Page 28 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 28

Cade

H alle pulls out of my grasp as if trying to reach the door. I snag her wrist, making her stop. I know she is desperate for answers, and so am I, but I don’t want her to rush into things headfirst without considering what it might mean.

“Hold your horses,” I tell her.

I feel her frustration through the mating bond, but I don’t need it to sense that anyway. She is radiating it through every line of her body.

“We need to do this now.”

“I don’t like the idea of someone we suspect may be using you poking around in your mind.”

Halle looks a little sheepish as that sinks in. “If Hester wanted to hurt me, she could have done it already.” When I open my mouth to protest, she holds her hands up defensively. “I’m not saying she doesn’t have her motives, that we’re not part of whatever plan she has going on, but I don’t think she brought us here just to kill us, Cade.”

My fingers are restless, and I end up skimming them over her neck. This urge to always be touching her is so strong it is hard to deny. “The point is, we don’t know what she is doing. Let’s regroup in the morning with the others and see where we go from here.”

She grumbles but softens in my arms as I stroke the claiming mark. That seems to calm her, and I can tell I won her over when she sags against me. “A few days ago, my life was simple. I hated Dalton, my pack liked me, my aunt—I don’t know. Now, everything is so different.”

“Your life was never simple. You were never going to shift during the ceremony, and your aunt was banking on the fact you would and that no one would ever know you were different. She played Russian roulette with your life, and you lost.”

She peers up at me, her green orbs swimming as tears stand in her eyes. I swipe my thumb across her cheek, capturing them as they fall. “I’m trying to keep busy because if I stop for a moment, everything is going to hit me at once. The fact my mom left me with a wolf who stripped away everything I was, that my aunt lied to me all these years about everything, the way Klaus interfered with my mating to his son as if even he knew I was built wrong. Although, I guess I owe Klaus for that.”

I hug her tight against me, careful not to squeeze her too much and hurt her. I can break her physically and emotionally, and I am very aware of the power I have over her because she has the ability to destroy me too.

“It’s okay to be angry. I’d be surprised if you weren't.”

She closes her eyes, licking her bottom lip. I trace the movement, unable to keep the hunger out of my gaze. “I don’t want to think about it.”

I lead her over to the couch, sitting and pulling her against me. Her head rests on my chest, her hand pressed against my stomach. “Did you have a first moon ceremony?”

“Yeah. My father brought my wolf out just after my twenty-first birthday. I remember the pain and the uncertainty. Then my wolf was there.”

I like the feel of her against me, safely in my arms. At the moment, that safety feels like an illusion. She will never be truly safe until I get rid of everything threatening her, but I don’t know how to fight against those coming for her.

I don’t trust Hester, but I do agree that tau need to stand together against the common enemy.

“What does it feel like?”

“Shifting?” She nods against my chest. “The first time was excruciating. I’ve never felt pain like it. It was as if every part of my body shattered at once. I remember kneeling in the dirt, wishing for death.”

“Oh, I remember that feeling.” The bitterness in her voice doesn’t surprise me. I can’t imagine how being unable to fully shift would feel like. When my wolf came out to recognize her as my mate, I felt real fear watching her jolting and thrashing but not changing. “The sensation of every bone in your body breaking then reforming—”

“The first is painful, but after that, it becomes easier.” I draw circles on her arm with the tips of my fingers, soothing her. “It’s hard to describe. It feels like pouring liquid from one glass to another. There is this pull from somewhere deep inside for a split second, and then the change happens. My wolf takes over my consciousness, and my thoughts become more animal than human.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“For a second.” It hurts for slightly longer than a second. There is still that feeling of every bone breaking, but the shift becomes more fluid, happening faster with practice.

“I know it is unlikely that I will ever be able to meet my wolf, and that makes me sad. I feel like I failed her somehow.”

I place a finger under her chin, lifting her head so she is looking at me. “You haven’t failed at anything. Look at the things you can do. Your magic is so powerful.”

“Powerful enough to take lives.”

I don’t like that she still feels guilty about that. If she hadn’t killed them, they would have killed us. “And if you’re in that situation ever again, you make the same decision. You do whatever it takes to survive, you understand?”

“You don’t think I’m a monster for what I did?”

I tip her head back, pressing my mouth to hers. If I could suck all the bad feelings out of her body, I would. The kiss I give her is soft. Now is not the time to be a possessive asshole, even though she brings that out in me. Her mouth is gentle as it moves against mine, her fingers tangling around the back of my neck. I’m happy for her to take control if she needs it. I focus on our mingled scents and the way our breath combines as our tongues entwine.

When she finally pulls back, it is only because we are both breathless, needing to come up for air. “You didn’t answer the question,” she accuses.

“I don’t think you’re a monster. And if you are, so am I. I’m glad they are dead, and you’re not.”

She snuggles back against my chest, her arm draped over my belly, her fingers trailing over my side.

“Do you see your mom and dad much?”

The question doesn’t surprise me. Of course, she would be curious about my family, considering her own. “We try to visit at least once or twice a year, but Sawyer and I aren’t much for the sun. I like the mountains, the fresh air, and the woods. When we visit, I feel claustrophobic among all those humans.”

“Are you close?”

“They have their life, and we have ours.”

“I desperately want to believe my mom survived whatever happened to us,” she admits, her voice small as she says it.

“When things calm down, we can arrange to meet your aunt. She knows what happened that day, and she can fill in the blanks for you.”

Halle snorts. “Do you really think we will have the opportunity to leave here? We are not safe out there.”

I want to tell her I don’t think we are safe here either, but she has enough stuff rolling around her mind, so I keep that thought to myself. If I have to sleep with one eye open, I will.

“When did you know you were different?”

I frown at her choice of words. “You’re not different. I’m not either.”

“Then why does everyone hate us?”

“Because they are assholes.”

She snorts a laugh, which makes me smile. I like knowing she's happy, even if it’s only for a fleeting moment. “I like that explanation. Do you think the others will want to stay?”

“I don’t know. I hope so. I don’t like the thought of them being out there alone.”

“I wonder if Wyatt is still pissed at me.” I squeeze her hip. “I do kind of deserve it. I turned your life upside down. You’re running, away from your home and all the things you know. He should be angry.”

“No, he shouldn’t. No one forced him to come with us. I gave him the opportunity to stay behind.”

“I don’t think you realize how much loyalty you command from those around you.”

I do know, and there’s a part of me that hates it. It would be easier and safer if the guys walked away. Halle is mine to deal with, not theirs. But I know my brother, and I know the other two. We’ve been together for so long that splitting up is not an option. I would never leave them to face whatever the hell is coming for us, and I know they won’t leave me either.

“Don’t worry about the others.”

“But I do.”

I like that she cares. The guys are important to me, but she has bigger problems right now. I don’t remind her of this fact, running my fingers over her hip instead.

“I could just go to sleep,” she admits .

“Then we’ll sleep.”

I get out from under her and hold my hands out. She takes them, and I pull her off the couch, leading her into the bedroom. I undress her until she is only in her underwear before moving her under the covers, undressing, and sliding in behind her.

I don’t care that it is early; I only care that I have her in my grasp. How did I ever think about backing off for her son of a bitch former mate? If he tries to take her from me, I will slit his fucking throat with my claws.

I cling to her as if she is my reason for existing, and I promise myself I’ll be right by her side whatever comes for her.