Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“Hey!” the woman with her gawked at him as he reached for Harper. No one made a move to stop him as he all but dragged her out of the bar.
At first, Harper didn’t react, but it was like she woke up from whatever trance was holding her, and as soon as they were out of sight of the humans, she began to attack. She dug her heels in and jerked her arm.
“Let go of me!” Harper’s strength surprised him, and he had no choice but to let her go or risk hurting her, which was the last thing he wanted to do.
He looked at her and watched as she pushed some hair off her face. Seconds later, the woman she was with, along with the rest of the pack, stood several feet away, but he knew they’d come to protect her.
“Leave,” Harper said.
“You’re not supposed to be here. None of you are,” Mateo said.
Peter and Damon were at his back, and he knew they’d react if he needed them to.
Harper chuckled. “You’re not their alpha. They don’t have to follow your orders.”
He took a step toward her. “I’m your alpha.”
Silence.
Harper glared at him, and then she took one step, followed by another until she stood almost toe-to-toe with him. “Guess again. You banished me, Mateo. You’re not my alpha. I don’t answer to you.”
He grabbed her arms, pulling her in close. He felt such urgency to press his face against her neck, to breathe her in, but he held himself back. His wolf just wanted to throw her to the ground and claim her right there and then, but he kept control. Like always, control was something he knew.
“You’re my mate.”
“No, I’m not. I’m your rejected mate. I’m not yours and I’m never going to be yours.”
She brought her arms up, slamming them down on his, and there was that strength again that took him by surprise.
“Don’t ever manhandle me again.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Mateo watched her go, a little in awe and shock. He hadn’t anticipated her rejection. He hadn’t intended to see her. Even though she was no longer a child, they were not together.
He couldn’t help but watch her, seeing the sway of her ass as she walked away from him. Harper had always been a larger woman, curves in all the right places. To some, she stood out among the crowd of wolf females as they tended to be on the slender side. Not Harper. She looked stunning.
“Alpha?” Peter asked.
“She’s different,” Mateo said. He’d sensed the anger inside her. Her wolf rejected him, just as Harper rejected him.
He should have known there were going to be consequences for what he did. “Your presence is known, we must continue. We’ve already caused too much commotion,” Damon said.
Mateo knew of the delicate balance they must play with the humans. It wasn’t so long ago there was a hunting party, and all the wolves had to be on high alert. When a human went missing, or there was a suspected animal mauling, danger always lurked for the wolves.
He had no choice but to go Silver and tell him what he did. Running a hand down his face, he turned and made his way down the street, giving them a good distance from the bar before entering the forest. He never traveled by car, not for his annual visit to the Silver pack.
He sensed the tension in Damon and Peter, but all he could think about was Harper. She definitely had changed. Silver had told him that in the beginning it was awkward for her at the pack. No one wanted anything to do with the banished female. Franny, Silver’s daughter, had been the one to bridge that gap. She befriended Harper, and he’d also learned that Harper’s skills had come in handy with many pack females.
Mateo hadn’t been aware of Harper’s love of cosmetics. After he’d banished her, and his wolf had struggled, her parents allowed him access to her bedroom, where he had seen another side of Harper.
Young Harper loved the color pink. She also loved dresses and skirts, and only wore pants in the cold season. She didn’t have music or movie posters in her bedroom, but more images of looks and styles she liked to replicate.
Harper had become the Silver pack’s beautician, opening a small salon where she styled hair and makeup. According to Silver, she’d done many a female’s mating style. To Mateo, it had felt like utter nonsense and rubbish.
Now, he was interested to know exactly what his mate was up to.
The moment he entered Silver’s territory, he sensed the power of the alpha. At first, his own wolf wanted to respond, to challenge the authority. It was built in him as alpha, but his father had taught him the value of diplomacy and patience, and learning how to build trust.