Page 70 of The Enforcer’s Rejected Mate (Red River Rejected Mates #1)

Chapter

Forty-Nine

CORDELIA

A s much as it didn’t make sense, Piper was right about the rush.

Over the next four days I see just about every single pack member for every last ailment in existence.

Everything from a mild cold and a headache to pulled muscles and suspected psoriasis.

Someone does come in with a broken foot which I’m happy about, especially when they say, “I wasn’t going to come in but you know with the Festival and all I had to. ”

I want to ask if they wouldn’t have come in for their foot if there wasn’t a festival but I don’t because I’d rather not know.

I also get to see two pregnant she-wolves, Jennifer and Jade.

They’re both so sweet. Jennifer has a laugh that makes me think of Jenny from Oak Fast. I miss my friend and make a promise to myself that I will make it into Oak Fast after the Festival to see her.

It’ll be nice to catch up with her and Carla, maybe I can see Gus too.

I’m folding towels that I’ve just gotten back from the laundry when Clover skips into the room.

“Do you have your outfit picked out for tonight?” The dress she’s wearing is nicer than I’ve seen her wear before.

It’s red and flowy, the skirt of it swirls around her legs when she does a little spin and I grin.

“No, but I’m guessing because you look like a princess what I’m wearing is all wrong.

” I’ve got on my work books, a pair of jeans and a tee.

I did get some pretty dresses and nicer things from Clover’s cabinet but I hadn’t put anything nice on this morning.

I knew I had a busy day with the traffic from the festival, plus I’d found a patch of morels that I wanted to harvest. Mushroom hunting wasn’t the best for nice clothes, so my work boots were the best choice for my excursion outside the Keep.

Esme had told me about the mushrooms the morning before.

They were past where I’d ever been on my own, a few miles beyond the meadows, deep in the trees where the forest was still wet from the storms we’d had.

I’d gotten a good basketful of morels. Once I cleaned them they’d be good in the dinner I planned to make for Thorne when he got back from patrol.

My belly does a flip flop. That’s tonight.

“It’s not but we can rustle up something in no time because I’m the magic witch bitch around here.”

I giggle. “You sure you want to advertise that so loud? You know how some of the pack are about witches.”

Clover waves her hand. “They’ll just have to get used to it. We have guests applying to be members and guess what?” She motions for me to lean forward, so I do. “They’re totally witches. Do you know how cool that is?”

“That’s so cool! Oh, I hope they stay. Do you think they’d want to come herb hunting with me?”

“Girl, yes, they would love that.” She grabs my arm and drags me towards the door. “Come on, you can meet them while we get ready for the dance. It’s going to be amazing tonight. Ronan got a band from Oak Fast to come play.”

That surprises me. Frostclaw was so closed off from the human world but just like everything else, that isn’t the case here. “Really?”

“Yeah, he traded in a favor with the city council. We did some work for them after a snowstorm so they owed us their very best band for tonight. We are going to have the best night of our lives! Just you watch.”

Clover’s energy is so infectious that I can’t help but laugh and skip along with her down the halls of the Keep.

We get a few looks but they’re all with smiles and waves.

I’m practically skipping on cloud nine when we get the visitor’s quarters.

The room I stayed in is empty but the witches she mentioned wander in to introduce themselves while Clover is yanking dresses out of the closet as fast as the closet can create them. Their names are Lux and Nova.

“Pleased to meet you,” I tell them, holding my hand out just to get hit in the face by a satin ballgown.

“Nice to meet you too!” Lux laughs and helps me get the dress out of my face. “Is there a ball tonight or something?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s a dance…” I look at Clover. “It’s a dance, right? It’s just a dance and not a ball.” Oh hells. Please don’t let it be a ball. I’ve never even been to a dance. How am I supposed to function at a ball?

“Of course, it’s a dance. Just like a fancy dance, that’s all. Nothing a little ball gown can’t fix.” She chucks another ball gown at me and I trip over the tulle skirt and crash to the floor with a thud.

