Return of the Alpha's Rejected Mate

head low and h

sk questions or draw attention. Most of the others either ignored her

o survive. To

aying invisible w

t everyone o

-

ing. Lucas-the pack's Beta-had a way of watching people like h

l, Lucas was quiet fire-calm, steady, and sharp wh

now if she co

s were collapsing from exhaustion, Lucas walked up besi

n't tal

at him. "Don't h

ay. "Come on patrol with me tomor

just for a secon

ur

itory. The woods were cool, and the air was crisp with the sce

. Every tree felt like a memory. Every path they took, she had

the edge of the

and the sparring circles were overgrown with weeds. But Arya

for half

ace, huh? Hardly anyone co

dded s

tching herself. "I mean I rea

osity flickering in his ey

casually, keeping her tone even. "The

epting the answer with

ept wa

tucked that moment away. May

he had to be

-

rya sat on the edge of her bun

ll watching. Still quiet. He never said anything to her, but she coul

n't tr

he other ha

lpha's quarters. Damon stood stiff, like he was warning

away before

-

fter dark, when everyone else was asleep. The moon wa

pressed her han

still rem

d, the words barely sound.

even

eath her skin. Not i

. Faint. Flickering like a he

n't that gi

ouldn

uldn't

ould

um of voices coming from the mess hall. Dusk was settling in, and a soft o

w he found himself rooted in place, leaning sil

s here

ew so

the wooden dummy, and the rhythm of her breathing. Her punches were quick, eff

folded across his chest, something tighten

t how fast she moved when sparring. But Kael knew better. There was depth in her eyes. Pa

watching her brought him

is mind was

n't feel like br

here," Kael mutter

" came the low, dry

usually silent for days, but of c

o words to me all week

olf shot back. "But I see she's s

his neck, jaw tighteni

led," his wolf growle

nd threw another set of punches, then pivoted into a low sweep

t trained. She

more than she needed to. She just

ke a newcomer," Kae

"She doesn't smell

his arms tighter. "Wha

n to her. Yo

stiff

re his wolf reminded him of the

ocked on the woman below. "It wasn't the ri

ed. "You rejected her. And now you're out here, watching

chest t

. That it was the pressure, the fear, the respo

down, he kn

rapping around her figure, he felt it again. Only stronger. More painful. More famili

notice hi

he couldn't

your bones. In the quiet. Even I'm not sna

slightly. "S

id, softer this tim

days. It was maddening-this feeling he didn't understand, didn't want to name. But even h

her togethe

icking her brow, her breaths coming out stead

n't loo

d like sh

be-that was what s

onged... then what

nswers that lingered in the back of his mind. But as

e to face h

idn't

ed, and no longer sure who he was

-