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Chapter 29
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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
REJECTED MATE Chapter 35
“I’m going to move on and forget about Eric. I’m going to date someone new and…oh, you mean the crystals.” She giggled. “I will get a friend to make it into a bracelet for me.”“Cool.”She eventually got bored and bid him farewell while he stubbornly insisted on walking her to the streets. On his way back, he used another path and slowed down when the silence became deafening. It didn’t take long for him to find two squirrels mauled to death, the blood stains drying on the ground and eyes bulging out of their sockets. Humans? Instinct dictated otherwise, but the organs were still intact, puzzling him.He circled whatever area he could within and outside their territory but found no other dead animals or presence. He returned to the forest area sweaty and irritated, so Luke decided to wander off to the nearest river. He found a pond in less than an hour, assessed the place once more, and was already discarding his clothes when he stepped in the water. The trees shaded it from the sun,
REJECTED MATE Chapter 36
Nothing’s going on. Just a bunch of campers with tents, sitting around a campfire. Some are asleep already.His fingers flew.Can you stay the night?Sure. You owe me a full meal.Cheeseburger, fries, milkshake. Tickets to a basketball game.Awesome. For that, I will stay two nights. Plenty of chicks to flirt with here.He rolled his eyes before they landed on the following message.Luke, we need to talk. Why are you sending Oscar out on errands? Are you in trouble?“It’s none of your business, Eric.”But he replied, not about to send his brother running here.I’m fine. Everything’s fine.That’s good.Tina was here.Eric didn’t reply and left him scowling. He set aside his phone and watched the moonlight from his tree perch, enjoying the peaceful night until the first stir in the grass came. Luke stretched his body and flattened against his branch, ready for it. It trailed from the forest camp path to the one she often frequented, where her shadow stopped below him. He could jump her n
REJECTED MATE Chapter 37
She wanted to scream. Instead, she exhaled the panic away and kept her ears open, hoping she could at least evade whatever sinister form was coming for her. The forest was decidedly quiet, the shout already cut off and the man not making any sound. It caressed at her nerves until she was trembling, and Maya had to curl herself to ease it off.The minutes went on and her mind became a separate form of trap. She broke free from it when a figure emerged from the trees, panting hard and bloody. But he had no wounds on him, and the blood wasn’t his. A brilliant, resolute gaze pinned her with a force that held her breath.“It wasn’t you.”She released it in stunned silence. Bafflement rose before understanding gave way and had her clutching the net. She shook it, willing him to let her go. Hope blossomed when he cut off the triangular ties, but that died when he dragged her bundled, still-covered form deeper into his territory.“There was a dead deer. Torn apart and eaten alive. Fresh, mayb
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