All Chapters of The Rejected Mate Games (Game Of Wolves Book 1): Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

His parents, however, were adamant that he needed to finish his education in the Eastern Wilds and stay close to home. They wanted him ready and willing to take over as pack alpha. I thought that was dumb. Kolton and Kira had no autonomy to do as they liked. Their parents were treating them like little kids.Kolton slapped his book closed and rubbed his eyes. “Okay, I need a break. I’m going to go cross-eyed if I study anymore. Want a snack or something?”I stood and stretched. “Yeah. Then I need to check on some stuff with some of my guys. I’ve been here for days. I should make sure they’re good.”I was a lone wolf, but over the years, I’d grouped up with a small group of guys. We were all the same—guys who’d lost their packs in some way and were now on their own. I was the de facto leader of the group, but Kolton’s parents had taken us in a long time ago. Back in the day, that had been a minor scandal, but we’d done our best to prove we were worth it. Most shifters looked down on lo

Nervously, I smoothed my dress for the hundredth time. The color was a deep crimson, almost the color of blood. Zoe had picked it out for me. It was the second dress she’d chosen. The first had been a bright white dress with lots of tulle and satin. I’d gaped at it in horror. It took nearly an hour to explain to her that white dresses were only worn at human and fae weddings. Shifters—wolves at least—never wore white for weddings. There was no reason behind it; it was simply tradition. Red, violet, and other dark colors were used for these ceremonies. I’d never seen Zoe as confused as when I’d explained that to her.Honestly, I understood where she was coming from. The entire thing was confusing even to me. Official mating ceremonies weren’t necessary per se. It was a show, a public display of what was supposed to have already taken place in the heart. Fated mates were so intrinsic and sacred that the Moon Goddess Heline herself sanctioned them. The only thing Jayson and I had to do t

Steadying my legs, I lunged forward, grabbing Jayson’s sleeve and tugging him around, making him look at me.“Jayson? Please, we can fix this. Don’t do this. It wasn’t my fault. Please.” The last word came out like a pitiful whine. I was ashamed of the way I was begging, but I couldn’t stop myself.Jayson’s lip curled up in disgust. “Don’t touch me, you filthy whore.”He yanked his hand from my grip and vanished into the forest. His words slammed into me. All I’d ever tried to do was bring pride to my family and pack. Being rejected like this, in public, was almost more than I could take. Some of my packmates were still shouting at the Ninth Pack, but everyone was moving away into the surrounding woods. I was left in the clearing, disgraced and on my knees. Humiliation cascaded over me, followed by shame, horror, and a sick feeling swelling within me.A pair of eyes caught my attention. Striking green and incredibly intense. Wyatt. Pity and hurt radiated from his gaze. Pity for me.It

“You almost died a few days ago,” I said, taking a step toward her. “There is no reason for you to be going on missions when you’re not fully healed. You need to recover physically…and mentally,” I added with a shrug.Her eyes flashed. “What I do, and how I choose to recover, is not your business, Wyatt.”“It is my business when I’m always running around and saving you from danger.”Kira grabbed her sandwich and hurled it in my direction. I dodged, and the sandwich hit the wall with a sad little thump and slid to the floor, leaving a trail of peanut butter in its wake.“I guess you haven’t heard the good news. You won’t have to worry about saving me anymore. I’ve just been terminated as a Tranquility Operative. Effective immediately. I’ve been fired.”My eyes nearly popped out of my head. What? The council fired Kira? The words didn’t make sense. All the ribbing about having to be her white knight and swooping in to save her was mostly my way of getting under her skin. Kira was the be

Zoe’s mouth dropped open. “Kira, there’s no way to fix it. Jayson, piece of shit that he is, rejected you. You’ve given all you could for your family and pack. You don’t owe them shit. Why do you even want to make these people happy? Honestly, the only people who seem to understand how hard you’ve tried are Kolton and Wyatt and his band of lone wolves. Everyone else is demanding a pound of flesh from you.”I groaned at Wyatt’s name. He was where everything had gone wrong. I couldn’t even think about him without getting depressed.I held a hand up. “Let’s please not talk about Wyatt. And let’s not discuss Kolton, either. He’s getting all these ideas about dropping out of school. He’s close to giving up his dreams of starting his own business to stay here and take over as alpha. You and I both know that’s the last thing he wants. He’ll shrivel and die inside if that ends up being his fate. Gods, it pisses me off and breaks my heart.”Zoe’s face softened. “I know, but…” She shrugged. “Be