Page 20 of Rejected Mate

Five minutes later, my mom breezed in, bringing with her the pricking scent of magic, and shivers raced down my spine. She headed right toward me with a guarded smile on her face. No one in the diner even glanced her way, which indicated she had cast a spell to keep herself hidden.

She slid into the booth across the table from me.

"Mom." I swallowed, thrusting my hands in my lap and clutching them together. Now that she was here, I wasn't sure how to start. She smiled, making her bright eyes crinkle in the corners. I wanted to grin back, but my fear held me in check. At any moment, my father could ambush me and I'd be taken back to SmallHeath where my life would be dictated.

"I'm glad you requested I meet you." She glanced around the diner before lifting a finger, and the waitress snapped to attention, rushing over to us. "One espresso, please."

"Yes, ma'am." The waitress hurried away.

I licked my lips, forcing my hands to still in my lap. "You have to talk to Dad. Get him to call off the wolves."

"Why?" She shook her head. "Those wolves you are with kidnapped you."

"No, it wasn't like that." At least not after I got to know them. "And I returned to them on my own. They're my mates, Mom."

"That's ridiculous. All our pack members have their mates chosen by our alpha, your father. Now, you've had your fun, so it's time to come home."

"But I-I'm happy here."

"Are you?" She cocked her head to the side.

My eyes flicked away from her. I wasn't. Not since the hired wolves attacked. I wasn't okay and felt like I was slipping away from both Winter and Sky and I didn't know how to stop it. I'd been lying to my men, myself, and even to my own father. But there was no way I could tell her that. It'd only hurt her. I placed my hands on the table, trying to find the words as Mom prattled on about SmallHeath and what had happened since I’d left.

By the time the waitress returned with her coffee, my mom had already latched on to my hands, her fingers tight on my flesh.

"I'm not going back, Mom."

She hissed and lifted her free hand, dragging it through the air. A large glowing glyph formed, glittering with arcane letters.

"I don't want to hurt you, Mom." I snatched my hands free from her grip. "But I'm not going back."

She grunted, leaning back in the booth. "I can't stop your father. Everything he's done has been for the benefit of our pack."

I snorted. "No, it's been for him and his ego."

"That's not true," she said, tapping her nails against the ceramic mug of her espresso. "We would've been stripped and sold to the highest bidder if your father wasn't as strong as he is. He protects us."

Had he brainwashed her? I blinked, shocked that she was spouting this nonsense when she had helped me escape my father the second time.

I had to be careful what I said, or she wouldn't listen to me.

"I'm tired of being controlled. That's one of the many reasons why I left." I leaned forward, determined to get her to see reason. "I'm sick of him telling me what to do and when to do it. I'm sick of being lied to."

"Of course." She sipped her coffee, a satisfied smile on her face. "Your father has been up front with you. He's told you the rules of the pack over and over again."

"No, he hasn't." My chest and eyes burned. This was the crux of the matter. He'd just expected me to accept what he decreed without question. Like how he never let me leave our town and even spelled me not to be able to. How he had wolves killed who didn't go along with his agenda. Bile rose in the back of my throat. How many innocents had he murdered?

"You were always so rebellious." She sighed and sipped her coffee again. "This is why your father picked a mate for you."

"How can you agree to this? I already have my mates." I pressed my arms against my stomach, trying to hold myself together. "I don't know the man Dad chose for me—I don't love him."

"Love comes in time." She set her coffee mug down. "I can even help you with that. A little spell to ease the transition."

"Mom, you can't," I whimpered, my stomach knotting. "I'm your daughter."

"Yes." She smoothed the paper napkin on the table next to her cup. "We're family—we're pack—and that's what matters most. Obeying your alpha."

"He's cruel. I have my mates, and I don’t want anyone else." My voice shook and tears pricked my eyes. "Dad never let me leave SmallHeath. I was a prisoner there, and as soon as he's done with whatever it is he's working on, he'll kill my mates and sell me off to the highest bidder."

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