Page 22 of Rejected Sold Mate
I blinked, not following. “Who?”
“The rogues,” Rhie crossed her arms, “I know you traded something for me, and now that I’m officially part of the pack, I think I deserve to know what it is.”
I sighed, leaning against the workbench. There was no way I was going to tell her the sum I’d given them, or the ridiculously dangerous promise of an open-ended favor. Even if Rhie knew nothing about pack politics, any wolf would know how problematic something like that could be. “It’s handled, Rhie.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“As your Alpha, I’m telling you that you don’t need the details. Can we leave it at that?”
She frowned, hurt. “You don’t trust me.”
“That’s not true. It’s just my burden to carry, and I’d be a shit leader if I put that weight on you. I’ll handle it.”
She studied me for some time, her head tilted sideways just a touch, her eyes searching. “If they come for you because of me—”
“They won’t,” I insisted, cutting in. “I gave them enough to be satisfied, and then some. You’re safe here with me.”
Her lips thinned, and I could tell she wanted to argue, but her shoulders sagged after a beat. “Fine,” the word was reluctant. “But if you get yourself killed, plan on me haunting you for eternity.”
I smiled, liking the thought more than she knew. “Noted.”
Chapter 11 - Rhie
I’d avoided my friends long enough, and after the mate announcement, I knew if I didn’t acknowledge them, they’d be on Jayce’s doorstep soon enough. So, despite the urge to hide away forever, I finally answered all of their messages and agreed to meet up.
As it turned out, they were getting together the next day for tea and to go over some magic that Kiera had been working on. I usually avoided the magic-based get-togethers, not just because I wasn’t magically inclined, but because the subject gave me a sinking feeling whenever I thought of my past. But I wanted to get the embarrassment of talking about Jayce over with, and the Lunas were insistent that I join them.
I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until Gwen opened the door to her and Joe’s home, and she pulled me inside with a squeal. Kiera was right there to greet me, too, but the pregnant Nayeli remained on the couch, waving happily.
“I knew you couldn’t avoid us forever,” Nayeli said when I leaned down to embrace her, “You just couldn’t stay away.”
They didn’t bring up Jayce right away, which I was thankful for. I’d considered just blurting out everything that had happened as soon as I arrived so we could get it out of the way, but I’d decided against it once I was in the warmth of their presence again. I wanted some time to pretend that everything was normal, and they appeared more than happy to give it to me.
Before I knew it, I was sitting cross-legged on the big green rug in Gwen’s living room, a cup of tea in my hand and the sound of familiar laughter all around me. It calmed parts of my soul that I didn’t even know needed calming, and I was more relaxed than I’d been in days.
Nayeli was sprawled out on the couch, her hands on her belly and a blanket over her legs, while Kiera sat on the ground with me, and Gwen occupied the recliner. We talked about pack drama and looked at pictures of Nayeli’s nursery, laughing when she told us how protective Scott had become now that she was so close to giving birth. But once all of those subjects wound down, all eyes turned to me.
“Soo…” Kiera stretched the word out as she stirred her tea. “You and Jayce…you know we have like, a million questions.”
“Yeah,” Nayeli added. “I hate to be pushy, but we’re all dying to hear everything. Explain yourself!”
Her tone was teasing, but I also knew there was no way I was getting out of there without actually explaining.
“Well—” I could feel my face and neck getting hot, but the three women were already leaning in, ready to hang on my every word. “It’s sort of a long story…”
“We have all the time in the world,” Gwen insisted. “Take your time.”
Ugh. There really was no escape. I stared into my half-empty cup of tea, trying to gather my thoughts. I wasn’t sure how I could be so unprepared, given that I knew what they were going to ask and had rehearsed my explanation the entire drive over. But when the time came to actually admit to someone everything that had happened since that night at the Broken Barrel, it was like my mind immediately went blank.
Still, I hated the idea of lying to them. The three women were the closest thing I had to a real support system, and they’d been there for me when I was positive the entire world was against me. I could dress things up a little, sugarcoat some of thefacts to make them less embarrassing, but what was the point? They’d never made me feel ashamed of anything.
So…I told the truth.
“Okay.” I blew out a nervous breath. “Okay. I’m going to start from the beginning. Jayce and I…we met by chance one night at this bar called the Broken Barrel. It’s outside of pack territory, so I’d go there when I wanted to feel…Anonymous, I guess. I knew Jayce, but he didn’t know me, and there was this immediate attraction sooo…we left together. It was just supposed to be a one-night thing, but obviously things got a lot more complicated than that.”
I could almost hear all of their jaws drop at the same time.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Kiera held up her hands, eyes sparkling, “Are you telling us that youhooked upwith him? Like, before the mating bond even showed up?”
