Page 5 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 5

Halle

“ L atent bitch,” Kyle mutters as he passes me, spitting in my face. I wipe it away with my hand, my heart squeezing.

I’ve suffered this treatment for two days, and it isn’t getting easier. Despite the hurt in my heart, I keep my face impassive. I won’t let them see it bothers me. I won’t show any emotion.

Kyle turning on me is a pick to the heart. So much for friends sticking together. I keep waiting for the sneer on his face to drop and be replaced by one of his goofy grins, but there’s no ‘Halle Bear’, and no warmth from him either.

He and the rest of the pack hate me. The animosity is becoming so ingrained and so potent that I’ve turned the pack bond off. The link between me and the rest of my wolf family was too hard to stomach. The hostility and mistrust were relentless. I feel lost without the presence of the pack in my mind; I’ve never been without it, but I’m also relishing the quiet.

I watch as Kyle strides down the porch steps and goes in the direction of the garage, glancing back to glare at me once more before he goes inside the building.

Kyle isn’t the only one treating me like shit. Tammy won’t look at me, and Ellie is sneering every time we’re in a room together. The others either avoid me or call me out for my latency. No one offers me kindness except for Adeline.

She has tried to assure me it’s a mistake, that my wolf is in there and can come out. We’re Beaufords; there’s never been a case of latency in our bloodline.

But she isn’t meeting my gaze when we talk, and once again, I get the feeling she’s hiding something. Her questions leading up to the ceremony had been weird.

Did she know I was going to be unable to shift?

I refuse to believe she knew because if she did, it was cruel to offer me up like that.

I sense Klaus before he steps out of the house, a coffee mug clutched in his hands. “Halle,” he says my name as if it tastes sour on his tongue.

I don’t look at him. I can’t. “Morning.”

He grunts, his voice low. “I wanted the best for you. Ain’t sure what that is now, but it ain’t with us.”

I blink, his words taking a moment to really settle in. “You want me out of the pack?”

Blowing out a breath, he leans against the porch railing, looking out over the back of the property. The woods where I go every day span the length of our territory, though they are not part of pack lands.

“I never want to remove a pack member from our family.” I hear the unspoken ‘but’. “You have to understand how important it is for the pack to be strong.”

Something I’m not.

My stomach rolls, and cold trails over my skin. Being alone out there is a terrifying prospect, but staying with a pack that hates me and sees me as weak and nothing? That’s worse.

I knew this moment would come, but deep down, I guess I hoped it wouldn’t.

“What about Adeline?” I swallow back the bile as I speak.

There’s a long pause as he sips his drink. “She can stay. Adeline has a lot to offer the pack still.”

But I don’t.

That stings more than I want to admit, but I don’t let my feelings show, even though my stomach churns like a storm-tossed ship.

I don’t answer him. I can’t. The life of a lone wolf is hard, dangerous, and usually pretty short. Shifters need the pack link.

“Can I at least say goodbye?”

“Adeline’s out running errands for me, but when she’s back, you say your byes, and you leave. For now, you stay out here. I don’t think it’s a good idea you bein’ in the house.” His words twist my insides. “The others don’t like you having access to the pack bond either. You ain’t trusted.”

It’s the final humiliation, stripping me of everything that makes me part of the pack. I close my eyes just so the tears don’t fall. I won’t give Klaus the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

“Take it.” I sneer the word out and twist my head away as he comes over to me. He’s not hesitant in his steps, but he touches me carefully as if he thinks my latency is contagious.

The warmth of pack magic spreads through me one last time before it’s cruelly ripped away. Pain slams through my skull, and if Klaus didn’t have hold of my head, I would have slumped to the ground.

The heat of his hands sears through me until he pulls his fingers away and steps back. As the pain dies down, I realize I can’t feel the pack in my head.

There is nothing.

Just my wolf.

She whimpers and whines, but there’s nothing I can do to comfort her. I’m dying inside too. I’ve never been alone like this. I feel more lost than ever.

I stumble off the bench, away from Klaus. He feels like a stranger as his eyes appraise me. “I hate it has to come to this,” he says, going back to the rail where he balanced his mug.

I doubt he cares at all.

He picks it up and keeps drinking his coffee as if he hasn’t just stripped me of everything that makes me who I am.

“What about Dalton?” I ask, not that I care, but we are mated.

“Well, that’s an issue I gotta figure out.”

Figure out what? As far as I know, the only way to end a mating bond is for one mate to die.

Run.

My wolf urges me to go, and I listen. I push up from the bench and rush down the porch steps. Klaus calls after me, but I ignore him. He could easily catch me, even in his human form, but he doesn’t come after me.

I want to run, to escape from the emotions attacking me with each step. I feel like someone has their hands around my neck as I run, trying to end my life. I know it’s in my head, but I can’t stop it.

I can’t go back.

If I do, it is only a matter of time before they end my life. I don’t want to die.

