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Chapter 26
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REJECTED MATE Chapter 27
He stared at Maya’s father and was tempted to go to his knees and beg for forgiveness but then he’d expose Maya, and no one was allowed to see her naked. That pleasure was intended for him and him alone. “Sir,” he said. “Maya is my mate.” Ben looked at him and then passed his shoulder where Maya was peering over to look at her parents. “This is absurd. I would have known about this. Is this some kind of trick?” Ben asked. “No!” He and Maya spoke in unison. He reached behind him to take hold of her hand, locking their fingers together. “This is real. Maya and I, we’re real.” “We’ve been mates for a long time, Dad,” Maya said. “But how? I mean, with all due respect, I don’t think it’s even possible to keep a secret like this for long,” Leah said. “I was a fool,” Luke said. “Five years ago, I walked into a bar, and there was this girl. A beautiful young woman who had just gone through her first transition. Eighteen, young, and I … I couldn’t bring myself to see how important it wa
REJECTED MATE Chapter 28
The Lone Wolf Blurb Wolves aren’t supposed to be alone … So why is there a lone female wolf shifter holing up in Luke’s territory? As an alpha, he can’t let this intrusion go unchallenged. Maya’s been on the run ever since her pack was destroyed. With no pack, no family, running and hiding has become her way of life. Until Luke … He finds her and captures her, unwilling to give up until he knows all her secrets. As the truth is revealed, their attraction for each other grows, and feelings come into play. Will he be able to help her find the light again? Or is her past too dark even for someone as strong as Luke? **** “I’m taking over, Reese.” Luke Bennett’s words had his younger cousin, Reese Bennett, stepping out of his guarding spot—also known as his sometimes-smoking spot—and heaving a groan of relief, complete with some dramatic stretching and yawning. Then the energy kicked in, and Reese vibrated in a way that only meant one thing. “Sweet!” “Date night?” “Party night.
REJECTED MATE Chapter 29
“I like hanging out with my friends here. Hey, Luke.”“Hey, Tina. Nice dress.”There was a twinkle in her eye. “Thank you. It’s new.”“Are you going out later?”“No.” Tina James stood before the barrier and shifted on her feet. She fidgeted. Then she cleared her throat. “Is Eric around?”His lips quivered, seeing the question coming from a mile away. He knew her enough to know that, along with the fact that something was up—and he also had a suspicion about why. “I don’t know where my brother is now. Why don’t you come in and look for him?”“I thought you wouldn’t ask,” she shot back, grinning. Giddiness encompassed her when he guided her to a corner where the barrier was thinner, then tapped it a few times before gesturing at her to squeeze herself in. She patted her hair and clothes, and for the first time, he glimpsed nerves thrumming.“Would you like to hang out here a bit and enjoy the view?” he asked, patting the space beside him. “Wind down a bit, if you must.”She shook her he
REJECTED MATE Chapter 30
Three days later, his clan leader, Angelo Bennett, looked Luke in the eye and assessed him.“Are you and your brother on good terms now?”They were seated in the bear shifter’s office, located in the heart of their forest territory, where a mansion was hidden from plain view. The sleek, modern furniture mixed with the worn-out rug and the old marble floors, indicating how old and new were getting along now—in this case, the old clan leader’s prejudiced ways no longer dominated as their new, younger clan leader nudged them in a fairer, less judgmental direction.Luke knew that Eric had been called earlier, too, so he shrugged and tried to keep it casual.“If you want to know if we are talking, then no. If you want to make sure that we aren’t going to punch each other in the face anymore, then we are not.”Eric had tried. If he had tried harder, the man would have gotten more punches in and pummeled Luke to the ground, but Luke understood now that guilt had a lot to do with him being ab
REJECTED MATE Chapter 31
“It says this is the way.”“But it’s not the only way,” a second woman chimed in, features gleaming. “I know a shortcut.”The two believed her immediately as she led them to the forest, where they passed under Luke’s tree and used the narrow path where the grass didn’t grow anymore. Still outside their territory, he let it be and watched as they circled to the back and found the side of the steep climb, where they would be able to walk easier until they passed that area.“One down,” he said to himself.Two more groups of campers showed up, one headed in the opposite direction and another risking the steep climb as they deemed the forest too dangerous. Curiosity blazed at how each group came about their decision, but it was the fourth group close to sunset that snagged his attention the most. The four women, all wearing neon bright gym clothes and bejeweled sneakers, stopped the longest as they discussed among themselves.“It’s getting late. Are you sure we should be doing this?”“We s
REJECTED MATE Chapter 32
“Something grabbed me.”“My shoes are missing!”“Your shoes are with me,” the woman with the period announced, returning them sheepishly. “I thought I heard something, and your shoes were the nearest. Sorry.”“These are designer shoes, you know.” There was a huff, then, “So, who grabbed you, Mindy?”“I don’t know, Angela. Maybe it was a brush.” Mindy sighed. “Maybe it was Charlotte hitting me when she ran off. What did you see, anyway?”The way Charlotte explained following a squirrel and thinking it was a bear had Luke lifting his brows, and he would have believed her if he hadn’t seen what had happened with his eyes. He bit back a grin when she managed to convince them and they turned to their fourth companion.“And what did you see, Jess?”Jess bit her lip, doubt filling her features. “I don’t know. Maybe it was the squirrel that Charlotte was chasing—”“Our food! All our food is gone.”Angela’s exclamation had all four scrambling inside their tent and taking inventory of their ite
REJECTED MATE Chapter 33
Maya woke up with a start—and the sense that she was no longer alone. Her body braced automatically, used to attacks in her old home, but those were the times when she had the equipment to defend herself. This time, she made use of a stick she had sharpened for days, tucked it in her pocket, and waited for the leaves at the entrance of her spot to be rustled. When the sense passed, she inched her way out of her spot just in time to glimpse something leaving the forest she was in.The man was her first assumption. She followed to the edge and watched as grass moved in a line, indicating where the figure was heading. Stillness came when the figure crossed to the bigger forest patch, deeming her space safe enough. But a nagging started in her head and wound its way to her belly until dread sat heavy, the warning bright: that those women were in terrible danger.Create some noise. Distract. Don’t let them die.Blood and screams stabbed in her mind until her feet were flying towards the fi
REJECTED MATE Chapter 34
“Ugh. Not another animal, please. The last wolf attack closed this area down, and I had to work at the wharf for a week. Let me tell you, not the best thing to smell every morning.”“You are an idiot. A job is a job. Anyway, I don’t see anything, and I’m about to get off my shift. You can sleep in the shed if you like. It’s the safest place against animal attacks.”“And risk vandalism from those rowdy bunch of teenagers? No, thanks. I will stay outside. Go home.”“You really should manage your hours better, man…”Shed. Shed.It became a mantra in her head as she inched out of the bench and hid behind tree trunks until her focus zoned in on a boxed area of metal and wood. It felt like water after long years of thirst. She found the window with the easiest lock, picked it, and leaped in, gaze adjusting to the darkness until she glimpsed everything inside: the cleaning supplies, the skates and coats for rent, and more boxes stacked in a corner. Maya squeezed herself behind the boxes, arra
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