Page 26 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 26

Halle

C ade cleans me up and dresses me up in the clean clothes he recovered from the truck. A T-shirt that is too big and a pair of boxer shorts that I know are his.

He pulls on his own boxers and then makes the bed while I sit on the couch waiting. When he is done, he stands in the doorway offering me his hand. I push up, walking to him and slipping my palm into his. The moment I touch him, I feel alive and content in a way I didn’t know was possible. He soothes away all the hurt, pain, and betrayal I have been dealt.

I let Cade lead me into the bedroom and put me in bed as if I were a child before climbing in behind me and pulling the covers over us.

His cock presses against my ass, even as his arms wind around me, pulling me against his chest. I let out a content sigh, snuggling back against him. “I don’t know how this is possible, but I am grateful it is,” I say.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Having you in my arms is all that matters.” He kisses the side of my face, and I close my eyes, just reveling in the feeling of having someone love me this way.

My body is exhausted and spent. I feel safe in his arms, so I allow myself to drift away. Cade holds me as I sink further into sleep.

I’m not sure what pulls me out of it. As I slowly open my eyes, I feel Cade pressed against my back, his leg draped over mine, his hand resting on my belly. There’s a delicious ache between my legs, a reminder of what we did.

Through the closed curtains, I can see it is dark outside, but I don't know what time it is, or how long we slept. We have barely had time to stop and take stock of everything while running.

I’m not sure what will happen when we finally do.

Cade moves behind me, tightening his grip on my body. This should feel strange. We barely know each other, but it is as if we have been together for years.

His hand sneaks under my borrowed T-shirt, squeezing my breast. I hum in the back of my throat, letting him know how much I like having his hands on me. He rolls my nipple between his fingers, teasing and tormenting me as his nose moves along the crook of my neck. He enjoys doing that, and I suspect it has everything to do with the mark he has left on my skin.

“How are you so good at this?” Desire fills me, my need for him making me forget everything. There will be time to worry about the wolves trying to kill us, but that time is not now. At this moment, all I can think about is the body pressed against my back, especially as his fingers leave my breast to move south.

He doesn’t answer my question, and as my hand follows his down my body, he pushes it aside, stopping me from touching myself. “Your pussy is mine, and I want to play with it.”

The possessive note in his voice makes every muscle in my body quiver with anticipation. I get out of his way, parting my thighs as much as I can and giving him the access he needs.

His hand slips inside the waistband of the boxer shorts he loaned me and down through my folds. I hold my breath as his fingers torment me, moving close to my clit before finding my entrance. He pushes two inside me, hooking them back in a way that makes me see stars. I gasp, tensing everything as he hits the magic spot.

Thrusting in and out, he hooks his fingers deep inside me that way each time he enters my pussy. My pants start small, growing in a crescendo as I chase my climax.

Awkwardly, I reach behind my back, trying to find his cock. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I want to make him feel good too. However, he pulls my hand away, placing it on my breast. I take the hint and knead my breasts instead as he continues to pump his fingers inside me.

I come faster than I thought was possible. Everything clenches and pulses as his digits continue to move. I cling to the edge of the mattress, trying to calm my breathing as stars spill over my vision .

He might kill me through sex. Is death by orgasm possible?

He kisses down the side of my face and pulls his fingers out of me before lifting my ass so he can slide his boxer shorts off my body. Parting my legs, I feel him at my entrance. I close my eyes and wait for him to fill me.

He is gentler this time, slowly teasing me before finally going deep, his pubic hair tickling my skin. I gasp, everything stretching to accommodate him, but he fits perfectly as if we are molded to each other. This is what being mates means.

Gripping my side, his other hand underneath me and wrapped around my belly, he slowly pulses his hips. I feel him everywhere—my body and my mind, connected just as Hester told us.

He makes love to me, and I can feel his emotions through our mating bond. I want to get lost in him. I’m not sure where his feelings start and mine end. We are one. Soulmates. Fated mates.

Heat floods my body as my orgasm grows inside me. Cade circles his hips, pushing even deeper inside me, making me groan.

I come fast, my body convulsing around him as he covers me with his body. When he wraps his fingers around my throat and squeezes with just enough pressure to heighten my orgasm, my pussy contracts further around him, and he comes, grunting my name.

His strokes become slower and out of rhythm as he comes inside me. “I can’t wait for your heat cycle when my cock will knot inside you.”

I have heard of knotting. It's what happens when females are in heat, the fertile cycle where they can become pregnant. The male’s cock swells so much inside their mate's body that it can’t be pulled out. Cade is already big, and I wonder what it will feel like to have it balloon inside me like that. My pussy clenches at the thought.

