Page 20 of Rejected Sold Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #4)

There was something wrong with my mate, but I’d gotten to know her well enough that I could sense when pushing her would be a bad idea.

Physically, she appeared fine, but there was something beneath the surface that she wasn’t keen on sharing. Her scent had been intoxicating, stronger and sweeter than ever, and her body had responded to me when I first spoke to her, but she’d quickly put up her walls again before running off.

At least she had agreed to come to the party. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

The wolf in me had wanted to follow her and force a confession from her pretty lips so I could know exactly what was wrong with her. But I didn’t. I gave her space. I let her breathe.

And I hoped she knew exactly how difficult that was for me. There wasn’t a single other soul on the face of the planet I would have done it for.

***

When Rhie arrived at the bonfire, she was almost an hour later than everyone else. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, since she had been told so late in the day, but I hadn’t been able to actually exhale until I saw her walk through the open barn doors.

It was a beautiful night, the chill and darkness kept away by the enormous fire.

Lights were strung in the trees, and someone was strumming a guitar, the music flowing together with the lively conversations.

I’d been scanning the crowd for Rhie the entire time, and once she arrived, it was a fight not to sweep her into my arms in front of everyone.

She was hell on my self-control on a good day, but something about that night had me fiending for her even more than usual.

Rhie was soft and beautiful, her hair loose and glowing in the firelight like moonbeams, her jeans and cherry red sweater hugging her curves.

She was hesitant at first, like she was debating turning around, but before I could go to her, she was intercepted by three other figures.

There was a twinge of jealousy, but it quickly abated when I saw it was Mara, Leah, and Jen who had absorbed Rhie into their circle.

I knew my mate was close with the Lunas of the other packs, but it was good to see her making friends with women in her new pack, too.

It was a relief seeing how easygoing they all were with each other after how awkward the last night we’d had at the brewery had been.

But apparently, the three women had gotten over the shock of Rhie being my mate and were once again happy to include her.

I still wanted her at my side, but I’d give her some time to socialize.

When I saw her smile cautiously, I smiled, too.

It was a hard thing for Rhie to come out of her shell, but she was braver than I gave her credit for.

Those smiles were rare, too rare, but hopefully, once she was more settled in, I’d get to see them more often.

I forced myself to stay back and not hover like some overbearing shadow, but my eyes never left her. The bonfire was for pack bonding, but really, I’d organized the entire thing just for her. I’d never admit it, but seeing her happy told me it had been the right move.

To pass the time, I had a few beers and mingled with the rest of the pack.

There were a lot of questions about the increased security, which I tried to brush off, but otherwise, everyone in the pack seemed content enough.

The move had been rough, and peace for the Blacktide back had been hard-earned.

I just hoped that peace would remain. Thoughts of the rogues threatened to sour the night, but I set them aside for later.

Wolves from the other packs started to filter in as the night dragged on, mostly younger males hoping to make connections with she-wolves outside of their own territories.

Most of my pack was still guarded when it came to socializing with the other packs, but as long as they didn’t cause trouble, I didn’t mind them joining the party.

But just as I’d had that thought, everything went to hell.

If I hadn’t been so caught up in answering all the questions that came my way, I’d have realized just why it was a bad idea to have other wolves around.

When I lost track of Rhie, I hadn’t worried since she was with her new friends, but it wasn’t long until I felt a stab of worry flicker down the bond from her.

I stopped in my tracks, head whipping around as I tried to catch sight of her.

Then, I saw her, and was immediately cursing my own stupidity. Some of the men who had filtered into the party were Shadowbay wolves, and they zeroed in on Rhie, their old packmate, almost instantly.

They’d managed to corner her by the drink table, where she was separated from the women she’d been hanging out with.

I was already pushing through the crowd to get to her, seeing red at the shift in her posture.

Rhie was afraid, her shoulders tense and her eyes fixed on the ground.

No one was going to make my mate feel like that.

“Guess the Blacktide pack must be desperate for she-wolves if they’re taking outcasts like you,” One of the two men sneered. Rhie refused to look at them, but the words hit her like something physical, and she flinched. Old wounds opening again, no doubt.

“Good of them to take the trash off our hands,” the other laughed cruelly, blocking Rhie’s way when she tried to move. I had nearly reached them, my wolf snarling, close to the edge. I wanted to tear into them, taste their blood for making my Omega—

Before I could reach her, or even complete the thought, the three she-wolves from earlier swept in, flanking Rhie on all sides as if they’d practiced it. The Shadowbay wolves stepped back, surprised at the sudden interruption.

Rhie looked like she was in awe.

“Careful,” Mara said, her voice as sharp as glass. “You’re in our territory now. Watch your mouth.”

I was still feeling murderous, but internally I was also cheering. It didn’t matter if Rhie was new; we protected our own.

The Shadowbay wolves just looked at each other.

They clearly hadn’t expected any pushback, especially from three she-wolves, but in my pack, the women were just as dangerous as the men.

Leah slipped an arm around Rhie’s shoulders while Jen and Mara moved forward, forcing the other wolves away.

They hesitated, but once they looked around and saw that they’d garnered the attention of a significant amount of my pack, they backed off, disappearing into the crowd.

“Come on, Rhie,” Leah coaxed, “We’ve got some seats on the other side of the fire. Let’s go.”

I crossed my arms as I watched them go, filled with pride. Rhie wasn’t alone in my pack, not anymore.