I run until my lungs burn, and my legs too. Exhaustion forces me to stop and catch my breath.

Leaning against a tree, I bend over, trying to suck in lungfuls of air.

Glancing behind me, I try to make sure I’m not being followed. It’s darker under the canopy of leaves, and the pain and anxiety that had been clinging to me loosen their grip as I take in the scents of the trees, the mulch under my feet, and the leaves rotting on the ground.

This is where I feel most at home—out here in the wild.

I let my feet find the right direction as I walk, emptying my brain in the process. There’s no failed shifting, no angry mate, and no pissed pack out here. There’s just me, nature, and peace.

Klaus wants me gone, and while I understand it, I won’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. This is my family, or it was. It’s all I’ve known.

Maybe Adeline knows of other family members I can go to. There must be other Beaufords, assuming they would even take me in.

But what about Adeline?

My stomach clenches at the thought of leaving her behind, but what choice is there? I don’t know how Klaus plans on removing the mating bond, but I don’t think it will be as easy as the pack bond, or he would have done it already. I’m not willing to be a guinea pig, even if it means being tethered to that asshole forever.

I pause and look around me, trying to get my bearings while realizing I have no idea where the hell I am. I’ve never walked this far.

The trees are packed here, making it hard to see anything but rows of bark and trunks. Something tickles at my awareness.

I suck in a breath through my nose, and that’s when I scent him.

My stalker.

I twist and spot red eyes in the undergrowth beside me. A strange sense of relief washes over me that he’s here. I don’t know why, but I feel safe in his presence.

“Are you broken too?” I ask him with a watery smile. “Is that why you’re out here, stalking me?”

There’s no movement from his position, not that I expected any. I wander over to a fallen tree trunk and check it’s safe with my foot. When the wood doesn’t break or rot, I sit.

Leaning forward, I clasp my hands between my parted thighs and close my eyes.

I reach out to my wolf, but she is as lost as I am. She wants me to let her free, begs for it, and I hate that I can’t oblige.

Movement has my eyes snapping open. The black wolf is standing in front of me, his mouth soft and relaxed, his gaze locked on me. “I’m in a situation,” I say softly.

I’m not sure why I tell him this. What can he do anyway?

“I had my first moon ceremony, and it… uh… it didn’t exactly go according to plan.” I wince as the pain of that evening floods my mind. The agony of trying and failing to shift was nothing compared to the way my pack shunned me after. The rejection gored me.

The wolf doesn’t move, just keeps staring at me. “Why do you watch me?” I demand, getting annoyed. “Shift into human form so we can at least talk.”

He makes no move to do that. I blow out a frustrated breath. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” I mutter, picking at the leaves of the bush next to me. “I’m leaving. I can’t stay. They hate me, and I won’t make things hard for my aunt.”

His head tilts slightly to the side before he pads closer to me. I freeze as his nose snuffles my arm before lifting to sniff the claiming mark on my neck. The low growl that sounds in the back of his throat makes me tense. I don’t think he will hurt me, or I hope he won’t, but he sounds pissed.

The wolf pulls back, those red eyes pinning me in place. I meet his gaze, unsure of what he wants or what he’s doing.

Slowly, I reach my hand out to him, watching him carefully as I thread my fingers through the fur on his flank. I feel him stiffen a little under my hand, but he doesn’t pull away, nor does he stop looking at me.

A little more confident that he’s not going to bite me, I move my hand to his neck and stroke him there. “You’re not that scary, are you?” That earns me a growl, making me snigger, but it's short-lived as my chest tightens again. “You’re one of the few not trying to hurt me.”

The wolf lifts his muzzle and then turns, escaping through the trees.

I stare after him, feeling the sting of rejection from him too. I have no idea where I’m going to go, but I should start walking before it gets dark. I’ve never left the pack territory; I have no idea what direction to go.

I sit there, my thoughts in turmoil, cold seeping into my bones, wondering what Klaus will tell Adeline. I hate that I’m not going to be able to say goodbye to her.

My claiming mark tingles suddenly, the only warning I get before Dalton steps out of the trees.

I stand in one swift motion, ready for the fight I can sense coming. He’ll hurt me, I know, but if he thinks I’m going to make this easy for him…

He crosses the space between us, and I throw a punch, smashing my knuckles off his cheek. His head barely moves, as if he doesn’t feel it. Instead, he grabs me by the throat. His grip is solid, an iron band around me, and the air lodges beneath his hold. I scratch at his hand, at his arm, trying to move him, but he’s too strong.

“Let go,” I croak out.

He doesn’t. He gets in my face instead. “Not only are you a defective bitch, you’re also disloyal.” He sticks his nose against my neck, near the claiming mark, and sucks in a noseful of air. “I can smell him on you. Is that why you’re always out here? Are you fucking another wolf? How long have you been making a fool of me, Halle?”

