Page 12 of The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate

I had no idea why she phrased it that way. I felt a moment of aggravation run through me because it was like she was playing hard to get and I didn’t understand why. Why was she making it so complicated, like I had to work for it?

“You think?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “It is like I said, a long story, but I don’t remember anything from before about three years ago. I woke up half dead in the woods, and some local hunters found me and took me to a hospital. So, yeah, I could have had a different favorite meal. I try not to consider anything now as written in stone, because I just don’t know. I could have been a vegetarian in my other life and liked mung beans or something. But for now, it’s steak.”

It took a minute for her words to really hit me. Here I was thinking she was being coy and actually she just really didn’t know. It was eye opener.

“I’m not sure what to say.” What could I say to that?

“Trust me, I know. It’s wild, so I don’t tell a lot of people. Don’t freak out too bad. It’s just the way it is. We all have something to deal with, right?”

“In some ways, I know what you’re going through.”

The waiter came back at the most inopportune time, and I paid for the check, tipped, and asked Snow if she was ready to leave. I just wanted to get out of here, because I was nervous about what I was going to say next. I couldn’t have a bunch of shifters around because I didn’t want this conversation to get back to Sterling or anyone else in the pack. What happened next, I wanted to stay between the two of us.

When we were outside, she asked me, “How can you understand what I’m talking about?”

“I myself don’t remember a lot about where I come from and the specifics of it. I was a lot younger when I had my amnesiac moment, most likely my brain trying to save me from some traumatizing experience. My parents and most of my clan had died about that time. It was obviously something that I wasn’t meant to remember, but the unknown still haunted me.” I didn’t get as detailed as I could have gotten, but it was enough for her to understand that I really did get it. She wasn’t the only one was fighting a battle with her own memory and questioning everything. I was as well.

“Wow, I think you might be the first person I met who can actually say they know what I’m going through. Do you think you will ever find out where you come from?”

“I’m not sure,” I said with a shrug, pretending like I hadn’t really thought about it, but I had, many times. “It has been a little over twenty years and I still haven’t figured it out. I doubt I ever will. I hope something different for you, that you will one day find out what happened in all that time you lost.”

“Thanks, but sometimes I think all of this was just a blessing in disguise. Maybe the life I left behind was horrible and I am trying to forget it as well. Maybe this is me getting a second chance. I sometimes don’t even want to check. Maybe it is for the best to not know. I am sorry you had to go through all that, though, not knowing for so long.”

She put her hand on my arm, and it was just the lightest touch, but it activated something inside me, something that could no longer be ignored. I pulled her into my arms, feeling the last little bit of resistance leave her as I pressed her close to me. Whatever was going on, fate, nature, chemicals, I really didn’t know or care, I just wanted her, badly.

I kissed her, and it was perfectly sweet. I wanted more, but it was clear that wasn’t going to happen. Snow really wasn’t like that.

When I pulled away, Snow barely looked at me. She seemed so innocent, so perfect. How could I ever turn my back on her?

I saw someone watching us as we made our way to my car. I didn’t know who it was, but he had dark features and really tan skin, so in the darkness I couldn’t see much. The first thing that came to mind was that it was someone who wanted to get close to Snow. By looking at her and talking to her for just a few moments, it was understandable that other men would be interested in her.

“Do you know who that is?” I asked her as we drove right past the person.

“He is one of the new hires at the ranch. I think his name is Onyx. We’ve met a couple of times, and he is nice enough. I wonder what he’s doing here.”

I just nodded and let it be, but something felt off. I didn’t want to focus on that, I wanted to stay in the moment with Snow. I couldn’t help but think about him, though. What was he doing? Who was he watching, and why?

9

SNOW

It was a great date. Not only was Tyler sweet and understanding, everything I just knew him to be, but he was very understanding. He might actually be the only person who even sort of got the situation I was in. It felt nice to not be the only one who had no clue about their history. It would suck for anyone, but for a shifter it was harsh. Shifters cared where you came from, what pack you were in, all of that. Being a loner, I felt a kinship to Tyler that I didn’t with anyone else. We were finding our way together and that made me feel better, like I had a chance.

Tyler’s kiss had been nice, but it wasn’t as explosive as Dutch’s, though it could have been the surprise that upped his kiss so much. I would have never thought that he would kiss me, or if he did, that he would bring that sort of heat. I was still thinking about that kiss, even when I was lying in bed, thinking about another man too. The kiss from Dutch made me feel safe and loved, just like Dutch always did. Where did Tyler fit into all of this? I was so confused.

I tossed and turned, trying to wrap my head around it all. I had my mind on more than one man, but it wasn’t like anything was going to come of it with any of them. I was in dire need of some attention, and Tyler was the only man that had taken me out on a date. That meant a lot. I might feel stronger about someone else, but dealing with anyone from work was a problem, especially if it didn’t work out. Tyler was safer in that way.

Tyler was also sexy, sensitive, and had a crooning voice that made me weak in the knees. I could do worse, that’s for sure. The more I thought about it as I drifted off, the more I wanted Tyler. I played out scenarios in my head, teasing myself by imagining what would have happened if I would have let him go further, do what he wanted. I shivered with the thought and went to sleep with those naughty thoughts on my mind. My hormones were on fire and my dreams were filled with all sorts of naughty things.

As several dreams played out with Tyler, the face and body changed to Sterling, and then Dutch. I had seen both men with not much on, so I had a pretty good idea of what they looked like without clothes on. It was enough to have heart palpitations in my sleep. It wasn’t the first time I’d had such dreams, but these were so vivid.

My dreams then took me back to the woods I’d been found in. Before I could run far enough away, someone had caught up to me. I knew they were going to kill me, and I hunkered down in place and waited for them to pass. I was hurt badly and couldn’t live like I was anymore. I didn’t know what I hated about my life, but I knew I wasn’t going back. I’d rather die than go back. Back home was who wanted me dead. It was a very clear feeling that I was in danger and nowhere was safe.

Pushed to the edge of death, it was mercy that left me standing. I remembered the words, something about having to fight, and then I was left alone. I passed out, soon to be found, but that was it. Blackness where my childhood memories were, nothing but a blank space that I couldn’t fill, no matter how hard I tried.

When I woke up, I felt different, and I started to think about that day and why I was dreaming about it. I was remembering things now, and I wanted to know the trigger. I’d tried to find out how to fix myself before, tried to trigger a memory, but I never knew what would do the trick.

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