***

Another hour passed, and it was getting late. Some of my wolves showed no sign of slowing down, but others were making their way out, headed back to their homes.

I’d been content to keep watching Rhie from afar, feeling the warm glow of success, knowing that she’d found her footing in my pack. Belonging was what I’d wanted for her, but she’d been able to go out and find it all on her own.

I would have left things at that, maybe waited around to drive her home, until I noticed the change in her.

Rhie’s smiles started to slip, her reactions twitchier and more nervous when anyone touched her or came too close.

At one point, she pressed her fingers into her temples and rubbed in small circles, as if she was trying to ward off a headache.

Most alarming of all was when she went to get another drink, and the red flush on her face didn’t fade once she was away from the fire. Was she ill? Running a fever?

That was the breaking point for me. Surely, she wouldn’t be annoyed if I tried to take her home after I’d given all the space she could have possibly wanted all evening. I pushed through the crowd, intent on checking on her, but by the time I reached the drink table, Rhie was gone.

Frowning, I looked around. She wasn’t with the three women she’d spent most of the night with, and she wasn’t getting any food, either. Then, I saw a flash of white-blond hair, trying to sneak out of the party just like she’d tried to sneak out of the bar earlier.

It would have been easy to catch her, but I decided against it, following her at a distance so she didn’t notice me.

Something was obviously bothering her if she was trying to make two quiet escapes in one day.

It was only when I saw her bypass the parking lot completely and head into the forest that I started to connect the dots.

There was only one thing the bar and the bonfire had in common, one thing that Rhie could have been trying to get away from—me. And if that was the case, I was going to get an explanation out of her, whether she liked it or not. I’d done nothing to earn her ire, so what the hell was going on?

Away from the smell of burning wood and dozens of other wolves, Rhie’s scent was heavy and sugary sweet in the air.

I didn’t even need to keep a visual on her; it was so strong, and I tailed her until we were both obscured by the forest, away from the eyes of anyone that might have seen us leaving the party.

An odd, thrumming feeling started to pound in my head. It felt like the adrenaline rush before a full moon hunt, only…different. Instinctively, I knew the feeling wouldn’t abate until I had my hands on my mate.

My wolf clawed at me for control, but I pushed it down. I needed my wits about me.

When I was sure we were truly alone, I picked up the pace, calling out for her, “Rhie!”

She flinched, spinning around, eyes wide as saucers. “What are you doing here?”

Her chest was heaving, her knees slightly bent as if she was ready to run from me at any moment. I spoke to her gently, not wanting to spook her, “I could ask you the same thing. Why did you leave the party like that? And why are you walking home?”

Rhie’s eyes flickered around us, but she didn’t try to run, “I just needed some air. Go back to your party, Jayce.”

“Easy,” I held my hands up like I was trying to comfort a frightened animal. Something about Rhie made me feel like she was on the edge of giving in to the shift so she could escape me, and I wanted to prevent that. “I can tell something's wrong. Let me help you.”

“You can’t,” the words came out almost as a sob, and when she finally turned to run, I lunged to grab her by the arm, hauling her close to me.

Her body was dwarfed by mine, but she wasn’t still, writhing in my grasp.

Her skin was damp with sweat, and when I lowered my nose to her hair to breathe in her scent, her scalp was damp, too.

“Let me go, Jayce, or we’re going to ruin everything! ”

I was drowning in her scent, greedily inhaling it from her hair and neck. When my nose grazed her scent gland, Rhie cried out, but it wasn’t in pain…

Oh, shit. My head cleared enough for one thought to make its way in. “You’re in heat.”

The phrase sank like a stone between us, and in an instant, Rhie stopped fighting me, going limp in my arms. She didn’t just smell good; her scent was actually making me intoxicated, the need to have her growing with each breath.

But it was tempered by the knowledge she’d been suffering in silence, when I could have eased her pain hours ago if she had been honest with me.

“You’ve been holding this in all night, hurting, alone? Why?” I demanded.

She leaned back into me, her back against my chest, her body giving in even as her mouth still argued, “Because it’s not your problem,” she snapped, voice cracking. “I just wanted to get through it by myself, but you just couldn’t leave me alone—”

“By yourself?” I interrupted, incredulous. “Rhie, you can’t. The pain, when you’re mated and denying your heat—”

“I can!” Rhie yelled, trying once more to pull away from me, but then she softened all at once, spinning in my arms so she was looking at me with huge, glassy eyes.

“I can’t. You’re right. I can’t.” Then, her hands clamped onto my biceps, and her voice took on a panicked tone. “Please, Jayce. It hurts.”

That single word, please, broke all of my restraints. I’d never been angry at her, just frustrated, but at her surrender, it all flowed into a hotter, more demanding emotion. My mate, my Omega, in heat, in my arms, begging me to give her what she needed.

What we both needed so fucking badly. God, I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything.

“Rhie,” The words grated out of me as I dragged my lips over her jaw. I had to be sure. I didn’t want there to be a single regret. “What are you asking me to do, baby?”

“Everything,” her words were like salvation. “I need you.”

It was enough. I closed what little space was left between us in a heartbeat, my hands on her waist, crushing our bodies together until I couldn’t tell where I began and she ended. Rhie made the final move, standing on her tiptoes and pressing her mouth to mine, breathing my name.

“Jayce,” she sighed, shivering with anticipation, “Jayce, please.”

Please. That damn word again. I surged against her, letting her feel just how much it affected me.

“Yes, mate,” I promised, “You don’t have to beg.”