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17. Poolside
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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I Reject You, Mate 18. Dane's Club
I'm wearing Eliana's dress. A little green dress that hugs my ass so tight, Mr. Winchester's hands had furled and unfurled when I'd shown up, no doubt with the need to grip it.I don't feel bad or ashamed. I might keep it even, if I feel up to it.Shameless? A little, and there's nothing wrong with that.I'd always thought a night drive was cool, but now, in the early hours of the morning when the rest of the world sleeps, it is euphoric.The wind is cool, and Mr. Winchester's chosen car is without a roof top. I can feel the morning mist on my skin as he races past the streets of Brookville. I push my fingertips out the window and I smile at the breeze pushing against my fingers.I like cars. I'd always read about them and wished we could do away with carriages and horses. But the Lycan King didn't want the air getting ruined with fumes."Would Eliana be comfortable with this? Taking me out in the public's eye?"Sinclair Winchester doesn't take his eyes off the road or miss a single b
I Reject You, Mate 19. Greater good
Dane steps in between us before Ethan can think to retaliate.Could have told him not to bother. I can handle a fight just fine."Back the hell up, Ethan. We all mourn Danika's death in our own way and time. You want to go at it with him, do it outside my establishment. Tonight, they are my guests. You disrespect them, you disrespect me, I fucking kick your drunk ass out." Ethan bares his teeth at Dane, but he backs off, stalking back to the others at the table, his frustration seething under his skin.Soft, soft, musical laugh tinkles through the booth, quickly silenced by a warning growl from Ethan.Dane turns slightly my way, a flicker of approval dancing in his eyes. Just like that, my terrible mood is gone and I have to bite down on my lip to stifle a giggle."Which would you prefer? Dane's Club or my office?" Mr. Winchester asks as Dane leaves to fetch us some drinks. My brows furrow. "I'm not following.""Did you see the sign outside? There's an opening. If you like him so mu
I Reject You, Mate 20. The Drive With El
I'm having one helluva day.First, for some crazy ass reason, the paparazzi were at the school when Mr. Winchester dropped me off. Getting past them had been hellish. Their mics had been shoved in my face more times than I would like to recall, and they reached for me so aggressively, my blouse got ripped in a few places when I tried pulling away.Mr. Winchester hadn't bothered to get out of his car. He'd waved for the camera before driving off, leaving me to find my way through the horde.Then I'd walked into hall to find that I was late for an assessment. Lots of minutes late, considering how they were rounding it up already. But the lecturer had taken one look at me and given me a sheet and more than enough time to sketch daises and roses on the papers because I had no idea what the heck they'd taught in the previous lectures. How would I? I wasn't even around!And then, he'd proceeded to give me an A, when it had been very clear that I deserved an F.What did that earn me? Whispe
I Reject You, Mate 21. Tit for Tat I
"Girl, I got a raise!" I wish I could share in her excitement and joy but something is eating at me. Slowly, crawling under my skin, up my chest, in my heart, my brain, and I can't get it out of my head, no matter what I distract myself with. My nail snaps as I bite down on it, staring hard at my tab, waiting, fidgeting. "Okay, what's got you over the edge? You been acting like you hooked on somethin'," Ray quips, snatching the tablet from my grip before I can turn it into splinters. I snarl and grab it from her violently. Another snarl leaves my lips, along with the frustration that has begun growing from the moment I realized Mr. Winchester had left and the anger that keeps building with each message I send to him that he doesn't respond to. "Leave me alone!" Ray blinks, and her pupils dilate. She shudders, back hunching and her head hangs as she turns away, moving like a puppet whose strings are being pulled. Oh, Goddess. My eyes widen
I Reject You, Mate 22. Tit for Tat II
Ray looks at me funny. "Girl, you're not going to..." Her voice trails off when she sees something in my eyes. "No shit!" I smile and let a little bit of the naughty lycan in me rise to the surface. "Girl's gotta have some fun, not so?" Her jaw drops and she looks at me like I've grown another head on my shoulder. "Gin, you alright?" My smile widens. "Never been better." She grabs my hand swiftly and slaps a sachet into it. "Safety." I peer at the condom. I don't bother telling her that I don't need one. Lycans and wolves don't do STDs. Sauntering across the club, I stop by the empty chair beside the male, placing my heeled foot on it, giving him a view he'll never see elsewhere. He stops talking to his friends. His friends stop talking too. The arousal in the hair rises to a pungent level. They all want me. All four of them. I don't blame them. I'd want me too. "So, what's the name?" I purr, my fingers tracing the outline
I Reject You, Mate 23. Resignation
I drift, for what seems to be an eternity filled with excruciating pain and pleasure. Sparks explode behind my eyes and my knees buckle. I see red, and lightning. My world cleaves and all that I am, all that is left is that tether that makes us one. I may have been crying or moaning. I can't say, my consciousness is somewhere else, floating, shattering, transforming, becoming. Ezra's joy knows no limit. I could tell her she's a fool for feeling joy, but my reservoir for words has been emptied out. I lose myself slowly. Who am I? I am his Erasthai, and I have been marked for all of eternity. Who is Gin? Gin is gone. Mr. Winchester's teeth retracts slowly, his tongue caressing where his canines had been. He does it slowly, like he has all the time in the world. Territorial bastard, some part of me thinks as his velvety tongue continues stroking. Heat pounds between my thighs and I know deep in my core that I hate him so much. I k
