Page 6 of The Alpha’s Addiction (Night Grove Falls: The Alphas #1)

SIX

Rhodes

Our mate rejected us, my wolf says, sounding as shocked as I feel.

No. We can still fix this, I tell him, trying to reassure him and myself that we haven’t ruined everything before it starts, even as Adeline’s car turns out of sight.

I take a deep breath and head toward my pack’s land. I don’t make it far before I run into Cyrus, Foster, and Camden.

“What’s wrong?” Camden asks as soon as he sees me.

Cyrus and Foster tense, going on high alert.

“I found my fated mate.”

They instantly relax, and smiles stretch across their faces.

“That’s great. Congratulations, man,” Camden says, clapping me on the back.

“I knew it!” Cyrus exclaims.

“Congratulations,” Foster says with an easy smile.

“Thanks. She rejected me.”

Their smiles instantly drop, and all three look startled.

“Rejected?” Foster asks.

“What the fuck did you do?” Camden demands.

“I came on too strong,” I admit with a weary sigh.

“Too strong? How is that even possible?” Cyrus asks in confusion.

“She’s not a shifter,” I explain. “She’s human.”

“Oh, my god. Did you try to bite her in downtown?” Camden cries.

I shake my head. “No! Nothing like that. I just… told her we were meant to be and asked her out.”

“Smooth,” Cyrus quips.

I glare at him. “Yeah, I know. I could tell it wasn’t going great, but I couldn’t stop myself or pull back. I mean, my mate was right in front of me. I held her, smelled her, talked to her.”

“And she walked away from you,” Cyrus finishes.

I swear I’m this close to punching him. Foster must sense it because he pushes Cyrus away from me and gives him a warning look.

“She drove away,” I correct him as my wolf paces inside me.

“What are you going to do now?” Camden asks.

“Try again. I need to come up with a plan or a way to play it cool around her.”

“Should be easy enough,” he agrees.

Cyrus raises his eyebrows. “Clearly, it wasn’t easy.”

“You’re not helping,” I snap.

“You should practice asking her out in your head,” Foster suggests. “Come up with some date ideas so you have a plan for when she says yes.”

I nod. “That’s a good idea.”

“Maybe practice some breathing exercises, too,” Cyrus suggests. “Something to slow you down and give her room to breathe.”

I sigh. “Yeah, okay.”

“What are you doing now?” Camden asks.

“I need to do my patrol before heading into town to grab some groceries.”

“Let your wolf out for a run. It’ll burn off some of his energy and make it easier to stay calm around your mate,” Foster suggests.

“Will do. Thanks, guys.”

“Of course.” Cyrus smirks.

I huff out a laugh as I turn north to my pack’s land.

As soon as I’m hidden by the forest, I strip and shift, letting my wolf take over as we race along the northern border, down the east side of our land, and back to where I left my clothes. Things are quiet, which is good for me. It helps me organize my thoughts and clear my head.

My wolf is still on edge as I pull on my clothes and walk back into town. I practice some deep breathing exercises, but I’m not sure they’re much help.

“Hey, Adeline. It’s great to see you again. I was about to grab a coffee. Want to join me?” I mumble to myself as I make my way down the trail.

That was terrible, my wolf scolds.

I roll my eyes. What should I say then?

Walk up to her and bite her.

Yeah, that won’t freak her out, I reply sarcastically.

My wolf growls at me, and I try to come up with other casual date ideas as I head over to the Night Grove Falls Market. I grab a basket as I walk inside and move up and down the aisles.

What does Adeline like to eat? Something sweet, I’m sure.

I smile as I head down the candy aisle, adding Reese’s Cups to my basket. I also toss in bread, pickles, lunch meat, and a few frozen pizzas.

As I turn down the next aisle, pale blonde hair catches my eye. My wolf and I are instantly on high alert as we see our mate at the end of the aisle.

“Adeline!” I call before I can stop myself.

Shit. This is not going according to plan. Again.

My mate looks up, her blue eyes meeting mine.

I smile and wave awkwardly.

Just bite her. This place is empty. No one will even see, my wolf demands.

We’ve been over this. That will scare her, and she’ll never talk to us again.

She’ll want to at the next full moon, he points out.

I ignore him and make my way toward Adeline.

“Hey,” she says warily as I stop in front of her.

“Getting groceries?” I ask, peeking down at her shopping cart full of flour, sugar, butter, and a bunch of other groceries.

“Yeah. Have to stock up.”

“Are you baking tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you making?”

“Some brownies, chocolate croissants, cupcakes, and fruit tarts.”

“Sounds great.”

She nods, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Listen,” I start, reminding myself to take it slow. “I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier. I’m sorry I came on so strong. I’d like to take you out and prove what I said to you.”

“Prove that we’re meant to be?” she asks in disbelief.

I nod. “Yeah.”

“How?”

“I just need a chance.”

I’m so sure that she’s about to turn me down again. My wolf paces inside me, begging me to bite her, but I hold him back.

“Okay,” she finally says so softly that I think I misheard her.

“Really?” I blurt.

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Great! How about dinner tomorrow night?”

“Okay. What time and where?”

“I’ll pick you up. How does six sound?”

“That works.”

“Here,” I say, grabbing her notepad and pen from her shopping cart and scribbling down my phone number. “You can text or call me with your address.”

“All right.”

“Anything you’re in the mood for? We have a steakhouse or a good Thai restaurant in town.”

“Oh, I’m good with wherever.”

“Okay, well, if you change your mind and want something specific, let me know.”

“Okay.”

We turn and head to the checkout. I help her put her groceries on the belt, smiling like a lunatic the entire time. I see her sneaking glances at me as the cashier scans her items, which only makes me smile wider.

When it’s time to pay, I push her out of the way and swipe my card before she can argue.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she protests.

I shrug. “I wanted to.”

“Well…thank you,” she grumbles.

“Anytime, Adeline.”

I help her load her bags into her cart and pay for my items quickly so I can follow her out to her car.

“Where’s the jacket?” I ask as I nudge her out of the way and load her groceries into the trunk.

“Oh, it’s at home. I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”

“You should wear it. Or another one. It’s been chilly here.”

“I’m okay.” She gives me a warning look before I can argue with her about it. “Thanks,” she says, waving a hand at her trunk and the grocery cart.

“Anytime.”

She nods and, with one last look, climbs into her car. I watch as she starts it and shifts into gear. She glances at me one last time before she pulls away.

I grin, waving as she pulls out of the spot.

I can tell she’s on the fence about trusting me, but that’s okay. I’ll fix it. Soon, she’ll trust me with everything.

Including her heart.