All Chapters of The Alpha King's Rejected Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Anna Three years later It was the third time in an hour that Danny’s hands accidentally brushed across my ass. There was no point in glaring at him or pushing his hand away. He’d just give me a sleazy grin and mouth sorry. It was just a show for the customers, or at least those customers who didn’t know who I was. When we were alone, he didn’t even bother with the fake apology. He didn’t have to apologize to me. I didn’t deserve it. So I ignored him as I pulled the wine out of the cooler beneath the bar and smiled at the customer in front of me. “Our chicken caprese sliders would go great with this wine,” I said as I pulled the cork. After pouring his glass, I nudge the menu in front of him. “Caprese, huh,” he grunted as he eyed me, the gleam of his wolf front and center. I didn’t need my own wolf to tell me that he was more powerful than me. Everyone was more powerful than me, but he wouldn’t touch me. This wasn’t his territory, and he had no idea who I was. Shifter pol

Anna “You have to learn to trust me at some point.” The whisper in my ear heated my skin, and I tried not to wiggle against the body pressed to mine. I didn’t understand what he wanted. “You. I want you.” And he could always read my thoughts. Damn irritating. His low chuckle filled the darkness as his hand slid over my belly. I was naked. I was always naked, floating in the nothingness, and he was always here. A dream. Just a dream, except I wasn’t asleep. Not always. Not this time. “It’s hard to see you and not touch you. To see you and know that you won’t let me hold you.” Let him? Nobody let Jax do anything. If he wanted to hold me, he would. And that’s how I knew it wasn’t real. This was just the mate I wanted. The hero. The one who would listen and understand. That was not the real Jax Bishop. “Are you wet, baby? Let me see.” I never stopped him. Never wanted to stop him. My body never reacted this way to anyone, and what was the harm? Instead, I turned to

AnnaIn one swift move, he picked me up and tossed me back on the bed. Wincing at the pain, I dropped my gaze. There was no escape. Choosing a different tactic, I cleared my throat. “I apologize, Alpha. How can I be of service to you?”With a growl, he settled in the chair on the other side. It was almost comical to watch him fit his large body in the small armchair. With a frown, he picked up the crowbar and studied it before letting it fall back to the floor.“I am not here to take what’s mine, so relax,” he growled.Take what was his. I tried not to wince. It was true that I was his mate. That gave him plenty of power over me, power he’d never wielded. If he wanted to bed me, he would have done it before now. That gave me a little bit of peace, so I readjusted myself on the bed so I was more comfortable and tried not to stare at the dresser that was blocking my path.“For three years, I’ve left you alone. Given you a place to live. Let you do whatever you wanted so long as you didn

AnnaFor two days, I tried frantically to call her back. I needed to know what she knew. I needed to know why she’d wanted me to run.I needed her to know what Jax wanted me to do.My call never went through.It made sense. There were no phones deep in the mountains and definitely no phone service. However she’d made the call, it was clearly one way only.I couldn’t warn her.Other than that, I worried. My knee and ankle were still swollen and bruised, but I was able to put more weight on it. As long as I moved carefully and wore pants, Jax wouldn’t realize that I hadn’t fully healed.Danny never returned. None of the employees did. It occurred to me that this was the last time I’d be here. For three years, Fanged Smile had been my home. If everything went to plan, this would all just be a distant dream.It hadn’t all been bad. When Parker gave me space, I’d actually been able to relax some.Listen to music, dance. When he didn’t give me space, he was pushing me. He wanted me to impro

JaxThere were reasons I didn’t spend much time around Anna. Fucking important reasons.The security of my position as alpha was at stake. Just keeping her alive was enough to threaten it.I could kill her now and be done with it. I wouldn’t be the first wolf to live without a mate. It would be one of those rare instances where being alone made you stronger.For three years, I stayed away. When Parker told me she was covered in scars, I said good. When he said she was terrified of everyone and everything, I told him it was justice. And when he told me she was taking an interest in the bar, I told him to shut it down.He didn’t. For the first time ever, Parker defied me. And for the first time since his mate died, he took an interest in life.His reports changed in tune. He started berating me for ignoring her. When I finally snapped that she was lucky I didn’t break her neck, he stopped reporting at all.Damn it, he hadn’t been there when Cora dragged her broken body back to my territ