Page 7 of The Alpha's Rejected Mate

David’s blue eyes grew wary. “What’s this about?”

“What’s she done?” Catrina asked, her look becoming steelier as she tightened the belt of her silk dressing gown.

I gritted my jaw, unsure what to say for a moment, but my need to see Billie forced the words out of my mouth. “Please, can you get Billie?”

David and Catrina exchanged a worried glance. My girlfriend was looking at me as if I’d lost my mind.

I hope I have.

But I remained silent, the same solemn expression hardening my features.

Finally, Catrina held up her hands. “Fine,” she griped. “I’ll get her.”

As she left, relief finally settled over me. In a moment, this would all be shown to be a ridiculous mistake. I ran my hands through my hair. It was probably just a silly dream that my stressed-out mind had conjured up. In a moment, Billie was going to walk downstairs with Catrina and be as confused by my appearance here as the others were.

I noticed that David’s regard hadn’t turned away from me. I knew he’d cottoned onto my agitation as I rocked on the balls of my feet. I fisted my hands again. I couldn’t blame him for not inviting me in, given my pumped-up state. We werewolves were known for our short temper, and if something kicked off, he probably thought it best it stayed outside.

Footfalls sounded…

They seemed to harmonize with the knock of my heart as a hundred and one questions flooded my head. “Would Billie have had the same dream? Would seeing her feel different?” As thejumbled questions crowded my head, I knew that in a moment, the darkness and doubt I was experiencing would be done away.

But nothing prepared me for Catrina’s white face. Her pallor was extreme against her black locks. “She’s not in bed. Neither is Cole.”

My heart pounded as urgency gripped me. More confusing thoughts drowned out all reason.

I have to find her. I have to make sure she’s safe.

Without another word, I turned away from Hexen Manor, ready to dash into the surrounding forests.

But a black-haired, pale-faced guy walked toward me: Colt.Behind him,Billie was suddenly there, too. Her shoulders rounded forward, and her head hung down a little, making her look even mousier. She hadn’t noticed me yet.

Colt was beside Billie—so close his arm touched hers. A protective stance that I noticed instantly.

“Gavin?” Colt greeted me with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

I felt the prickle of the others’ attention behind me as they, too, waited to hear what I was doing here.

But I only had eyes for Billie. Her eyes widened, her face flushing with heat as she looked at me. She seemed so small and fragile. But as her bright green eyes pierced me, just as they had this morning and … in the moon pool, I realized they were a vibrant shade of green. The color of new spring growth. I saw, too, the elegant column of her neck and her slenderness that held the delicacy of a new bud.

Ignoring the warmth spreading through me as I looked at her, I locked eyes with her. “Billie.” My voice shook. “I … I have to know. Did you see it, too?” I finally managed to choke out the words, my voice strained.

The unspoken words seemed to lie between us, and time stood still. My heart hammered against my ribcage as if it wanted to break through.

Billie’s eyes widened. A flicker of recognition flashed across her delicate features, and my hope plummeted. “Yes,” she said slowly. “Vana showed me you, too.”

Silence hung heavy behind me, the tension palpable as she alluded to the dream that had brought me to the Hexen’s door tonight. The Moondream and its implications were deeply entrenched in our werewolf culture. I sensed both David and Catrina realized what had happened.

Colt’s smile had fizzled out, and the lines of his shoulders displayed the tension I felt. Everyone suddenly understood that Billie and I werefated mates. My mind reeled with anger. Colt’s tall, muscular frame beside Billie complimented her delicate build. And I wondered what they’d been doing outside together.

Even as jealousy reared its ugly head, disbelief whirled through me.

You’re not jealous.

Of course, I wasn’t jealous. Colt was shorter and scrawnier than I. He wasn’t half the wolf I was. I could take him. As for whatever he and Billie had been up to together, I couldn’t give a damn.

Fury pounded through me as I gritted my jaw. I took a step back, away from Billie, shaking my head. “The dream’s wrong.”

This couldn’t be. This was allwrong. Look at her; my outraged voice roared in my head. My disdainful stare raked over the giant hoodie that swallowed her frail form.

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