Page 24 of Rejected Sold Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #4)

So I had magic. I’d always wondered, but always been so scared of my shadow that I couldn’t bring myself to explore the possibility.

Like so many other things in my life, Jayce managed to convince me to try, and I’d accepted my magical birthright on a cool fall afternoon, smack dab in the middle of the week.

It happened so easily, so quickly, that sometimes I still found it hard to believe.

With my heat having subsided and the shock of my new power fading, life had returned to normal.

Jayce was out checking the borders, while a large portion of the pack had been tasked with going to the berry brambles at the pack’s community garden to collect the raspberries and blackberries before the weather turned too cold.

It seemed a simple enough activity that I wouldn’t mess it up, and it was a good chance to get out of the house, so I happily joined them, sticking close to Mara when I could.

At one point, I’d put my headphones in and gone off on my own, relaxed in the presence of my new pack.

Their acceptance of me had come much quicker than the Shadowbay’s had, but I wasn’t stupid.

I knew there were a few wolves that still hated my addition to the Blacktides, but it was too little, too late for them.

I was there to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

Normally, I didn’t dwell too much on those who wished me ill, but sometimes they managed to insert themselves into my life when I let my guard down. Which was exactly what happened as I stripped a raspberry bush of its treasures.

I felt a prickling at the back of my neck, like someone was watching me, and when I turned, I came face to face with Brian, the same wolf that had confronted me the night Jayce proclaimed that I was his mate. He was standing six or so feet away, his own basket empty at his feet, his arms crossed.

I straightened, pulling out my earbuds. “Can I help you?”

“Nah. Just seeing why the Alpha’s new mate is sneaking off while everyone else is working.”

I hefted my nearly full basket up, “I’ve done plenty of work. Now, if you’re satisfied, why don’t you leave me alone?”

“Why don’t you leave my pack alone?” he countered, starting to circle me. “I can’t figure out why the hell the Alpha would bring you into the fold, but we’d all be a hell of a lot happier if you’d leave.”

Unease prickled down my spine, and I clutched my berry basket tighter, “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“Too late for that,” he barked, moving around me so I was unable to stand still if I wanted to keep my eyes on him. “You’ve already poisoned Jayce’s mind, and now you’re getting to the others. There’s no other reason why they’d so easily accept trash like you. The dregs from Shadowbay.”

“I didn’t ask for this,” I snapped back, trying to hide the fact that my hands were trembling. “Just…leave me alone. Pretend I don’t exist, and I’ll do the same for you.”

“Bullshit,” Brian sneered, “How can I pretend when my pack’s Luna is a fucking disgrace?”

I’d barely considered myself Luna, with how casual my relationship with Jayce was, but it hit me like a punch that others, like Brian, were already viewing me that way, yet he still dared to be so disrespectful.

The Luna was right below her Alpha, and when he wasn’t around, she was supposed to be his stand-in, his voice.

If I wanted Brian and whoever else believed the same things he did, I needed to be a Luna. I needed to demand the respect I deserved, even if I barely believed it myself.

I stood taller, raising my chin, letting the fear drain away like water.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me, but I know one thing about you.

You’re low in the pack, aren’t you? Far below Jayce, and far below me.

So why don’t you take your fake bravado out of here before I make my mate aware of what you're doing.”

For a second, he looked stunned. I thought that I had won, and that he was going to leave, but before I could feel any real relief, his entire stance changed. Teeth bared, shoulders hunched, more beast than man, even though he was still on two feet. “You little bitch—”

He lunged forward, grabbing my arm hard enough to bruise. I yelped, dropping my basket.

“Let go!”

But he didn’t, and when my fear rose up, my magic came alongside it, filling me to the brim with warm, pure power. I sucked in a breath, trying to pull away again, but when Brian yanked me towards him hard, the leash I had on my power snapped.

It was all still so new to me that when my magic exploded outwards, aiming to protect me, it wasn’t a spell or anything I had tried to aim. It was just a burst of power that ignited between us, throwing Brian away from me with ten times the force he’d tried to use on me.

