Rejected Mate: The Alpha Shifter Collection

At first, Connie hadn’t even registered with him. She’d been another member of his pack, but she had stood out in the crowd, sure. She was a bigger girl, and after her eighteenth birthday, he’d started to notice her.

Connie had a body, and in the past three years, he’d watched her blossom. To some, her large tits, full hips, and juicy thighs were disgusting, but not to him. He wanted her and couldn’t deny his need. The other pack women had never appealed to him.

Tanner’s mother had been part of the pack for a short time. She’d been slender as well. There was no real attraction or passion.

His son’s conception had been a mistake. He hadn’t been mated, nor could he stand her. The moment their son was born, she’d left town, and he’d not heard from her since.

“What … er … what does this mean exactly?” Connie asked. “I never looked up rejected mates and everything before.”

“We’ll talk more in the morning. It will be best if you get a good night’s sleep.” He walked up toward her as she rubbed her arms, the cold seeming to get to her.

He put his hands on her arms and rubbed up and down, trying to infuse her with his heat. “I’m going to take care of everything now, Connie. You’ve got nothing to be upset about. I’m here.”

She pressed her lips together, a beautiful blush staining her cheeks. For a long time, he’d known Connie had a crush on him. She rarely spoke to him and when she did, she’d often stumble over her words or blush. He found it so endearing.

“I will leave you. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.” He turned on his heel, shutting the door quietly and then heading toward his office.

He needed a stiff drink.

Gage went straight for the whiskey, pouring himself a generous amount and downing it within two gulps. Their bodies had a faster metabolism, which meant it was difficult to get drunk unless you were a young wolf.

Connie being in his home was all part of his plan. One he’d set in motion three years ago.

“Dad, what the fuck!” Tanner said, rushing into his office.

“Good evening to you too.” He turned to look at his son. Tanner looked exactly like him in physique and appearance, but his personality was all his mother. One Gage struggled with. It was hard to openly admit he didn’t like his son. He loved him. He would always love Tanner, but he didn’t like him.

“What the hell was that about?” Tanner asked. “I rejected her, and now what, you’re going to have my sloppy seconds?”

Gage snorted. “You would’ve had to have her first, Tanner. You didn’t even give the mating a chance.”

He’d suspected who his son’s mate was three years ago. After his son’s first transition, when Connie became another anomaly within the pack, there had been some weird connection.

He hadn’t gotten to be alpha of the pack without observing and knowing every single little detail of all the pack. He’d watched Tanner. Knew his son wasn’t the nicest of men, but the girls and some of the women seemed to enjoy his edge of cruelty. There had been no reason for him to interfere.

The body wanted what it did, and no one came to complain about his son’s behavior. Jumping from one bed to another. If that was what people wanted, he’d leave them to it.

Gage had watched the way his son reacted to Connie. The way he seemed to constantly be close by, watching her. No one else noticed, but Gage did.

With his own agenda in play, Gage had decided he’d see how his son’s mating would play out. He never expected Connie’s transition to take so long, but he promised himself if Tanner accepted her, he’d back away.

Tanner had denied the mating, and as far as Gage was concerned, he was in the clear to pursue the woman for his own. There was no mistaking Connie was a woman.

“That’s beside the point. I forbid you. You can’t have her!” Tanner slammed his foot on the ground.

Gage took a step toward his son. “You think you can order me around?”

Tanner tried to keep his ground, but alpha son or not, he wasn’t the man in charge. “Dad, she is a fat waste of space.”

He released a growl. “I taught you better than that, boy! You will learn to mind your tongue while you’re in this house. I pay for the roof over your head, the clothes on your back, and the food in your stomach. You have a position within this pack because I make it so, but I can take it all back.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I’ve watched you hurt that woman for too long. Rejected or not, she has a right to be in this pack.”