“It could take a while,” I say. “Some heat cycles don’t start for months after the mating bond slides into place.”

“And it can take even longer for fated mates. I don't mind. It will be worth the wait.”

My eyes widen. I had no idea it was different depending on the nature of the bond, but I suppose that makes sense. Hearing him say he’ll wait for me, in direct contrast to my previous ‘mate’, is everything.

“Let’s get a shower and go up to the house. It’s been a while since we last ate, and dinner was at six.” He rolls his eyes at this, seemingly annoyed at being told he has to be ready to eat at a certain time. “I think you’ve lived a bachelor lifestyle for too long with the guys. Civilized people sit down and eat dinner at a reasonable time and not always out of take-out boxes.”

He kisses my neck, skimming around the mark. “How little you think of me,” he jokes. “I cook.”

“I’m going to have to disagree with you there. I saw the state of your house and your fridge.”

He nips my shoulder, not hard enough to draw blood as I did, but enough to warn me.

Then he pats my ass. “Up you get. We don’t want to be late.”

We shower together, and I wash my hair this time, or rather Cade washes it for me. Every touch of his fingers makes my body feel alive in a way it never has, and it is as if I am drowning in him.

We both dress, and I slip on my muddy sneakers as he’s lacing up his boots. “I wonder if Sawyer came back.” I feel like an asshole for not having thought about him before.

“My brother will be fine. He has Wyatt and Jackson taking care of him.”

“His mate also pushed him away,” I say with a wince. “I know how that feels.”

“I didn’t push you away.” He looks genuinely distressed. “I just couldn’t deal with my feelings at the time.”

“I know,” I assure him. “And we’re fine now, and Sawyer and Roux will be fine in time too, I’m sure. But Sawyer has to be hurting right now, and he shouldn’t be out there at all. I don’t think the Order is going to stop looking for us.”

He straightens on the edge of the couch, his boots tied, and looks at me. “I know you want to make everything right for Sawyer, but he and that little wolf will need to figure things out themselves. Don’t get involved.”

“But –”

“Halle.” The warning in his voice sends a jolt of need through me. I like it when he's a bossy asshole, and he must see it in my eyes because he says, “I don’t have time to fuck you the way you want to be fucked right now. Not if we are going to make dinner.”

I pout. I went twenty-one years without ever knowing the touch of a man, but with less than twenty-four hours with Cade, I’m suddenly a nymphomaniac.

I hold my hands out to him, and he takes them, coming to his feet. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a killjoy?”

“I’ll fuck you all night,” he promises, kissing the side of my head as if he hasn’t just made my pussy throb.

We leave the cabin, although all I want to do is get back into bed with him. My stomach has other ideas, though. It grumbles as we walk, the thought of food tantalizing.

It is already dark after the winter sun vanished behind the mountains. The lights that line the path to the house give just enough illumination for us to see where we are going without blocking the stars overhead. I can’t see the lake, but I can hear the water as we walk hand-in-hand toward the main house.

The lights are on in most of the rooms on the first floor, though the second floor is dark. We pass the other cabins, including Roux’s. I cast a glance in the direction of her door, wondering what happened to her to make her push aside her fated mate.

I can’t imagine the strength it must have taken. There was nothing I could have done to resist the pull of Cade once that mating bond flared to life. I didn’t want to, either. My wolf wanted him as much as I did.

I pull my eyes away as we approach the house, focusing instead on Cade’s large palm wrapped around my smaller one. He leads me up the steps of the porch and through the back door that opens out into the kitchen .

The sound of talking reaches me immediately, and the smell of the food makes my belly rumble again. I wasn’t hungry until Cade mentioned it, but I could eat a horse now.

As we step through the doors into the dining room, all eyes come to us. Tessa is sitting next to Abel, Apryle across from them, and Roux, who I’m not sure I like after she hurt Sawyer, is sitting next to Hester.

The table is filled with dishes, food steaming in each one. Potatoes, green beans, bread rolls, and some kind of casserole I can’t see from here. My mouth waters in anticipation, but Cade squeezes my hand, bringing my attention back to the eyes looking at us. The silence that greets us is deafening.

I’ve never liked being the center of attention, and I like it even less now. I feel like an attraction at the zoo.

“I was right then,” Hester says, half-rising from her chair to offer us a seat at the table. “There was a connection. You are mates.”

Cade leads me to the two empty seats opposite Hester. I take the one nearest to Tessa while he sits on the other side. “Yeah,” I say. “We are still trying to figure that one out.”

