Obsession: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (The Mate Games #1)(93)

I felt it the moment it happened. Their bond snapped into place, locking me out, uniting them for all eternity. It was done. I’d lost her before I could accept that I wanted to take her.

Searing pain blossomed on my chest, the burn akin to a brand from a red-hot iron. I let out a harsh cry and tore at my shirt, wondering if this was the moment God sent me to hell. Had He been watching all this time? Waiting for me to earn my spot in torment?

But the pain receded, and clarity returned, a familiar unease curling in my gut as my mind stumbled upon a faint memory from twenty-three years ago. The very night Sunday Fallon was brought into this world.

My fingers traced the decades-old burn over my heart. The small circle barely the width of my fingertip had been there all this time. Signifying that the first seal broke open when she’d been born. A larger circle, raised and angry, ringed the first. Dread twisted through me as I traced the new, still raw scar that had appeared the moment Noah Blackthorne bonded with Sunday.

The second seal of the Apocalypse was broken, and I’d failed in my task to stop it.

An insistent vibration at my hip pulled my focus outward. I knew exactly who would be calling. The only one who had this number. With shaking hands, I flicked off the light and answered my phone.

“Yes?”

“What the hell did you do? The second seal has been broken.”

“She just bonded with Blackthorne. He must have been one of the seals.”

“Well, Priest . . . what are you going to do about it?”

Clenching my jaw, I took a deep breath. “Don’t worry,” I said, casting my gaze into the room where two naked figures curled around each other. “I’ll take care of him.”





To be continued in Rejection . . . keep reading for a sneak peek!





Sneak Peek





REJECTION: CHAPTER 1


KINGSTON





Seven years ago





* * *



Tonight my fate would be sealed forever with Sunday Fallon. I’d never met the girl, but my father had assured me she’d be the perfect mate, that she was meant for me. It had been agreed by our packs from the time she was born that she was destined to be mine, and now that we were nearly of age, we’d solidify our betrothal with this ritual run.

My nerves sang with anticipation as I caught her tantalizing scent on the air. It had to be her. Nothing had ever smelled so good. My wolf howled happily inside of me, eager to be free and to chase his mate through the meadow.

“What do I do?” I asked, staring at my father, who stood next to me at the base of the hill beyond.

He placed his large palm on my shoulder, and I knew it was the Alpha and not my father who answered. “Now you go and claim what’s yours. But go slow. She might be skittish.”

I didn’t want to scare her. I never wanted to do anything but care for her and make her feel safe. As her future Alpha, it was my job to protect her and the family we’d make together. I wouldn’t let her down.

My hands shook as I readied myself to climb the hill and meet her at the top. Nervous energy burned through me at all the possibilities that lay ahead. What would she look like? How would her skin feel on mine? Would she be proud to call me hers?

I had no reason to believe she wouldn’t. Girls had been coming around trying to get me to go for midnight runs with them since I’d hit my growth spurt a few years back. But knowing I had a mate, that she was waiting for me, I’d turned them all down, saving myself for her. Why give my attention to anyone else when the one fated for me was waiting?

My parents were fated mates, destined for each other, twin halves of the same soul. They told me the same was true for Sunday and me. The Seer had prophesied it.

Releasing a deep breath, I took the first step that would lead me to her. My heart raced with each stride until it felt like it had crawled up into my throat. I’d never been so nervous in my entire life.

She was already waiting for me when I reached the top, her chocolate hair falling in big loose waves down to shoulders bared by the thin straps of her white sundress. She must have caught my scent because her body stiffened and then she slowly turned her head toward me, her ocean-blue eyes widening as they met mine. My entire being called to her, the pull between us already intense and untameable. I’d never wanted anyone the way I wanted this creature.

“Sunday?” I asked stupidly because I had no other word left in my brain.

She nodded, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “And you must be Kingston.”

Her tone was sweet, innocent, and it caught me totally by surprise. I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck. “My parents weren’t exactly subtle, were they?”

Her smile damn near knocked me on my ass. “I like it. Not just any guy could pull off a name like that, but it suits you.”

Was it wrong of me to want to pull her into my arms right now and kiss her? That was exactly what I wanted. Not just to feel her soft body pressed against mine, but to taste those berry-colored lips. She was so fucking beautiful. More perfect than I’d even dared imagine . . . and I’d imagined a lot over the last seventeen years.

“You’re so pretty,” I whispered.

She blinked up at me, her cheeks turning a soft pink. Ducking her head, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “So are you.”