Rejected Mate: The Alpha Shifter Collection

“It hurts.”

“I know.” He reached out and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. Even now, he wanted to protect him. He did love his son, so very much.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” he said.

Gage pulled his son into his arms. “I’ve got you, Tanner.”

His son burst into tears. This was the first real pain his son had ever felt. He didn’t care that his mother had left. Years ago, he tried to have the conversation with him, but Tanner hadn’t cared. He had once said that the woman meant nothing to him because she couldn’t even be bothered to send Christmas or birthday cards. He didn’t care about someone who clearly felt nothing about him.

Gage had wanted to give his son everything, even the love of a mother, but that was never going to happen. “I’m sorry,” Gage said.

“Do you love her?” Tanner asked.

“Yes. So very much.”

“Then I don’t care. You love her when I couldn’t.”

He held his son, knowing one day he would be okay.

Chapter Eleven

“Well, I had heard through the town gossip that he had marked you, but damn, you have got yourself one possessive alpha!” Lana’s hands were on her hips as she gave her a wink.

Constance touched the spot on her neck. She had seen the mark last night. Gage hadn’t come back to her. She’d gone to her own bedroom, waiting to see if he arrived, but nothing.

Tanner had needed him last night.

Part of her felt a little guilty for being jealous. Tanner was his son, and of course, he’d need his father, but she was a little confused.

Gage had mated with her.

He hadn’t waited.

He had taken her.

Her body responded to the sheer alphaness of it, but at the same time, what did this mean? Did he want her? Was he bored?

She couldn’t help the insecurity that plagued her. Even as she hated herself for thinking it, she couldn’t help but wonder if Gage had done it in order to stop spending time with her.

She rubbed at her temple, feeling the start of a headache.

Lana wanted to hear the details of what happened, but Constance avoided it by dealing with the library books. She seemed to be the only one who enjoyed putting the books back on the shelves, and so for the first part of the morning, that was exactly what she did, she restocked the shelves with the books.

All that time, she thought about Gage.

She was aware of the bite to her neck. Every single person she had come into contact with had pointed it out as if it was some beacon. Hiding it had been the last thing on her mind, but now she had to wonder if she should.

Would people hate her for picking Gage over Tanner?

After finishing the trolley full of books, she headed back to the main reception to see Lana on the phone.

“Okay, I’ll tell her.” She put the phone down. “That was for you. Gage wants you at the building site.”

Constance frowned. “He does?”

“Yep. It’s urgent, apparently. Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort here.” Lana winked at her. “Go and have fun.”

There was a time she would have enjoyed talking with Lana. Then she’d been fired after the Tanner thing, and since then, well, she hadn’t exactly been enjoying much fun with the librarian.

Nothing like getting her heart broken and hurt to see people in a different light.

Grabbing her bag, she took off and walked toward the building site. Even though it was busy, no one stopped her as she made her way there. No one was there.

She knew Gage had told his friend and the guys to stop work on the new houses until he dealt with the supply problem. He hadn’t told her the full details of what was going on, and she only knew what she heard.

Constance went to the door and saw the chain unlocked. Entering the building site, she went straight to the office. No one was there either.

She glanced around and saw a note on the desk.

She read it aloud. “Come to the second floor.”

“What is this about?” Leaving the main office, she looked at the building site and saw the scaffolding entrance.

After gripping the handle, she moved toward the second floor, entering one of the buildings. It felt sturdy under her foot, and she spun around.

“Gage? Hello? Are you here?”

Had Lana heard the wrong information? Why would Gage want to meet her at a building site?

“I have no idea what he sees in you.”

Constance spun around again, and there was Tiffany standing behind her, holding a knife. A rather large knife.

Her heart started to race when she also saw the anger in the woman’s eyes. The amber gold of her eyes as she stepped forward.

Connie felt sick.

“Tiffany, you’re with Tanner. You have nothing to do with Gage.”

“This isn’t about Gage. You think I don’t know what Tanner did to you? How he bit your neck? How he intends to claim you as his own and me, I’m nothing. I’ve given my whole life to him. Let him do whatever he wanted to me. He even begged me to wear a wig and let him call me fucking Constance as he fucked me. I did everything for him, and now he’s going to pick you over me. The ugly, fat wolf who doesn’t deserve him.”