“Congratulations,” Tessa says, and I hear the sincerity in her voice.

I give her a warm smile. “Thank you.”

“Happiness radiates from you.”

“Right?” Apryle says. “Enough to make you want to barf. Someone pass the potatoes.”

Roux leans forward to grab the dish at the same time I do. Our eyes meet over the top, and I narrow mine slightly. I don’t understand how anyone could resist Sawyer. He is frigging hilarious, and I don’t like that she brought out a different side of him.

I pull my hands away, letting her take the dish and pass it to Apryle, who watches the whole interaction with amusement.

Roux turns back to me and gives me a smile that is not entirely friendly. “It’s nice to have you both here.”

She does not mean that. We came and upturned her entire life, but I appreciate her attempt at holding out an olive branch.

“Thank you,” I say in a tight voice. Cade squeezes my thigh under the table, a warning to play nice. Too bad every part of my body seems to be attached to my clit at the moment. All it does is make me needy for him again.

Behave.

The word flits through my mind, but I have no intention of listening.

“Has anyone seen the other guys?” I ask.

Roux glances down at her plate, suddenly transfixed by her food. I do feel a little guilty for making her feel awkward in her own home.

“They returned about an hour ago,” Hester says. “Wyatt and Jackson said they will join us for dinner.”

I smile at Hester. “And what about Sawyer?”

Hester meets my gaze, and I don’t know what I see in her eyes, but it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. “I see Cade marked you as his.”

My hand strays to my neck and the claiming mark.

“The magic that was used to create your bond with your chosen mate, who performed it?”

I frown. “It’s done by the alpha.”

“When I met you, I could barely sense your mating bond with your chosen mate because your connection to Cade was much stronger.”

“That isn’t surprising,” Apryle says around a forkful of food. “They’re fated mates. The pull will always be stronger.”

Hester shakes her head. “Are you aware of how chosen bonds work?”

Cade grits his teeth, his hand tightening on my thigh. “Does it matter? She’s mine.”

The thin smile she gives him sets me on edge. “But she should never have been yours. Chosen mate bonds are created using alpha magic. They take time to cement, to become strong enough to destroy a fated mate bond, but Halle’s never grew. There was no connection between her and Dalton other than the magic that bound them together.”

I’m struggling to keep up, and I glance at Cade, wondering if he understands what she’s talking about.

“What are you saying?” Cade demands, a defensive tone in his voice. I squeeze his hand back, telling him without words that whatever shit spills out of her mouth is irrelevant. I am his.“Why did their bond not grow?”

“Probably because Dalton was an asshole,” I say. “I didn’t want him, and he didn’t want me. He wanted my name and the prestige that came with it.”

“Even so, you were bound to each other. That bond should have grown stronger over time unless it was badly done to start with.”

I stare at her, still not following. “You’re suggesting that Klaus didn’t create a strong mating bond between us?”

Hester picks up her glass and takes a drink before setting it back on the table. “I’m not suggesting anything other than you were bound to another, and yet here you are with Cade. He was able to erase a mating bond as if it never existed.”

“Because he’s my fated mate. Surely that trumps chosen mate.”

“If that were the case, any time a wolf is in a chosen mating, it could come undone if they ever came across their fated mate.”

“So, what are you saying?” Cade asks.

“That your alpha never properly performed the mating bond between you and Dalton. Of course, the fact you are fated mates meant you were able to recognize each other immediately, but only because the original mating bond was defective.”

Silence fills the room, and I can sense the irritation from Cade through our bond. “I don’t care if it was defective or done badly or whatever else,” I say. “I would never have stayed with Dalton. Cade will always be my first choice.”

Hester leans forward on the table, but Tessa speaks before she can. “Does it matter what happened? They are fated, and their bond is already in place and strong. We can all feel it.”

“You’re asking if it matters that an alpha fucked up a mating bond between his son and a wolf that he believes is purebred?” Hester asks. “Of course, it does."

I fiddle with my knife and fork, suddenly feeling as if this is all some game and we are just the pieces being played. “Why did he not do the bonding right?” I ask.

“That’s what I would like to know.” She sits back in her seat, looking between us.

“Because he didn’t want the mating to happen in the first place,” Cade says, his voice tight.

“Good; neither did I.” I reach for the potatoes, even though my appetite has fled. I need something to do with my hands.

I pile some on my plate before putting some on Cade’s. He’s too busy glaring daggers at the woman he doesn’t trust to pay attention to the pile of food gathering on his plate.

“What do you know?”Cade glares at Hester.