I shake my head. “I’m… not. He’s—”

His grip tightens, and my words are cut off when I can’t breathe. “You prissy little bitch. You always thought this arrangement was beneath you.”

I shake my head again, the only thing I’m able to do. My vision is clouding, and I’m starting to feel light-headed. All I can feel through the mating bond is hate. I try to push my panic back at him, hoping some part of him might listen.

“How many times have you let him touch you?” he bellows.

I want to explain, but nothing other than grunts and moans escape as I try to breathe past his hold.

Dark spots are spilling into my peripheral vision, making it hard to focus.

Just as I’m fading, he releases me with a shove. I stumble back, hitting the leafy forest floor hard enough to wind me for a moment. I scrabble back on my ass, putting some distance between us while I suck in lungfuls of air.

Dalton paces in front of me, tearing his fingers through his hair. The tension radiating off him scares me.

My chest is in agony, and every breath hurts. I rub at my throat, the claiming mark rough under my fingers, making me wish I could cut it off.

“I haven’t done anything. Fuck you, Dalton,” I hiss, or try to. My voice is croaky and raw.

“Fuck me? You’re the one who is broken, not me. What the hell do you bring to this mating, Halle? You can’t shift, you can’t fight me. Now I find out you’re sneaking around behind my back with another wolf. You’re useless. How do I even know if you can have pups? It’s been six months since we claimed one another, and you still haven’t had your heat cycle.”

That is a sucker punch to the gut. I hadn’t even considered the fact I might not have pups as a side effect of this… defect I have.

I close my eyes and try to breathe through a pain that is not only physical anymore, but emotional too. I’ve always wanted pups, maybe not with Dalton, but I want a family. I grew up knowing nothing about mine. I’ve fought every step of the way to create my own.

I thought that was my pack, that eventually, with time, it could be Dalton, but I see that is never going to happen.

“It can take a year for heat cycles to start,” I defend, “but even if I had one, I wouldn’t let you near me.”

His eyes flare so wide that he looks feral. My wolf snaps her teeth as he rushes at me. I scramble to my feet just as he attacks me.

Awkwardly, I manage to punch him in the gut, but it barely seems to register as he grabs a fistful of my hair and drags my head back. The agony that shoots through my scalp is like a thousand hot needles poking through my skull.

Dalton growls as his balled-up fist slams into my side hard enough that the bones in my ribs shift beneath the force. The cracking sound I hear doesn’t sound good, and it makes me grunt as pain spreads through my chest.

“I won’t have you as my mate.” The rage in his words scares me, and the blatant threat, too.

I glare at him, letting all my loathing and disgust flow through our mating bond. “I hate you.”

I smack his hands, trying to get him to let go of me. He doesn’t loosen his hold, so I kick out at him, trying to connect with any part of his body I can reach.

He fists his fingers tighter into my hair, making my scalp ache. Cold fills my gut. He’s going to kill me. I see Dalton’s fist coming toward me, but I can’t do anything as he punches me in the face so hard I see stars. I try to pull away, fighting him like the wild animal I am, but my hits don’t seem to register or bother him, which fuels my frustration and panic.

I kick out, making his knee give way, and his hold on my hair loosen. As I pull free, ignoring the pain in my scalp, I punch him in the face as hard as I can.

Dalton’s head snaps to the side, blood spraying from his mouth. I hit him again, driving him to his knees this time. I’m a whirlwind of motion and fury as I lay into him with everything I have.

Absorbing the hits, he stumbles to his feet and grabs my arms, stopping my onslaught. I scream in exasperation, but I can’t fight as he wrestles me onto the ground. Sticks and stones stab into my back and legs as he straddles my hips, his weight crushing me. I try to unseat him, but he’s an immovable mountain.

Instead, I do the only thing I can. I attack what I can reach—his face and torso. There are already scratches down his cheeks, blood dripping off the sharp angles of his jaw. I relish the pain they must be causing him and intend to add more.

Before I can move, he grabs my wrists in one meaty hand, and lifts my arms over my head, pinning me down.

Son of a bitch!

“Get off me!” I struggle against his hold, trying desperately to move him. This is not a fight I’m going to win, and when he wraps one hand around my neck, the other holding my wrists in place, I know I’m screwed.

His grip on my throat is an iron band, one I can’t release. The air I need is lodged above his hand, and I’m unable to pull it into my depleting lungs. My wolf screeches a howl into the air. I know I’m going to die.

Everything is becoming dimmer, and it’s harder to focus. My lungs are on fire, and my brain is sending constant messages to my body to breathe, but I can’t get anything past the hand wrapped around my throat.

I’m sorry.

I say this to my wolf. I failed her on every level, but I take comfort that she’s with me in these last moments. I would hate to be alone.

I smash my hands weakly against his arm, a last-ditch attempt to save my life, but it’s too late.

I’m fading.