Page 11 of The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate

The problem with that was I had no idea how to say it. Every time I started thinking about it, I thought about what would happen if our relationship was over and we were no longer friends. We’d been very good friends for over three years. Did I really want to rock the boat? I did if it would work. If I kissed her and she wouldn’t hate me and we wouldn’t stop talking, I would do it in a heartbeat. At least that’s what I told myself. The truth was I was scared shitless of a girl half my weight.

“Well, I think I’m going to go see if he’s alright. I’m sure it’s really hard to be back in Winter Fall after trying to make your dreams come true. Don’t you think?”

I didn’t feel sorry for the guy. It sounded like he had gotten a chance and ruined it. I knew fuckups very well. But it wasn’t even really that. I didn’t have anything against the guy. I didn’t even know him. The idea that he was trying to get with Snow, or that she was even interested in him, made me hate him. I didn’t think I’d ever hated somebody I’d never met before, but I hated this guy. I just wanted him to disappear as quickly as he popped up.

Not knowingwhat else to do, I opted for something rash. I moved forward and touched her face softly. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Why?” she asked me.

I didn’t have the words I needed to say, so I pressed my lips against hers, feeling the softness there, and pulled her closer. I wanted to make sure there was enough heat behind this kiss that she understood it wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t a friend kissing another friend. This was a man kissing a woman who wanted to mate with her. My wolf went crazy every time she was around, and when our lips touched, I knew that I was done for. Nothing was ever supposed to feel this good and not be mine.

When I pulled away, she just kind of stared at me for a moment, touching her lips like she could still feel me there. I was on fire, and there was suddenly only me and her and what I knew was supposed to happen next. This was right, this was what was supposed to be. I didn’t have to question it anymore.

“Dutch, I didn’t know you felt that way.” Snow could barely meet my gaze, her voice sounded funny.

I hoped she knew now. I had given her enough feeling and emotion that she should know exactly where we stood. I needed it to be enough.

Snow walked away slowly, and I was afraid my offer would be rejected. What if she didn’t want to be more than friends? Could I go back?

8

TYLER

Ididn’t have much in the way of expectations going into my date with Snow. She seemed nice, beautiful, and we had a good time talking Friday night after my set. Snow was nice, maybe a little too nice for my liking, but I knew women were only as bad as they thought you wanted them to be. I was hoping to convince Snow to be downright naughty.

When I saw her coming out of the house, I nearly swallowed my tongue. She was all dressed up and looked amazing. She wasn’t halfway to the car before I was scrambling out of my car to open the door for her. What the hell had I been thinking, just honking to let her know I was here? I had thought she was a seven, but with the way she was dressed, she was a ten. A ten deserved a little bit more attention, I figured. I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“You are looking downright beautiful, Snow. You know we’re just going to Dotty’s, right? It’s not that high class of a place. I know you’re not from Montana, but do you know what a dive it is?”

“Yes,” Snow said, eyes twinkling. “I was there the other night.”

I usually had it together a little bit better. Right now, I felt like a downright idiot because my brain didn’t want to work. Instead of sweeping her off her feet, I was probably making her think I was slow. Five seconds ago, I wasn’t even trying to make an impression, but now, I was. She had gotten my attention.

“That’s right, I don’t know what I’m thinking.”

She giggled, actually giggled, and a shiver went up my spine. It was the hottest damn sound I had heard in a very long time. What was it about her that made me feel so different? My inner beast, which was pretty quiet most of the time, was going crazy right. My inner wolf downright insisted that I claim her. The stakes felt a lot higher where it came to her. With Snow, it mattered.

* * *

The plan wasto take her out to dinner and then take her back to the bed and breakfast. It wasn’t ideal; the old lady who ran it was probably going to be highly offended by what I planned to do to Snow. After being around her for more than a few minutes, I realized there were some major flaws in my plan.

I hoped she would want to be loose with me, but she didn’t seem to be that type of woman. After having dinner with her and feeling her out, I realized the best I was probably going to get out of the night was a kiss.

I didn’t want to be back in Winter Fall, but maybe Snow was the reason I was here. Why did I react so strongly to her? Now, I wondered if meeting Snow was the only reason I was pushed back to the starting line. It felt like she was part of my destiny.

“So, we have been out for over an hour, and you still haven’t told me much about yourself. Are you trying to be mysterious? Because you don’t need to do that to make yourself appealing. I want to learn everything there is to know about you,” I coaxed Snow along.

It was actually kind of weird to be around a woman who talked so little. She didn’t seem vapid or anything like that; it was like she was trying to hide something. But what would a woman like Snow have to hide? She was sweet and innocent, likely an open book. I couldn’t see her deceiving anyone.

“It is a really long story, but, honestly, there’s not much more that I can tell you.”

Well, that made no sense whatsoever, because she had barely told me anything. I pretty much knew nothing, which would have been fine before the date started, but now I had a real need to learn all that I could about her. When I asked her out, I thought it would just be a fun fling. Snow was more than that, even if I didn’t know what that meant.

“Honestly, I’m telling you, there’s not much that I know.”

“Well, tell me something. Like, what is your favorite meal?” I tried not to seem too bothered by it, but I didn’t understand why she was making me work so hard for any kind of details about her. It was cute in the beginning, but I really was trying to get to know her, and I couldn’t if she was playing games.

“I think that my favorite meal is steak, but it could be something else.”

---