I Reject You, Mate 24. No
Ray turns in my resignation the next day along with hers. It is no surprise when an hour later, both letters return in the mail box, each stamped with the word, "DECLINED."It does nothing to influence my decision on not returning, but Ray does. I don't hold it against her. She needs it, and it'd be silly to throw away a job at Winchester Global because of a squabble she knows nothing about anyway.It begins with flowers.Every morning I walk out the house to jog through the streets, I see a fresh bouquet of flowers at my door. There are always notes in each, and I don't need to open them to know who it's from.I make it my duty to toss it unceremoniously in the trash on my way out.When Mr. Winchester sees that sending me flowers won't cut it, he starts dumping gift boxes by my door.They go in the trash as well. I don't bother looking into them, so I don't get angrier than I already am. So it doesn't disturb me more than it already does that Sinclair Winchester thinks gift boxes and
I Reject You, Mate 25. His Apology
"I'm leaving." Ray doesn't bother to glance up from her laptop, or whatever she's intently scribbling into her journal. "Cut it out. You've got nowhere to go." It's the first time she's strung more than a word together for me since that night at the club. Her gaze rarely meets mine either. I can't tell if she is scared of what she thinks I am or she just happens to find me repulsive. "There is nothing left for me here and I am tired of leeching off of you." Ray taps the head of her pen on the table, but she still doesn't meet my gaze. "Never said that to you. I've got no idea where you get your pretty thoughts from. You wanna leave. Ain't got no papers to hop on a flight, no greenbacks to your name. I could lend you some if you wanna bolt, but we both know there's no corner of this godforsaken planet where you can hide from Mr. Winchester's grasp." Maybe there isn't. Perhaps, I should return home, to my father and be the daughter
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I Reject You, Mate 79. Epilogue
NAOMIIt is indeed amusing, more so than I thought it would be.Dane would laugh his head off if he saw me right now, carrying a backpack, strutting down a hallway filled with women who stare at me with wide eyes and men who whistle unabashedly. I know, I look good in leather.I halt by a huge door, peering up at a sentinel who has the sternest stare. “Hello, love. Would you mind opening up for me? I have an appointment with your…principal?”His gaze rakes me from head to toe and rises back again. “Chancellor Vesper,” he mouths slowly, like he’s talking to a kid, and I can’t help the faint smile that blooms across my lips at the notion. The male turns around, and I whistle at how nice his ass looks in uniform. Stepping foot into this land has brought me across the finest specimens I’ve ever seen. There is no end to them. None at all. I step out of my allotted room in castle—hot guards. I walk the streets of Lycanthia—extremely hot villagers. I walk into school—stunning, beautiful and
I Reject You, Mate 78. It's Not Mine, I Swear
It’s not mine, I swear.“I’m sorry,” my husband apologizes for the umpteenth time, dropping a kiss to the curve of my mouth. It’d almost been a mishap. Almost. Had Ethan not swooped in with rings that I’m pretty sure were new; rings I didn’t choose. As if he somehow knew Sinclair was going to lose them, like he did during his wedding with Eliana. I currently have a fucking plan B on my ring finger and the more I look at the more I want to smack him.I purse my lips, refusing to speak to him. I’m not particularly mad, but how does a man forget his own damned wedding rings? Okay, maybe I’m a little irked, and plenty disappointed.Grasping his cool hands tightly, I let him spin me across the floors in an elaborate sweep than earns cheers and I blush, smiling at a clapping Ray. “I’ll murder you later,” I tell Sinclair and Dane chokes on his wine somewhere in the gathering.“I look forward to what method you’ll chose. Your hands are much too small to strangle me. You love me too much to p
I Reject You, Mate 77. Wedding
Three Months Later…GinevraMy fingers are sweaty around Rune’s arm, and my steps are slow, a complete contrast to my racing heartbeat. I cannot, for the life of me, contain my excitement and anxiety. My breaths are shallow, and I can’t get enough air in my lungs.Rune’s larger hand lands on mine, and I glance up, looking through the veil. His green eyes smile as he pats down gently. “Think of tonight. It’ll help.”Tonight. Butterflies scatter in my stomach. It’s not like it’s going to be my first night with Sinclair, but it is my wedding night after all. The first night I’ll spend as Mrs. Winchester. My toes curl in my heels at the thought of it, and maybe, just maybe I start walking a little faster to get it over with.I grin widely as Ethan, dressed in a black tuxedo, gives the huge door a large push and it parts wide enough to reveal the floral petal pathway. Rune takes the first step up, and I follow, blowing a playful kiss at Ethan, whose lips tilt up into a small smile.As I st
I Reject You, Mate 76. Forty Human Years
