His Refused Mate by Jade Marshall
Chapter Twelve
Peyton
Terrified is not the word I would use to describe the way I feel. Caine holds my hand tightly, keeping me beside him as we make our way down the stairs. Before we left the room, I dressed in a white sundress with thin straps. Although fear is pounding through me, I want to be strong. Choosing the dress is my way of standing tall, showing my mating mark.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, we turn toward the kitchen. We find Slade and his Beta seated at the breakfast nook.
Both turn to us as we enter the room. For a moment silence reigns. Calum is standing in the kitchen, watching the scene unfold before him. My gaze finds his and I nod. Calum stares at us for a moment before understanding dawns on his features.
“Morning, Alpha. Morning, Peyton. Would you like some coffee?” Calum speaks loudly.
Caine ignores Slade and turns to me, cupping my face. “My moon?”
Smiling, I address Calum. “Yes, thank you, Calum, that would be lovely.” Turning toward the table, I stare at Slade for a long moment before he speaks.
“You stink of this mutt, Peyton.” From the corner of my eye I see his Beta, Rick, move away slightly. Caine growls beside me, but I place my hand over his heart and smile before turning back to Slade. This is my moment to prove that I am worthy of being an Alpha’s mate.
“Good morning to you, too, Slade. You are welcome in our home, but you will respect me and my mate. You will respect the Alpha of this pack, or there will be consequences.”
Slade barks out a laugh.
“You are a child playing at being a grown-up. I have come here to collect you, and if I have to execute your mate to get what I want, so be it.” Slade rises from his chair and walks right up to me. “You will be returning to your rightful place. I am your Alpha, and you will listen to me. You have a week to comply, or I will retrieve you with force. Choose wisely.”
Slade doesn’t say anything else before leaving. When I hear the front door slam, I turn toward Rick, who hasn’t moved at all.
“How did you find me?”
“A female, Sara, came to see Slade last week,” Rick replies. “She gave him your location and told him he had to get you back.”
“Fucking bitch!” Calum roars. “I’ll find her and bring her here for you to deal with.”
Again, I wait to hear the door close before I speak. “Why does he want me now?”
“Because of what Luna, our pack elder, told him after he refused you. Slade has no claim to the Hatcher pack. He didn’t kill the last Alpha, only took over when he left. He hasn’t received his full power and can only finish his ascension to full Alpha after he mates you.” Rick looks down at his hands as he finishes speaking.
Behind me, I sense Caine. His anger is palpable. He hasn’t spoken since this started. He continues to let me take the lead.
“But I am already mated, to an Alpha no less. He can’t just take me.”
Rick glances up and over my shoulder. “He doesn’t care. He is mad for power. But there is no more power to be had. Mating with him has already made him Alpha of both packs.” Rick nods in Caine’s direction. “I must leave now before he returns, but know that if he does come here, any man, woman, or wolf that follows him will be loyal to the true Alpha.”
Rick rises from his seat and walks toward us. Caine swiftly pulls me behind his back, widening his stance, using his body to shield me. Rick falls to his knees and tilts his throat, presenting his jugular and offering his fealty and submission. Long moments pass before Caine speaks.
“Tell your people that they have a home here. I will be their Alpha.”
After he leaves, Caine turns to me. “My moon, what is this about Slade taking over for the previous Alpha? Where is he?”
A sense of sadness washes over me as I take a seat on the couch. I pat the seat beside me, and he joins me.
“It’s a long story, but my father was the previous Alpha. He was loved by his pack, strict but fair.” I stop to take a breath, and he nods for me to continue. “My father felt his mating come over him when a drifter came through the Hatcher pack. He claimed my mother and loved her more than anything on this Earth. When she was murdered, he lost his mind. His every thought was of vengeance. He spent more and more time in his wolf form, until one day he just didn’t shift back. The pack waited six months for him to return before they made Slade, who had been his Beta for a year, the new Alpha.”
“Peyton.” He breathes my name. “I am so sorry.” He hugs me against his chest, where I snuggle closer.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past. I have moved on.”