Page 16 of Rejected Mate

"We have no choice. We have to help the pack, and Fagua and Husk have to mate."

I clapped my hands, waiting for my magic wand to appear to make everything fall into place.

"I'm fucking serious, Winter. Don't fuck around." His gaze darted away from mine.

"I've only been scared twice in my life. Once was when I was dying in the hospital and the other is right now. Something is not right. I can feel it in my wolf. I shifted three times tonight before coming up here. I thought it was just paranoia, but seeing you sitting here, it fucking makes sense," he said.

I didn't say a word as I took out my cell and decided that we needed answers.

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Fagua. I'm going to tell her that I want us to watch a movie and she should come here. I feel like winding down." Plus, it was an excuse to have her with us so I wouldn't go out of my mind wondering if she was okay.

He chuckled. "You think you have her under your spell or something."

I looked at him and he shook his head, knowing exactly what I was going to say next.

"You told her after that time with her ex that you wouldn't use your powers on her again."

"I have no fucking choice," I barked back. "She's not talking to me. Husk is disappearing every time I turn around, and as you said, we need to move on. I can't keep hiding in here and you can't use the casino as your entertainment. We both know that the shit is about to hit the fan, and we can't just sit and wait for it to happen."

I could have asked him about the doc and found out more, but it didn't matter; it wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things. Everything wrong was happening and we couldn't pretend it wasn't any longer.

My phone chimed, my heart skipped a beat, and both Sky and I stared at each other, too afraid to know the answer.

"She'll be here in twenty," I told him.

He nodded. "I'll get out of the way. But when she gets here, just call so I can be here too."

"I thought you didn't want to be a part of it."

He jumped up and started to walk away.

"As if I have any fucking choice in the matter."

* * *

My head was spinning, as more than twenty minutes came and went and Fagua still hadn't shown up. I wondered if she'd changed her mind and wouldn't make an appearance at all.

The doors sprung open just as I stood up, ready to leave, ready to give up.

"Winter, I'm sorry. I should have called, but the traffic was heavy tonight," Fagua explained.

I speed dialed Sky, putting it on speaker so he could hear what was going on.

"Don't worry about it."

As soon as I finished my sentence, she was in my arms and shaking as if she were scared.

"I thought after the afternoon in your room that you wanted me out of your lives. You haven't spoken to me since then," she said into my neck.

I held her close and started to use my powers to find out the truth—the one thing I promised her I'd never do again. Sky appeared at the door on cue, which meant I had to do it now; it was a now or never moment.

I closed my eyes, feeling sick to my stomach about what I was about to do.

"Let go of me and go to the front and sit down."

The joy that was in her voice and actions disappeared as she stepped away and moved to the front as I'd instructed her to do. My eyes still closed, I didn't say a word. I felt as if I were stuck in quicksand and the floor was going to take me. But then Sky came up to my side. He took a deep breath, and it was as if he was waiting for me to do something, but I couldn't move. I felt so guilty about what I was about to do, and he put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

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