Fenrir Leaning against the wall, he overlooked the gardens where his mate knelt, tending to the flowers with her bare hands. Her light hair brushed over her cheek and she pushed it back, smearing mud on her porcelain skin. Her eyes were the brightest he’d seen them in days, and he wished he could take her with him.It was for her, after all, that he was doing this for. He would right the only wrong he had done in his life. He would return to the past, and ensure he never even met with the boy’s mother.But Fenrir knew there were consequences and sacrifices to be made if he was going to toy with time. Nothing as drastic as losing his life, but he truly did wonder if the world might have been a better place without him. An awful thought. If he didn’t exist, Hekate wouldn’t have been reborn into Rune’s body and the problem with the Void would never have been resolved. Zephyr would have been mated to some lord who didn’t understand her meek, yet wild nature and desires. The world was
I Reject You, Mate 75. Ginevra
GinevraSinclair bounces the Viper into the driveway later in the afternoon. He kills the engine and I wipe a stray tear from my cheek before he can notice.I reach for the doorknob, but he’s already walking around the car to get it for me. I try to get out on my own, but my feet won’t hold me up. I’m exhausted. Recovering, but still very tired. The physician said the poison was completely gone and a few days of rest would be enough to get me back on my feet. He had insisted that I still stay, but I couldn’t stand being at the castle anymore.“Let me,” Sinclair says softly, hands sliding under my knees as he lifts me up. His face has a nasty grimace when he glances up. “I’m afraid we have guests.”I follow his gaze to the familiar cars parked around the yard and I smile a little. “They must’ve missed you.”“We very well know they’re just busybodies,” he mutters, carrying me inside. “I’ll get the urn when—”“Leave it there,” I whisper, closing my eyes to push another onslaught of tears
I Reject You, Mate 74. Son To Father
SinclairHe walks around his desk, red robe flowing behind him, and he walks past without looking at me. At the last second, he says, "Walk with me, Norman."Norman. The impulse to rip his skin off his bones pounds through me, but I know it'll get me nowhere. I push off the door, trailing behind him slowly as he walks, hand folded behind his back.The silence stretches on for some time before he stops before a huge black door, pressing his palm against it. The door shudders and slides open, revealing a vast orchard. I hesitate at the threshold, but the king continues on, robe dragging across the grass. "If I planned on killing you, you'd be dead already, boy.""You call me boy one more time, I'll kill you," I promise, following behind him.The door shuts with a loud boom and he turns to me. "Give it a try. You know you want to."His eyes taunt me. Try, if you dare, they seem to say. I don't do well with threats or challenges. I lunge for him, my fist connecting with his jaw. The secon
I Reject You, Mate 73. Father To Son
Sinclair“I’ve gotten most of it out, but I’d need to administer the antidote over the next few days. I’d advise you remained at the castle for the time being, lest her condition deteriorates.”“You’re welcome to stay,” the man who I will not call my half-brother says behind me softly, and I ignore him, watching Gin shiver and sob in her sleep. I had barely stepped out of the hall when her body began to spasm in my hands.A quick inspection, and the wound from the arrow stabbed into her shoulder had turned black. Poison. It’d explain why her father died so quickly. An arrow I assume was meant for me.Naomi fidgets by the door, rattling off something to Astrid, even as her gaze keeps darting back to Ginevra. She feels guilty, and that’s a first for Naomi who doesn’t give two fucks about anything or any one else. She talks a lot when she’s nervous, and scared, and right now, even I am frightened. For Gin. She’ll recover from the poison, but I’d never seen her so…lost.A guard suddenly a
I Reject You, Mate 72. Her Kill
The seconds blend together and I’m there, beside my father, unable to breathe, to think a way out—Father’s form begins to morph, crumple, as he shifts. I look up, and the physician is a few feet away, but even I know an arrow in the throat is as fatal as a severed head. Still, I wail and plead. Anything to get it out, anything to get the wound to heal—because it’s not. It’s turning black instead, and it’s spreading so fast, I’m scared to blink, or I’ll lose time again.Father’s eyes, now back to being blue, shift to mine, and for the first time in so many years, I see clarity in them. He starts to talk but blood sputters from his lips, and I place my hands on either of his cheeks. “No, don’t…don’t try to speak.”I feel wet, warm hands on mine, and I look down to see him grasping my fingers tightly. It is odd. It’s been so long, I no longer know what his warm touch feels like, and though it is foreign, I tighten my fingers around his hand, unwilling to let go.In the moments when some
I Reject You, Mate 71. Hell
The air lightens, for everyone else but me. I am bound by his order, and I watch in horror as Sinclair, free once again, tries to grab me. But I suddenly feel invisible fingers around my neck, choking me. I grab my neck, gasping for breath, and Sinclair halts, snarling at King Fenrir. "Let her go!"King Fenrir leans back in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee. "Get in the ring then." He looks back at Astrid and Naomi. "Try anything funny, and I'll snap her neck." He snaps his fingers and my head starts to move in the wrong direction. "It's really that easy."Growling, turns in the opposite direction and pulls a sword out of a guard's hostler and he's in the ring before my neck can actually snap.The king's hold on me lessens enough to turn my head forward and watch them and I exhale deeply, breathing hard and sobbing.An elder I recognize--I'm too shaken up to remember what the fuck his name is--starts rambling off the rules that no one ever adheres to. I try reaching Sinclai