Lux helps me up and gives Clover a hopeful look. “Maybe an option with a little less of a skirt?”

Clover claps her hands. “I can do that.”

I sag against Lux with a sigh of relief. “Oh thank Luna.” Nova comes to stand on the other side of me and the three of us watch as Clover contemplates the closet with a hum.

“Listen, I have a vision for tonight.”

“Is her having a vision good?” Nova whispers.

I nod. “Yes, it’s a good thing.” I sound more confident than I feel but Clover hasn’t steered me wrong yet. “She’s going to pick the best dress.”

“You’re damn right, I am!” Clover throws open the closet doors and pulls out a dress with a flourish.

“Ta-da!” She waves the dress in our faces and blessedly, there’s no puffy ball gown skirt.

That automatically makes this the dress I’m going to pick and then I see the dress and I know it’s the dress I’m going to wear.

It’s white and floor length. It has sheer bell sleeves and a beautiful wrap bodice. Clover lifts the skirt for me to see the slit that runs up the side of it. “How’s this for a skirt?” she asks, holding the dress out to me.

I take the dress with a smile. “It’s gorgeous. The best skirt.”

“You’re going to look hot as hell in that,” Lux tells me.

“Sooo hot. Is there a certain someone you’re trying to impress?” Nova asks.

“Maybe,” I mumble, blushing as I duck my head while Clover gives me a knowing look.

Clover waves the two witches over while I work on changing. “Come on you two. It’s your turn. Let’s see what we can conjure, yeah?”

By the time I’m dressed she’s handing me shoes, a pair of satin ballet flats, and shoving me down on the bed to do my makeup. “You are so gorgeous. Thorne is going to lose his mind. Swear he’s going to ask you out right then and there.”

“Ask me out?”

“Yeah, like on a date, silly.”

“Who’s Thorne?” Lux turns around half in her dress. “Spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill.”

“Liar,” Clover laughs.

I point a finger at her. “Keep it up and I’ll run out of here with no makeup on.”

“Fine but only because I have a vision.”

I sigh and throw up my hands but there’s a smile on my face. “I know, I know.”

Clover’s vision for the night is to make me look like someone I don’t even recognize.

I look like me but…better. I never got to wear makeup and didn’t think much of it when I got to Red River, everything else was more important but seeing myself in the mirror has me rethinking that.

Clover’s made everything I like about myself that much better.

My eyes are ringed with smokey eyeliner, cheeks dusted with bronzer and blush that give me a flushed look.

My lips are painted red and holy hells do I look good with it.

I lean close to the mirror and check my face out.

“I’ll never question your vision again,” I tell her.

“See that you don’t. Now, do you want to wait for us or are you good to head to the dance on your own?”

The dance is being held on the third floor of the Keep, where we had the pack meeting and already I can hear the base beats of the band she was talking about.

“I’ll go on without you,” I tell her and look at Nova and Lux who are still getting ready. “I’ll see you up there.”

The women wave me out the door and I head straight for the stairs. When I enter the main hall I see everyone is dressed to the nines. I say a silent prayer of thanks that Clover intervened when she did. I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t.

I’m on the stairs heading up to the dance when an alpha falls into step beside me. “Are you excited for tonight?” he asks me, although it takes me a minute to realize that he’s talking to me.

“Oh, yeah, of course I am,” I splutter when he gives me a questioning look. I give him a nervous smile as we continue to walk up the stairs with everyone else. “I, ah, I heard the band is great.”

He brightens and nods. “They are. Best band around. They’re from Oak Fast.”

“I heard.”

An awkward silence falls between us and I let out a silent scream.

Why am I so bad at socializing with strangers?

I thought I was getting better at this. I was okay when pack members came to see me in the Healing Rooms and I got along with Clover and Piper easily enough.

Luna. I should have waited for them to come with me.

They would know exactly what to say to the alpha.

The alpha gives me a look that says he knows I’m bad at this. “Have you heard them before?” he tries. Poor guy looks like he’s about to walk in front of a firing squad talking to me. I have to help him.

