Page 39 of Rejected Sold Mate
“Could have fooled me. I think I saw Josh get teary-eyed.”
I groaned, “I want to crawl into a hole and disappear.”
Jayce put his hands on my hips and pulled me close, kissing my forehead once we were alone in the room. “Don’t. That was hilarious, but also brave. You spoke your truth, made your case, and succeeded. I’m proud of you.”
“I didn’t succeed.” I didn’t try to pull away, hiding my face against his shoulder. “You’d already made up your mind.”
“I’m sure you would have swayed me.”
I wasn’t sure if he was saying it just to make me feel better, but something warmed in me at his words. I savored those moments when he was less Alpha and more Jayce. It gave me a glimpse of what he might have been like if he hadn’t been raised in the crucible that was his pack under his father and grandfather. What he could still be like, if his pack was accepted fully into the alliance and he could finally relax.
“I’ve got a little bit of paperwork to finish up before I can go, but I’ll see you at home tonight, okay?”
I nodded, slowly pulling out of his arms. “Thank you. For giving me the chance to speak, even though you had no idea what I was going to say.”
“You haven’t given me a reason not to trust your judgement yet, Omega.” He gave me a last kiss, on the lips that time, “Let’s keep it that way, hm?”
***
My hand was on the driver’s side door when a shadow behind me blocked out the sun. I had a sinking feeling, and when I turned around, my fears solidified. It wasn’t Jayce who’d followed me out to the parking lot, but Brian.
My body tensed, my magic starting to simmer under my skin, ready for another fight, but Brian held up his hand that wasn’t in the sling.
“I heard what you said.” The wolf's voice was reluctant, but he was set on his path and didn’t back down. “Didn’t expect that.”
“Honestly, neither did I. I surprised both of us, I guess.”
Brian rubbed the back of his neck and looked past me, into the horizon, like it was hard for him to meet my eyes. “I was wrong about you. I don’t…like witches, as a rule, and it made me act like an asshole. I just wanted to say thanks. For sticking up for me.”
I was stunned, “You’re thanking the person who broke your arm?”
“I’ve had worse,” Brian said sheepishly, shrugging, “Still hurt like hell, though.”
That surprised a laugh out of me. “Yeah. It looked pretty gnarly. I’ll do my best not to let it happen again.”
Brian inclined his head. “Fair. I’ll do my best not to deserve it, then.”
It was an easy truce, but also an unexpected one. An apology from a male wolf was rare, and I basked in the glow of how good it made me feel as Brian walked off. My speech to save him might have been wasted, but at least he appreciated it, if nothing else.
Chapter 20 - Jayce
I hadn’t been in my new pack territory all that long, but I’d walked and run through it enough to know it well. I’d hunted the hills, rolled through the fallen leaves, and swum in the rivers and lakes. If someone had asked me a month ago if I was capable of keeping every square inch of my territory safe, I would have said yes without hesitation.
But that was until the rogues. Deep in the most animalistic part of myself, Iknewsomeone had been on my land without me knowing. But there was just no way to prove it.
The damned boundary check came up clear—again.That should have been what I wanted, but in the face of dozens of tripped wires and the rogue's open request hanging over my head like a guillotine, the quiet was almost more dangerous than outright chaos.
I knew how to fight. I didn’t know how to wait around, twiddling my thumbs while an unknown number of rogue wolves plotted against my mate and pack.
The thought of Rhie was a sweet distraction and a perfect reason to put ideas of the rogues aside for the moment. She didn’t pull away from kisses or caresses anymore, but at the same time, she wasn’t sleeping in my bed, either. I’d tempted myself by opening the guest room door before I left this morning, watching her chest rise and fall in sleep, and fighting the urge to crawl beneath the sheets and pull her soft body against mine.
I missed her in more ways than one. Hell, I missed her in every possible way. But what could I do about it when our relationship felt like it was at a standstill? Embrace? Fine. Kiss?Okay, as long as too many people weren’t watching. Anything else? No way.
It didn’t make sense. I knew I made her come apart when we fucked, I saw it on her face and the way her body shook under my hands, but still she held back.
There was nothing I could do about it at that moment, but there was something I could do about missing her. My pack work was done, the borders were secure, and I had nothing else on the agenda for the day.
Which meant the rest of my hours were free to track down my mate.
