Rejection (The Mate Games 2)

“I can’t believe you just rolled over and spread your legs for him then and there. Something else must have led to that.”

I toyed with the sash of my robe, not wanting to meet her eyes. “He saw my mark from Noah and kind of lost it. Then a doorway appeared, and there was a forest, and I ran... and eventually my wolf submitted to him.”

Moira threw her remaining flag in the air, letting it flutter to the floor, her expression filled with shock. “Yourwolf.As in, youshifted? Way to bury the lead, Fallon.”

“It was amazing. Running through the woods, him chasing me, being completely free. As much as I hate him, I also need to be with him. She’s a big part of me.”

“First of all, you don’t hate him. There’s hate fucking, and then there’s the sex spree the two of you were apparently on all night. Second of all, holy shit, girl, that is amazing! I’m so happy for you. But also... your life is a fucking mess. What are you going to do? How will you deal with two mates? If you thought they were possessive assholes before, that’s nothing compared to what they’re going to be like now.”

Unease curled in my chest. “I’m not sure it’s going to be a problem. Noah... he might not come back.”

“He said he would, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then he’ll come back. He always does.”

I hadn’t realized how badly I needed someone else to say it. I’d been able to stave off the anxiety gnawing at me because of everything else going on, but the truth was, I was scared. Noah and I had this big, life-changing moment and then bam, he took off again. I rubbed at my chest, still feeling him through our bond, though it was diminished.

“I hope so. And I hope he doesn’t hate me for what I did with Kingston.”

“He won’t. He already accepted that you have a unique relationship with more than one man. Noah Blackthorne loves you, and that means loving all of you.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, wincing when my fingers caught on a huge tangle wrapped around a twig. “I really need to shower. Can we pick this up later?”

She nodded and gave me a gentle smile. “I’ll get the wine.”

“It’s not even nine in the morning.”

“Whiskey and tea then.”

I offered her a grateful smile, my heart brimming with love and affection for her. Without thinking, I reached out, pulling her into a tight hug. “What would I do without you?”

She hugged me back, giving me a couple pats before pulling away. “Probably kick ass and take names, but don’t worry. You won’t have to test the theory anytime soon. Now scoot. You definitely need that shower.” She waved dramatically in front of her nose. “I’m a cat person.”

I spent thirty minutes under the spray of hot water, washing out the dirt and dried leaves that had found a home in my hair, then taking extra care to scrub my skin free of Kingston.

Part of me mourned the loss of the wild, free woman I’d been in the forest with him. The evidence of our night together was more than just the side effects of crazy amazing sex. It was proof that for the first time ever, I’d been exactly who I was born to be. How could I go back to just being plain ol’ Sunday Fallon? How did I put that newfound part of myself away?

After dressing in a pair of soft yoga pants and a slouchy shirt that wouldn’t put pressure on my tender bite mark—well, marks—I returned to the main room we shared. “There. No more stinky wolf.”

Moira crinkled her nose. “Better, but you still smell like him. And a little bit like Thorne too. It’s weird.”

I frowned, lifting my arm and giving myself a sniff. “I don’t smell anything. I mean, besides deodorant and my shampoo.”

“Trust me, girl, you stink. But it’s okay. I think it’s growing on me. You still have that lilac thing, but there’s something spicy about it. Like pine and,” she tapped her finger to her lips as she searched her mind. Snapping, she added, “Bergamot. That’s it.”

She handed me a steaming mug of tea liberally dosed with whiskey. “Sit down,” she said. “I want to try something.”

“Okay.” I knew she heard the hesitance in my voice because she gave me a look that said,you trust Kingston but not me?

“While you were washing the forest off you, I had an idea. We might be able to find your vampire.” Her brows dropped in mock accusation as I perked up. “Oh, so now you’re interested.”

“How?”

“You’re bonded with him. That means we can probably link to him together and do a little... astral projection.” She rubbed her hands together.

“You can do that?”