The larger wolf flew across the clearing, hitting a tree with his shoulder, the sickening snap of bone echoing right before he started to scream. Horror hit me, cold like ice, and I ran to him, no longer afraid of what he could do to me. Only what I could do was to him.

“Oh no,” I breathed, kneeling next to Brian as his face twisted in pain. “You idiot. Look what you made me do! I didn’t mean to!”

He didn’t respond, just stared up at me, breathing hard like a cornered prey animal.

His arm was twisted at a disturbingly wrong angle, the press of the broken segment clear beneath his skin.

I felt a wave of nausea before I grabbed him by his good arm, coaxing him to his feet.

“We’ve got to get you to the healers. Come on! ”

I barely remembered loading him into my car or the shocked stares of the other berry pickers as I did so.

Brian didn’t speak the entire ride to the healer’s office, simply leaning as far away from me as he could, refusing to look at me.

I felt terrible, my hands shaking on the wheel and my head pounding.

I’d only had my magic for a few days, and I’d already used it to hurt someone.

My common sense tried to butt in, reminding me that I’d only been defending myself, but everything with my power was just too raw and new. When I pulled up to the healer’s office, I ran in before Brian could try to get out on his own, frantically telling the staff inside that I needed help.

Other wolves came out and retrieved Brian from the car, loading him onto a stretcher and taking him directly to the back. That left me standing in the waiting room, all alone, my still-unsteady hands clasped in front of me.

I’d hurt him. Badly. Just like my father.

When one of the nurses came out and took my statement, I was forced to admit what I’d done. The nurse looked at me with sharp eyes once I was done, leaving me without another word. I lowered myself into the nearest chair and put my head in my hands, fighting back a wave of miserable tears.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the office door opened, and someone stepped in. I didn’t bother looking up, but then a hand landed on my shoulder, and I almost sobbed when Jayce asked, “What happened?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but one of the pack healers had stepped out to meet their Alpha, wiping their hands off as they did so. “She told my nurse that she used her magic to push him back. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a magic-induced bone break, and—”

“Rhie,” Jayce tried again, kneeling so we were face to face, “What happened?”

“She’s right,” I whispered, wishing the rest of the world would fade away so I only had to talk to Jayce, who was looking at me with soft, understanding eyes.

He really is the chillest Alpha on the planet, I thought, almost smiling at the thought before I forced myself back to reality.

“He cornered me when we were berry picking. We argued, he grabbed my arm, and my magic sort of…exploded out of me. He hit a tree and shattered his arm. That’s what happened. ”

Jayce nodded slowly before he stood, taking the healer by the shoulder and walking into the back with him as they quietly spoke. A few minutes later, Jayce returned, offering me his hand. “Come on, Omega. You’ve had a long day.”

Confused, I looked up at his hand, but didn’t take it, “Jayce…if you’re going to tell me I messed up, I know. I know I lost control and hurt someone. I know I’m just like my father—”

“ No.” Jayce’s voice was firm, layered with Alpha power, and my mouth snapped shut from surprise. “You defended yourself against someone physically stronger than you when he crossed a line, and you stayed to make sure he was taken care of when he deserved nothing from you.”

“I should have been able to control it.”

“He’s still alive, isn’t he? That’s control enough for me.

Look,” he put two fingers under my chin and tilted my face up so I was looking at him.

“You’ve been afraid of your power your entire life, but that time is over now.

Brian didn’t respect you, so you made him.

I would have done the same…except with my fists. ”

Finally, I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. “So, you’re not…mad at me?”

“Fuck no.” Jayce tugged me forward, into his embrace.

“You’re still learning. And yeah, it’s dangerous, but everything we do as shifters is.

If your magic hadn’t taught him a lesson, I would have done it myself.

You’re not broken. You’re not your father.

You’re someone who is stepping into a power that has always belonged to you, and that’s hard. But you’re not alone.”

Shoulders shaking, uncaring of anyone else who could have been watching, I melted against Jayce and let the tears—and the guilt—flow away.