I plaster a big smile on my face. “No! What are they called?” I ask as enthusiastically as I can.

“The Roaming Howlers.”

That’s an interesting name. “Oh, are they shifters?”

“Half and half from what I hear. Oak Fast is pretty open-minded about all of that.”

He’s not wrong. The people I met from Oak Fast were completely open-minded. “Yeah, I do. They’re really great people there.”

The alpha nods and starts to go on about the band’s music style but we’ve reached the top floor and we’re standing in front of the meeting hall doors.

I can see lights flashing from the inside.

There must be a whole set up for the band.

Other pack members pass us by, they’re all in a hurry to get inside to dance and mingle.

I think I would be too if I wasn’t thinking about Thorne.

Dancing is the furthest thing from my mind, it’s the Enforcer that I’m thinking about.

Is he inside already?

Oh gods, what if he’s waiting for me?

Would he be waiting for me?

I bite my lip and think it over. He left before I woke the night he stayed with me, and of course I haven't heard from him since he’s been gone.

Clover and Piper swear he likes me, and it feels like he does, but still…

the fear of rejection hangs low over me.

Keiran showing up here again ripped open wounds that had only just stopped bleeding. What if I’m reading this all wrong?

“You have nothing to be scared of,” I tell myself.

“Uh, what?” the alpha still standing with me asks and I realize I used my inside voice in the most outside of ways.

I look at him. “I’m nervous. It’s my first dance.” It’s not a lie. It is my first dance and I’m nervous but not for reasons I want to tell an alpha whose name I don’t even know.

He gives me a sympathetic look and then holds out his elbow to me. “Then why don’t I escort you in? We can even have a dance.”

I don’t want to touch him or dance with anyone else but Thorne, but I’ve got no good reason to tell him no when he’s been perfectly pleasant to me so I take his arm.

“Sure, thank you.”

“My pleasure escorting a beautiful omega like you into the Autumn dance.”

My skin starts to prickle at that. When I look up at him I see that he’s looking me over, eyes on the slit in my skirt that makes me wish I’d maybe gone with the big ball gown option.

I tug on my skirt and don’t answer him. I just keep my eyes ahead and speed up my pace.

The second I’m through the doors I’m going to make a run for it.

“Oh, wow, you’re eager!” The alpha chuckles and matches my step.

I don’t answer him, just power-walk towards the doors and push my way inside.

Inside the meeting hall the lights are low, orbs that I know Clover had a hand in creating bob along the ceiling and in the corners of the room, casting varying shades of shifting ambient light.

Pinks, purples, golds and greens wash over the room and everyone in it.

All the seats have been cleared from the room to make a dance floor in front of the dais where a band now plays under a spotlight.

“You’re beautiful but you probably already know that. Still, it’s my duty as an alpha to tell you. I’m a Defender too, you know. It’s a really respectable job, lots of rank in the pack.”

“Uh, that’s nice.” I try to tug my arm away from him but he just keeps his hold on me.

Shit. I need a quick exit. To the right of us there’s tables along with chairs and sofas where some of the older pack members are relaxing.

There’s a few families too with little ones running from chair to chair.

I scan all their faces and sadly I don’t know a single one.

That means the dance floor is the only place I’m going to lose the alpha that’s now giving me the creeps.

I pull my arm and back step towards the dance floor. It seems better to face him than walk with him. “I think I see my friends over there,” I tell him, jerking a thumb over my shoulder. “Thanks for escorting me in but I’m okay now.”

The alpha stays in step with me. In fact, he speeds up and gets closer to me. “Oh, no, I can’t do a half job. I’ll take you to them.”

“No, really, you don’t have to do that,” I tell him. “I’m fine. Really.”

“I insist.”

“No, really, I want to go alone.”

“Alone is no way to make new friends,” he says and pulls me towards him. “Don’t you want new friends?”

I open my mouth to tell him no but I don't have to say no. Someone else does for me.

“She’s full up on friends, you pushy shit.”

It’s Thorne.