Page 70 of Rejected Mate

“My family is like most shifter packs. Wild. Loud. Outdoorsy. Used to trusting and relying on each other. We’re a small but loyal pack and ensure neighboring packs remain peaceful and fair to each other.”

Ares nodded as if this had been something he was expecting. “And your parents are Fenris and Aldopha Ravenmoon?”

“You do your research,” I said, wondering what Ares would think of my passive father and my overbearing mother.

“And the Supreme Alpha is your grandfather, Felix?”

“Yes. He’s gruff and no-nonsense, but if you impress him and are honorable, he’ll be loyal forever.”

“Duly noted.”

“I have an aunt and uncle, a few cousins who will be around the property. My cousin Lizzie will likely pepper you with a million questions. She’s eight, the youngest, and babied if you ask me.”

“Lizzie,” he repeated. “Sounds lovely.”

I grinned. “We’ll see what you think after her one-millionth question.”

I’d been fidgeting with my jacket, and Ares noticed. His hand slipped over to mine. “How are they feeling? Your hands?”I glanced at William, who rode silently on the other side of the enclosure. My hands were like this because of him. He was the one who designed the trial and made it so enticing I couldn’t say no. He was the one who tortured me, and for what? To see if I was strong? I’d already proven that in the other trials.

No, I had a feeling William liked watching us suffer. Or maybe just me. Moreover, he probably reveled in the control he was exerting over us.

“They’re fine,” I said, tucking my hands in my jacket pockets. “Back to normal.”

Ares frowned, but his quick glance at William let me know he was as aware of our chaperone as I was.

After I gave the driver the address, it wasn’t long before the limo was angling up mountain inclines, and the thick forest inched closer to the road as we went. The smell of pine and forest loam filled my senses. The deep shadows of the forest, cut in two by the headlights, beckoned me home.

When we reached the gate with our family crest on it, I knew I was home. The wolf’s head with the words around it,Familia mai presus de orice,greeted me.Family above all else.

Putting them first was all I had been trying to do since I’d last seen them. I hoped they knew that.

We pulled through the gate and onto the long driveway. They must’ve been expecting us because the normally locked gate was thrown open.

My pulse quickened, and my hands tightened into fists.

Ares peered out the window as our land crept by. The drive was lined with ancient trees that stretched into the night sky speckled with stars. “Your forest is beautiful.”

I glanced at it, trying to see it as he was, for the first time. “You should see it in the daytime.”

The words were out of my mouth before I’d realized what I’d said. He was a vampire. He couldn’t see it in the daytime without some serious protection. Ares didn’t seem to mind, but Williams’s cold stare turned arctic. He’d been far too silent for my tastes. Just what was happening in that steel trap he called a brain? If I hadn’t been so desperate to see my grandfather, I might have passed up the chance to go home just to keep William away from my family.

As we pulled up to the circular drive in front of our home, I could barely contain myself. The large log cabin looked just as it had for decades—rough logs stacked on top of each other that stretched three stories into the night sky.

The exterior lights clicked on as the front doors burst open. My family began to pour out of them. My mother ran out first, followed by my father in his paint-stained overalls. After them ran my Aunt Lyda, my cousin, Lizzie, and my Uncle Raulo. The boys, Dolph and Remi, had to be out in the woods, or maybe playing PlayStation in the basement with the sound turned up way too high.

Damn, it was so good to be home.

I didn’t wait for the driver to get out and open my door. I didn’t wait for anything. I yanked open the handle and threw myself out of the car.

“Wren!” my mother shouted.

I ran into her arms. Her long hair tickled my face as she pulled me close. More hands circled my back. Soon, I was wrapped in family.

“It’s so good to see you guys,” I said, tears I couldn’t keep back tracking down my cheeks.

“My Moon, I’m so happy to see you,” my father said, his hand on my shoulder as if he were afraid I wasn’t real.

“Wren, Wren, what was it like?” My little cousin Lizzie asked, grabbing onto the hem of my jacket and wagging it up and down.

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