Page 4 of My Mate

“Very funny. I am upset.”

“Would it kill you to say a curse word?” Dex asked, as he started toward her.

“Just because I can say them doesn’t mean I should.”

“Everyone else does.”

“I’m not everyone else,” she said. She immediately cringed as she’d just admitted once again that she wasn’t like the other pack. She couldn’t turn.

Her parents were convinced she was highly stressed. When her birthday came, she didn’t feel stressed. She’d felt excited to finally take her place among the pack, and now there was no place for her, the only pack member who couldn’t turn. Yes, it grated on her nerves, and she grew more and more agitated with each full moon that passed. There was no special sense, no connection, nothing.

She felt like it was an empty void within her, and she was terrified of admitting that to anyone. Without the ability to turn, what was the point of keeping her in the pack? She was useless to them.

Pushing some of the hair out of her face, she then folded her arms and glared at him. “You shouldn’t have hurt Buddy,” she said.

“Why not?”

She frowned. “Why not? Because it is not nice to hurtsomeone who cannot fight back. In case you didn’t know, you’re the soon-to-be Alpha, and he cannot fight you.”

Dex shrugged. “He tried to, and pack politics have not stopped him from attacking me in the past, so don’t attempt to play that card. I know what Buddy is capable of, and if he thought he could beat the crap out of me, trust me, he would be all over it.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

He took another step toward her, then another. “Have you looked at your face?”

“He didn’t break any bones.”

“No? Not this time, but that doesn’t mean next time he won’t try a little harder. You can hate me all you want, Casey. No one beats the shit out of you and gets away with it.” He leaned in a little closer and she found it impossible to pull back. “And anyone that does will answer to me.”

“They have every right. Until I turn, I can’t be part of the pack.”

“No, youarepack, and anyone that says otherwise will get hurt, I guarantee it.”

“Your father is not going to be happy with this.”

“Funnily enough, he is happy about it,” Dex said. “I saved him a job. You’re pack, Casey, deal with it, and don’t allow others to beat you up. You and I both know you’re quite capable and can stop them.”

Chapter Two

The next full moon was only three days away. It was dark, and Dex knew exactly where Casey was going to be. They were no longer under curfew, and seeing as they were desperate for her to find that peace with her wolf, no one was stopping her from entering the woods.

They didn’t have to worry about hunters or humans walking through their forest. His father had long befriended an old witch who lived in a cabin at the edge of the woods. She hated being disturbed. For the added protection to his pack, she was part of the pack, even though she didn’t possess any wolf genes. She was all witch and could probably curse them while they were sleeping, but so far, nothing bad had come from helping her. His father had always said it was important to help others.

It didn’t take him long to find Casey. She was sitting in the center of a small clearing, and if there had been a full moon, the beam would have cast a light on her. The scent of chocolate and coffee was heavy in the air. Two scents he fucking loved, and most often Casey smelled like. She had a little addiction to both, and seeing as he had a not-so-secret addiction to her, it worked for the two of them.

“It’s rude to go sneaking around,” Casey said, and spun toward him. She crossed her legs, rested her palms upward, and stared at him.

“I don’t see anyone else here,” Dex said.

“So you’re happy to be rude to me.”

“Last time I checked, you’re more than happy to have your ass kicked than to do any real kicking,” he said.

“That’s not funny.” Casey glared at him, but she didn’t turn away.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t know, trying to figure out what is going wrong.”She sighed and he watched as her shoulders slumped.

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