Page 75 of Never His Mate

I meant it to be a more lighthearted comment than it came out. Oops. Forgive me for being more than a little pissed off at how they tricked me. It’s been a couple of hours since I drank that sip of soda and I still feel off.

Reaching inside of my chest, I test my connection to my wolf. Nope. She’s stronger than before, but I’m still not ready to shift.

Ugh.

“I will, Gem,” Shane vows solemnly. “You can bet on it. I’ll start with Audrey and Grant.”

Now, hold on a sec—

I think of her deceptively innocent expression as she offered me the doctored Coke. And the look of acceptance on Grant’s face a split second before I sent him flying.

It wasn’t personal. I was the target, and even I have to admit that.

“It’s okay.”

“Gem, you don’t have to—”

“To what? Nah. I mean it. They were just trying to help out the Alpha. We’re pack, Shane. It’s how we’re wired. I don’t have to like it, but I get it. Now I know not to come back to Accalia when it’s a full moon.” I give a mock salute, still trying to downplay the situation. “Message received.”

An expression of concern flashes across Shane’s pretty boy features for a second before he shrugs and, turning his back on me, begins to stride deeper into the trees. “That still doesn’t explain why the others chained Ryker up down there. He’s had no problem passing every other full moon with Trish Danvers before tonight.”

I stop. Any humor I struggled to hang onto dies a quick, quick death at the mention of the other female.

“What?”

Shane looks over his shoulder at me again. When he sees that I’ve fallen a few steps behind him, he turns, an apologetic frown pulling on his lips. “Oh, Gem. Don’t tell me you didn’t know already. I mean, Ryker’s never kept it a secret. And since you left… he made it clear last year that he chose Trish. It’s why I couldn’t believe it when I stumbled on your car and discovered you were here.”

“You were at the Alpha’s cabin?”

He nods slowly. “I went to check on Ryker, but I left when I saw Trish heading in. I didn’t want to disturb them.”

“But Ryker wasn’t there.”

“I know. And that’s what I don’t understand. He’s always there for her visits—”

There it is again. Not as strong—thank you, mercury—but there’s that sour stink again. Almost like curdled milk. I thought I caught a whiff of it before, but now I’m sure of it.

Shane is lying to me.

Which, yeah. He has to be. I mean, Ryker admitted that he’s spent the last twelve full moons locked up inside of that basement because I was hiding too well. He didn’t go to Trish to help him with his lust because she wasn’t the one he wanted.

He wanted me.

Wants me.

And… Shane’s still talking.

Still lying.

“—once I heard that Audrey and Grant rounded up some of the pack to take you to Ryker, I knew I had to step in. He’s my Alpha, but no one deserves to be forced into a mating they don’t want. No matter what the moon says.”

Surprisingly, that part is true.

What the fuck is going on here?

I decide to test it. So even though Shane gestures for me to keep putting distance between us and the cabin, I stay where I am.

“How did you know I was even here?”

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