I glance at him before turning to look at Hester. She doesn’t give anything away when she speaks. “I don’t know anything. I just find it interesting that a father wouldn’t want his son to be in a mating that seemed perfect on paper.”

Placing the dish back on the table, I lick my lips. “Klaus didn’t know what I am. He would never have let me stay if he did. He killed his own sister for being a hybrid.”

“What if he wasn’t trying to protect his precious son,” Apryle says, chewing on a green bean, “but Red from him?”

I arch my brow at her calling me Red. “Firstly, it’s Halle, and secondly, why would he need to protect me from Dalton?”

“Aside from the fact your ex-mate is a maniac?” She smiles as she says this. “I can’t imagine a single reason.”

I snort as I reach for the casserole. “Trust me, my alpha did not care a jot about me being beaten by his son. Everyone turned away from it, including my aunt.”

Cade growls low in his throat.

“Klaus knows something about Dalton. Something that might have made him a threat to a mate,” Abel says, speaking for the first time.

I frown, but I can understand why he might think that. “Klaus would never have put up with his son being anything but perfect. He killed his own sister for her so-called ‘faults’.” I air quote the word faults. “He threw me out of the pack when he found out I was latent—is that a tau thing, by the way?”

“It’s a tau thing,” Tessa assures me. “Though Roux can shift for short amounts of time, she’s the only one of us who can.”

“Most of us are screwed on that front,” Apryle says, still eating, the only one who is. My gut feels heavy and unpleasant. “It depends on the wolf-to-witch ratio you have.”

“So, we think Dalton is what? A hybrid?” I shake my head. “I’ve seen him shift. I know he can do it.”

No one speaks again, and Cade takes over filling my plate with food. “Eat,” he tells me when he’s done.

I stare at the mound of food, unsure I can get it into my stomach, but I pick up my fork anyway.

“Is your cabin okay?” Tessa asks, trying to break through the quietness that has gathered as each person around the table has gone deep into their own thoughts.

“It’s fine.” I smile reassuringly at her. “Maybe we should tell the others to come and eat,” I say to Cade.

Roux freezes, and I feel bad for making her uncomfortable, but if we are staying, Sawyer and the guys have to be welcome too.

“You can take them a plate.” Tessa’s offer doesn’t surprise me. She seems like the peacekeeper in the group.

“Dinner is at six.” Hester shuts down that idea, and I notice Apryle’s brows climb up her face even though she doesn’t look up from her plate.

“Is this a sanctuary or a dictatorship?” Cade mutters.

“With so many people, rules help keep everything running smoothly and without issue.”

“Why are there so many here?” Cade asks, and oh boy, I hold my breath, waiting for Hester to blow up at this question, but she sets her knife and fork down on her plate and gives Cade her full attention.

“For years, I was hunted down like a dog by the Order of the Crescent Moon. I was scared every moment of every day that I was going to wake up with a pair of teeth or a gun in my face.”

My stomach twists, sympathy rolling through me. I saw how scared my mom had been when we were running in my memories. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

“That kind of constant fear can drive you to madness. I needed something to focus that energy on, so I created the sanctuary. A place where no one had to fear being killed because of their DNA. You may not like how I run things, but you also don’t have to stay. There’s a whole world out there for you.” Cade says nothing, but he doesn’t unlock his gaze from her either. “The truth is, being what we are is a lonely road to walk alone. And we are more powerful together than we are apart. To stand against hunters, there is strength in numbers.”

“So, you want them here as an army against an invading force of hunters?”

The smile that spreads across Hester’s face is not warm or kind but derisive. “Is it not better to fight together than die alone? I’m not sure why you distrust me so much, considering just a few generations ago, your own kind was hunted down and slaughtered by the very animals who want us dead now.”

“Nobody needs to worry about the Order killing us,” Apryle says. “This conversation will do it first.” She pushes to her feet, grabbing her plate. “I’m so over this drama.”

No one stops her as she leaves the room. In the silence, I can hear her scraping her plate in the kitchen.

“You can doubt my motives,” Hester says. “I would be surprised if you didn’t, considering the things you have been through in the last few days, but I will give my life to save anyone under my protection, including you. We risked everything coming for Halle, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The time for sitting back and watching our kind be picked off one at a time is done. Here, we can have a life without fear. If you don’t want that, feel free to leave.”

Hester gets up from her seat and leaves the room, heading in a different direction to Apryle.

Tessa blows out a breath. “Hester has strong ideas, but she is not the enemy here.”

Cade leans forward so he can look at her. “I guess time will tell what her motives are, but you better believe I will do anything and cross lines you cannot imagine to protect my mate from her or anyone else who means Halle harm.”