Page 77 of His Rejected Mate

My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides. “You two should worry more about your daughter’s happiness than fucking pack politics.”

He snarled. “The packs are what makes our society what it is.”

“They’re the worst fucking thing on the planet,” I hissed. “You’re too blinded by tradition to see it. They’re a damned cancer. All you need to understand is that your daughter will be loved, protected, and cherished for the rest of her life. If you can’t be happy about that, then maybe you should look in the mirror and figure out what kind of parents you really are. Are the packs, the traditions, the social standing more important than your children’s happiness?” Letting my inner alpha wolf haveeven more control, I sent out waves of furious pheromones and rose to my full height, glaring at them. “No one is going to make my mate feel like she’s not good enough. Not Jayson, not her parents, not even fucking Heline herself. Not on my watch.”

Kira’s parents no longer looked angry. They were clutching at each other, eyes wide. As my rage faded a bit, I realized they were both startled at the power I possessed. I was even more dominant than Kira’s father, who was the lead alpha of a pack. They’d never noticed it in all the years I’d been hanging around, had instead looked at me as some lowly, random lone wolf—their son’s ragged friend and a thorn in Kira’s side. The pack hierarchy said lone wolves would never and could never be as dominant as a pack wolf, much less a pack alpha. And here I was, showing them that, yet again, their traditions were built on shit.

I suppressed a grin, noticing they both appeared grudgingly impressed.

Chapter 19

Kira

Kolton and I joked and laughed for several minutes until I began to sense something was wrong. A nagging tickle at the back of my mind told me Wyatt was nervous, then upset, and now he was pissed.

“Hang on,” I said, putting a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “I need to go inside. Something’s wrong.”

Kolton’s face fell as he glanced at the window. “Crap. Not good.”

I followed his gaze and saw Dad, finger pointed at Wyatt, face red with anger, saying something to him I couldn’t hear.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered and headed up the steps.

Inside the foyer, Wyatt’s voice rang out loud and clear. Defending me, telling my parents how much I’d sacrificed for them and the pack. I stayed out of sight, listening, feeling his emotions in my own mind. I couldn’t remember anyone ever standing up for me like that.

It warmed my heart. Ilovedmy parents, but Wyatt was right—they had to understand the world was changing. Things wouldn’t continue the way they had before.

My whole life, I’d thought I wasn’t good enough for my pack. Not worthy of my family’s legacy. A broken shifter and amonster. Wyatt had seen beyond all that and showed me I was more. He’d always protected me, even when I didn’t want him to. I’d been a brat and a bitch to him, but his loyalty had never wavered. I was lucky to have him as my mate.

Leaving Kolton by the door, I stepped into the kitchen and cleared my throat. My parents were almost cowering under Wyatt’s fierce glare. When they noticed me, they almost flinched, and I saw shame on their faces.

Wyatt spun in surprise, shoulders relaxing at the sight of me. “Kira? Hey. Did you…” He trailed away, and his worry seeped into me.

“Yeah, I heard. Most of it, anyway.”

The shame on my parents’ faces deepened.

“Mom? Dad?” I said. “I will always look out for you and the pack. I’ll always love you, but no matter how this war goes, and no matter what the future holds, I choose Wyatt because I love him. All of us really need to stop looking at lone wolves and unofficial packs as this stain on society. They’re all people who have been wronged by the official packs in some way. They’ve been betrayed, pushed out, ostracized, or threatened with their lives.”

Dad shook his head. “Sweetheart, I understand what you’re saying, but when you’re older, you’ll see. It’s about honor. If these things happened, then these wolves should go to the council and—”

“The same council that took money from Seventh Pack to kill Jayson’s father? The council that fired me because some bigwig was related to the alpha of the Ninth Pack?Thatcouncil?” I asked.

Dad lowered his eyes, staying silent.

“I’ve thought a lot about it,” I said. “After some introspection, I plan on joining Wyatt’s unofficial pack. The official packs are going to splinter and fall apart, anyway.”

“What?” Mom gasped, putting a hand to her chest. “They willnot.”

Dad looked even more horrified at my pronouncement. “You think the packs will splinter? No, there’s no way. The pack system has stood resolute for centuries. A single war wouldn’t change that.”

“This isn’t a regular war, Dad,” I snapped. “This is bigger. Yes, the pack system has been around a long time, and that’s exactly why I think it’s doomed. The world revolves around change and evolution—the packs are a relic, unchanged since the Middle Ages. It’s time, and it’s already happening. We’ve had reports of several packs already fracturing.”

Wyatt looked at me with a mix of surprise and excitement. He took my hand and grinned. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am.”

His face clouded, and the smile slipped a bit. “It’s a big change. Things won’t be like they are here.”

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