Page 13 of Rejected Mate

"That’s silly, right? I mean you wouldn't know because you're with your mates, and I'm sure when you all mated it was like a glow in your body."

I nodded, remembering that time so well. No more did I feel the need to drink, let alone eat. All I needed was them.

"The rest of the pack have been good to me. They've helped hide me and they said I should give it time and Rock would see the error of his ways, but then he started to change too. They took him to the doctor, whatever that means, and he's been there since, so when your dad's pack attacked, Rock wasn't there."

She was the closest thing to a friend I had outside of SmallHeath and I hoped I could trust her. She seemed to know a lot more about the rejection than I did and was giving me information that she didn't have to. Because until this moment, I didn't realize or acknowledge that Husk and I rejecting each other was hurting him a lot more than it was hurting me.

"I haven’t mated with Husk," I confessed.

My gaze shifted from the table to her.

Her mouth was wide open, as if she were catching flies, and the glass in her hand was paused midway to her lips.

"He fainted yesterday and it freaked me out." The words rushed out of me. "I tried to heal him, but I could only do so much. I thought that maybe it was because I was tired."

She shook her head, as if to confirm what I'd already feared.

"Mate with Husk," we both said in unison.

"Without that, without mating with him"—she gave me a tight smile—"you cannot defeat your Dad and Husk cannot help you. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

I nodded my head, feeling as if something was stuck in my throat. I'd broken two of my rules in such a short span of time. I'd trusted Mayia with a secret that I should have held on to. My dad's pack thinks I'm strong and the one who can bring them down. And now she knows the truth and could tell them.

"You need to mate with him. You need to find a way," she insisted.

"It's not that easy." I looked away, dismissing her plea, as my mind shifted to what she said about Rock and him being sick. I remember seeing Sky and knowing that his life was in my hands, and it made me want him to get better, even if he didn't treat me well in the beginning.

"My friends will lose their lives if you don't."

"And Rock?"

I wondered if he was the real reason she followed me and wanted me to be strong enough to overthrow my dad.

"Maybe. I think about the boy he was before he became an alpha. The one who introduced me to his pack." Her eyes brightened. "I want that wolf back."

"What if you never get him back?"

She smiled, as if she knew the answer to my question.

"It would be something I would have to live with, but at least I would know that I tried. One thing's for sure, with or without him, I can shift now.”

"Really? That’s fantastic. That means you don't need Rock."

She shook her head. "It means I need him more than anything because since I shifted, this means the other part of me has become weaker. I need him, but I don't want him to heal for that reason alone. It's because I still want to be with him."

I couldn't believe that after all he'd done, this was the reason she still wanted him. Then again, Husk was a brute, but I'd caught glimpses from deep inside him that there was something better. I had to find him because even if she didn't say it in black and white, if I didn't work this out and mate with him, many people would die, including Mayia.

3

Fagua

It's as if this should be so simple, except I knew it was anything but. I had told Mayia that I needed time to think. We exchanged numbers and I promised to get in touch. Now I headed to the penthouse.

I needed the loving arms of a wolf—either one of my two would do. I didn't know which one would be in the penthouse, but I needed them. The bell chimed when I reached the top floor. I hoped it would be Winter; he was the one I craved at the moment. His gentleness and tender kisses.

The doors opened and he was on the other side, and all I could think about was wrapping my arms around his neck and touching my lips lightly against his.

He chuckled when I kissed him just enough to show him that I was appreciative that he was at home. His cock pressed against my stomach, letting me know that he was rising to the occasion.

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