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REJECTED MATE Chapter 41
“I know. I was with a female earlier.”There was no blushing and no misinterpretation, which was so typical of the blunt female. Reese rolled his eyes and tugged her away from Luke, their familiarity with each other apparent. But the intimacy felt gentle and natural, that of two people who just liked to spend time with each other and nothing more.“You need to go home, Daria, before your folks come here looking for you again,” Reese said.Daria shrugged. “They don’t know I’m out. We haven’t had any threats lately and they won’t mind if they find out. Besides, I can’t go out now. A big storm’s coming.”“Huh?”She inclined her head. The two men looked, expecting to find dark clouds. But there were only white ones and a scatter of stars.“The sky’s clear,” Reese shot back.“Not that.That.”She was gesturing at the fog, not at the sky. They watched as it roiled and coated the forest area in a thick gloom, leaving behind zero visibility. Luke checked the invisible barriers and noted they w
REJECTED MATE Chapter 42
But the words trailed off when he realized that his brother was looking, and he noted something that hadn’t been there before: a darkening expression and a rush of something familiar. Eric stood up and approached them, wrestling with a scowl until only that same stoic expression remained.“You should get inside. It’s cold here.”Tina ignored him.“Tina,” Eric growled.Tina glowered at him and opened her mouth. But Luke was faster, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer.“I’m here to warm her up if it’s needed.”She squeaked in bewilderment but managed to keep most of the sound subtle. She sank into his embrace and nodded. “Yes. That’s right. Luke’s here.”A muscle ticked on Eric’s jaw. More muscles bunched. As much as he enjoyed the discovery and wondered how deep it ran, he knew he was playing with fire and wasn’t in the mood to deal with it when it came out. So, he shrugged.“But the mansion’s a much better option, I suppose. Or one of the tents. Come on, Tina.”Tin
REJECTED MATE Chapter 43
He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to witness this, but here the man was, refusing to go away. His words washed over her dazed mind, puzzling her. His hands cruised down her back, steadying even as she stiffened.“Shout if you must. Let it out if you must. I will stay here and protect you.” A pause, then. “I will protect them, too, if that’s what you are afraid of…if you want to keep quiet and don’t want anyone to know about this.”Something inside her quivered, shuddering outwards until it was uncontrollable. She whimpered soundlessly as the agony became unbearable. Her body followed suit and tried to roll again. To her astonishment, she couldn’t move as a barrier held her in place, and it took her fuzzy senses a while to register that it was Luke’s arm banded around her to lock her in. His body was there, too, pressed against her back and holding her tight, as if the possibility of her free claws slicing at him wasn’t a problem.A palm brought a blanket to her stomach
REJECTED MATE Chapter 44
“Playtime’s over. Sam is here and will start the lessons soon.” There were more groans. “Iz will join your lessons, too.”Whoever this Iz was seemed to have a positive effect on them as they rallied cheers around Luke before racing off. A boy lingered for a bit, looking up solemnly until Luke glanced at him.“Hey, you. What is it?”“I didn’t have my breakfast yet.”Luke’s lips quivered while he leveled the boy with a look. “Really? Well, now, we can’t have that when you are about to embark on a long day of lessons. What did you have in mind?”“Bananas. Fresh.”The boy held out his hands expectantly, orbs twinkling in excitement. Luke didn’t hesitate to pick him up and hitch him over one hip, and the two ventured away from the group of kids. She trailed after them, fascinated with the interaction as Luke led the boy through paths that didn’t have markers, where the trees and lushness seemed to go on forever. They stopped in a clearing set up as a garden, where root crops grew along wit
REJECTED MATE Chapter 45
“I did, and it’s done. It was just a quick check.” Luke tilted his head. “And I suggest not heaping questions on Maya anymore, Eric.”The other man’s back went up. Eric didn’t scowl, but only because he seemed to be fighting it. “We don’t know where she’s from and why she’s here. We don’t know who she is.”“And we are a clan who doesn’t discriminate because of those factors,” Luke shot back. “We welcome a lot of strangers here. She’s no different.”“She is different. The last two nights—”“Be careful. You protest anymore, and we are bound to think that you do not trust Angelo’s judgment.”That had the man’s mouth clamping shut, stupefied over Luke’s words. The scowl disappeared, too.“Has he not always been fair to us no matter what bullshit we give him?” Luke added. “I think we caused enough trouble as it is. We don’t need to start again now.”Guilt flared in Eric’s eyes. It became obvious that it was no longer about her, and she watched in fascination as the two brothers silently co
REJECTED MATE Chapter 46
“It’s me,” he called out softly.Silence. Then a shadow moved forward, closer to the area he scraped and stayed there, waiting expectantly. The lack of hesitation had him softening, his chest puffing out in triumph. He cleared his throat.“You were very busy today. It was nice to see. I guess you are in good condition now and…adjusting to us.”She tapped the tent in agreement. He pondered, memories resurfacing, then vanishing.“I’m also guessing that it means that incident has happened to you before; otherwise, you won’t bounce back easily.”Another tap, another confirmation. She was ready. That much he knew, but the extent was still to be determined. Quietly, Luke sifted through the multitude of questions swirling in his head.“Wolf shifter, right?”Another tap.“But something went wrong and you can’t turn now. And it’s hurting you every time the full moon comes out.”The silence made him assume she wasn’t going to answer anymore. But he was taken aback when a voice, soft and low, ca
REJECTED MATE Chapter 47
“He won’t hurt you,” he said, sure of it. “But I will stay outside.”She looked like she wanted to argue, then decided against it and retreated inside. Her disappearance felt like a punch in the gut, making him realize how much he liked looking at her. At the same time, it made him feel like a depraved soul taking advantage, so he adamantly turned around and faced the forest.From the corner of his eye, he noticed her tent lights fading away and the shuffling of items as she got ready for bed. She sighed. Sheets moved as she tossed and turned, then let out a soft exhale. It wound in his gut, a gentle trickle that held on and spread until his entire body was hard. When another sigh came out, he gritted his teeth. An ache formed. The intensity blindsided him until it dawned that it had been building for a while now.The night was torture as every sound he made had him imagining the corresponding movement, and it had him imagining how she looked. The attraction was stupid, a bad idea lur
REJECTED MATE Chapter 48
Her head snapped up. Her eyes grew dark, and her mouth opened in a wordless cry, but the teeth sharpening before his gaze and the fur sprouting from her caught his attention the most. It wasn’t just patches but the whole of her this time, growing so thick that she was coated in a sheen of silky dark gray. Bones creaked as the rest of her tried to catch up to the momentum, but there was no bursting into her beast form even when she visibly tried to get it out with all her might. She pushed, then pushed again. His hands squeezed her shoulders to stop the next.“Know your limits,” he said. “Don’t push to the point that there’s nothing left of you.”Her eyes flared. She nodded as her fingers clutched the pole tighter, effectively pressing closer to him. Maya pushed once more, a grunt flying off her lips at the effort it took. Her muscles quivered and her breath sharpened. Her fur grew even thicker as she buried her head in his neck, where he felt her mouth transform into a snout before re
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