Page 4 of Kidnapped Rejected Mate
“Fine,” Dad said, and somehow, just from the sound of his voice, I could tell he was going to ask about going for a hunt. He’d been asking me every morning for a week.
Obviously, I’d said no.
“Fine,” Dad said, as predictable as ever. “Then let’s focus on the fact that you haven’t gone on a hunt with me in weeks.”
Lachlan laughed again, trying to keep things light. “I’ve been busy—”
“Well, you’re not busy now,” Dad says, his voice getting louder, but still muffled through the floor. “Come on, we caneven bring the girls with us. Maybe your sister could come. A family hunt.”
Fear spiked through me, and I got up for a moment, moving as quietly as I could to check and make sure my door was locked.
When I returned to my spot on the floor, I could hear Caspian’s voice saying, “Let’s do it, Valerie. Let’s go for a hunt.”
“So, it’s settled,” Mom said, and though I couldn’t hear it, I was sure she clapped her hands in that fluttery little way she did. “We’ll go catch an elk! I hope Aurela will come—”
“I might actually sit this one out.” It was Valerie’s voice, coming high and panicked through the floorboards. They hadn’t recognized her yet. If they had, there’s no way they would have let her inside, much less have allowed Lachlan to bring her over for dinner.
First, because Valerie is a non-shifter. And second, because my parents spent alotof time and energy making sure my name was nowhere near what happened that night. And they sure as hell were not going to let one of the girls involved in the fire walk right through their front door.
After Valerie spoke, the voices through the floor went quiet, and I didn’t hear anything until Mom said, “Been like what, Lachlan? And you don’t have to raise your voice.”
Then Caspian said something I didn’t catch, and Lachlan came back with, “I’m like, two seconds from beating your ass, man. Look at Valerie one more time like that and see what happens.”
That piqued my interest—what I wouldn’t give for that to happen. To see my brother take on Caspian finally shut him up. Cas was—and still is—one of those alphas constantly puffing outhis chest, trying to prove to everyone that he’s higher up in the hierarchy than he thinks he is.
“I just don’t see why you’re angry that we’ve invited her to come hunting with us!” Mom’s voice was getting to that shrill sort of octave, nearing broken syllables.
“First, your inclusion should not be some sort of fucked-up consolation prize.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my gasp—as far as I knew, neither of us had dared to talk to our parents like that before. But it was Lachlan’s voice, loud and sure, coming right through the floorboards.
“And second, I’m pissed off because you’ve been taking little shots all night. I’m tired of it, and she doesn’t deserve it.”
Rather than responding to Lach, Mom said with a gasp, “I just remembered where I’ve heard your name before! Valerie Foley. You were one of the girls who started that fire!”
“Oh, shit—” Caspian’s voice again.
Then Dad: “The stray of the group. That’s you—”
“Lachlan, I’m sorry, darling. Obviously, you didn’t know—”
Mom and Dad were talking at the same time, then their voices moved away. I stood quickly, moving to the bathroom, listening through the vent to hear better.
“…didn’t you hear what I said?” Mom’s voice was still shrill, coming from the foyer to the front door. “She started that fire, she—”
“We’re done,” Lachlan said. “All this fucking talk about decorum, about doing the right thing, and you spend an entire dinner making your guest feel like shit. I’m over it.”
And with that, the front door slammed, and the downstairs went eerily quiet.
Since then, I assume Mom and Dad gave Lachlan some sort of passable apology. Especially when they found out Valerie was pregnant. My mom couldn’t stand the idea of not being around her grandchild, even if she and Dad weren’t fans of the woman carrying the baby.
Little Levi, a few months old, but already with a head of golden hair like Lachlan and me. The little boy I hardly see, because I’m so busy hiding myself away. Dealing with the pain in the quiet of my room is much easier than doing so out in public, with other people.
Now, we pull into the driveway at home. Mom springs up and out of the car, not waiting for me as she hurries inside, just leaving the door open behind her.
“Hurry, Aurela,” she says, turning on her heel and heading down the hallway to her bedroom, her shoes clacking noisily against the hardwood. “We don’t want to make Caspian wait!”
I bite my tongue and climb the stairs. Since I started gaining weight, she’s seemed to think it a miracle that any man would want me as I am, not just skin and bones. According to her, I’m constantly at risk of driving Caspian away by not being perfect in every other aspect.
