exhaustion swept over me, I collapsed for the night. But the descriptions of the dragons meant my dreams were uneasy and full of beating wings and blinding fire.

It felt as if I’d just fallen asleep, but I woke to light streaming through my bedroom window. Someone was banging on mycabin door. I hauled my weary bones out of bed and opened the door.

I blinked in the harsh light, realizing I’d slept in much later than usual. Then again, I had been up reading through reports until who knew what ungodly hour.

Aislin stood there, dressed in running gear. Her jaw was gritted, and her whiskey-hued eyes hard.

“What’s happened?” My thoughts hurtled to Billie. “Is Billie okay?” I demanded, my pulse rocketing.

She quirked a brow but assured me, “She’s fine. Still in bed.”

And just like that, my mind was full of feverish thoughts, picturing her lying on my bed again.

But Aislin very much knocked me back into the present as she announced, “Dad wanted me to tell you he had word of a Dalesbloom packmate turning up dead this morning.” She locked her gaze with mine. “Joseph turned up dead in the woods.”

Catrina’s sadistic voice echoed through my head.“I told him that if he ever came near me again or told anyone about me featuring in his Moondream, I’d kill him on that stump.”

Shock crashed through me. She’d followed through on her threat. Catrina had taken her fated mate’s life. My jaw locked with rage. But the thought of Billie tucked up in the Mundy’s cabin soothed me. Tension unwound as I thought of her so close, and a wave of need pitched through me: to keep her safe and … close to me.

Chapter 17

Billie

The sunshine was trickling through my bedroom curtains, brightening the balsamroot-yellow walls and making me feel as if I were lying in a wildflower meadow, an imagining that my sleep-hazed body was enjoying as I stretched out in my comfy double bed.

I’d been awake for a while but hadn’t gotten up yet. I’d slept so deeply, and my body had that deliciously heavy feeling that only came from a good night’s sleep.

Although the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit my nose, the deep olfactory senses of my wolf alerting me to it even through the closed door, I was seriously debating getting up.

A knock sounded on my door.

Scooting up in bed, I called out, “Come in.”

Aislin appeared, carrying a pair of mugs. “I didn’t know if you took milk, so I brought a jug,” she said, setting down a little jug on my bedside table, too.

I beamed. “Wow. Coffee in bed. I’m loving the Mundy BnB experience.”

“We aim to please,” she said, her eyes warm. She took her own mug. “Mind if I join you?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said, feeling upbeat. I found being around Aislin as cheering as being in this bright room. You couldn’t help but feel perkier around her.

She shut the door before sitting down on the end of my bed.

I poured in some milk, appreciating her thoughtfulness. I preferred my coffee milky.

Aislin seemed preoccupied as she sipped hers, and my stomach tightened, sensing this wasn’t just a social visit. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

She raised her eyebrows as if surprised I’d picked up on her worry. Then she explained, “We’ve had some news about the Dalesbloom Pack.”

Panic thumped through me. “Has something happened to Colt?” I blurted out, worry coiling through me.

Aislin shook her head. “No, I assume Colt’s fine,” she said, her jaw tightening. I knew she still felt strongly that my adoptive brother was as much to blame for what I’d suffered in the Hexen household with his silence as David and Catrina were for their oppression. But her assurance eased my tension.

“Both my mum and dad are Gavin’s Betas,” she explained. “My dad was staking out the borders of Dalesbloom last night. In addition, he keeps links with the rest of the community to stay informed of what’s happening in the area.”

“He had word this morning from the undertaker in Dalesbloom town that there’d been a death at Hexen Manor. Apparently, apackmate, Joseph, was found dead in the woods in the early hours this morning.”

Shock punched me. I pictured the blond-haired young man. He was easy-going by nature and had always reminded me a lot of Colt. He’d only been a few years older than my adoptive brother. Colt had been good friends with him.

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