Page 53 of Rejected Mate

Husk paused in his eating to glance up at me. Our conversation from earlier about Fagua's magic rushed forward.

"I can help with the magic part," she said.

"What about your wolf?" Sky stole a piece of Husk's sausage and popped it into his mouth before he could stop him. "You'd surprise them if they've never seen you shift before."

"That's a great idea." She beamed. "We can do a test to see if I can sense magic as a wolf. Then they won't know you have me with you or that you have my magical protection."

"Are you sure you're ready for all of this?” I asked her. "I mean, we're going to be facing off against your parents—against many people from your town."

She drew in her bottom lip, thinking. "I know. But I can't help feeling that they're in the dark about my dad, as I was before I saw what he was doing. I think many will either side with us or remain neutral once they know."

"We can't count on that." Husk swung his gaze to me and the air around us seemed to crackle with animosity. "If your mom wasn't a witch, I'd have you stay here with some of our security guards for your protection. It's too dangerous."

"Good thing I wouldn't allow you to do that even if my mom was on our side." She crossed her arms, leaning on the table and lifting her chin. "I go with you, Sky, and Winter. We're a team. We're mates."

Husk's nostrils flared and he shoved his plate away, the fork clanking against the table. "That's not how this works," Husk growled.

She tilted her head, pushing her hair behind her ear, but didn't look at him. "How does it work, Husk?"

He clenched his jaw and stood, walking across the kitchen and into the living room, leaving us at the table.

Fagua pushed back from the table and stood, her jaw tight. "If I'm your mate, I'm your mate for good or bad." She charged after him.

Sky picked up Husk's uneaten cake and carried it out of the kitchen with him.

"Damn it." I followed them, worried about the situation. I'd seen Husk lose his cool around her in the past and I didn't want a repeat of him locking her up again.

"We're not just going up against a couple of rogue wolves, Fagua." Husk's hands clenched at his sides. "This is a whole fucking town of wolves who've been brainwashed and fed the laced drink. They're not going to believe us."

Her eyes flashed with magical fire. "I'm going with you. Even though we're mates, you can't tell me what to do. I'm not a damn dog."

"And your magic?" he asked.

"What about it?” Her eyes narrowed at him. Then, before he could say another word, she said defensively, "It's just fine." She held out a hand and a vase on the mantel flew across the room into the kitchen, wobbling as it landed upright on the kitchen table.

"What about me?" Sky's face split into a wicked grin. "Don't I get a say in this too?"

"No." Fagua reached over and shoved a forkful of cake into his mouth.

"They won't hurt her." I ran my hand through my hair. "They want her for selling. They'll be after us to get us out of the way."

"I'm the one with magic," Fagua said. "I'll be the one protecting you three. I will fight alongside you all."

"Fight?" Sky coughed on the cake in his mouth. "Who said anything about you fighting? You're the magic, we're the muscle."

"You should stay here," Husk said before he stalked out of the room.

"Wait," she called after him. "We have to decide on a plan."

He paused in the hallway, glaring at me and Sky. "We don't need one. My gut and my wolf tell me what to do. There is no room for thinking that will get you killed. You three plan everything until you can sleep well at night. Just tell me when we leave."

"Don't be like this," Fagua begged in a soft voice.

"Sweetheart, this is me being nice." He grinned, and a vein pulsed in his forehead. "If it were up to me, I'd take you away from all this and never look back."

She lifted her chin, tears shining in her eyes. "Good thing it's not up to just you."

Without a backward glance, he turned on his heel and left.

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