The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate (Five Packs #1)(11)

I need to diversify the roster.

I’ve never touched Una Hayes.

I mean, why would I? It wouldn’t be right. She’s got that messed up leg, and obviously, there’s something wrong with her wolf. And now, maybe her head.

She always seemed smart. She was one of those kids who was early to the bus stop and sat right up front behind the driver. Teacher’s pet. Always eating lunch in the classroom so she could play on the computer.

In my grandfather’s day, she wouldn’t have gone to school. My generation was the first to send the females, and only because Moon Lake Pack wouldn’t let the males go if the females didn’t.

At least my father saw the value in education. There were plenty of packmates who thought schooling was a waste of time for males as well, but if we didn’t know enough math to grow the money we make on the circuit, we’d still be huddling in piles to survive the winter.

Soft gray fur, wriggling and warm. Tucked ears. Small paws kneading my belly.

My breath catches in my lungs, and my wolf growls low. Almost a purr. What the fuck?

Tye drops his arm and raises his eyebrow. I scrub my chest and toss a shoulder. “I don’t know, man. He’s been making weird noises.”

“You hungry?”

“I mean, I could eat, but it’s definitely my wolf, not my stomach.”

“Hot for your new mate?” Tye snorts.

Aggression crackles along my nerves. I punch his shoulder. “She’s not my mate.”

“Obviously.”

I nod and force myself to chill out. This is bullshit. Now I’m hot, sweaty, and uptight. And I got a semi from thinking about a sleep huddle, and Tye’s eyeing it.

“If she were my mate, I’d know.” The bond is unmistakable. That’s what everyone says.

“Of course.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to reject her.” A male cannot resist his mated female. It is known.

Tye nods slowly. He’s not saying something. He’s got that douchey know-it-all look he gets when he’s watching his mouth.

“What? Spit it out.”

He runs his fingers through his hair. He’s got so much gunk in it that it stays perfectly messy. He gets my cousin Ashlynn to do it for him. Vain bastard.

His musk is annoying. I don’t want him near—

I shake my head to clear it. The heat’s getting to me. I don’t notice male musk. I spend eighty percent of my time in a gym.

“Say what you’re gonna say,” I tell him.

“I don’t know, man.” He moves, bracing his forearms on his thighs and staring at the cedar slats. “The old timers say a lot of shit. You know your mate at her first heat. There’s only one. You can’t fight the bond. It’s the greatest happiness a wolf can know.”

“Yeah.” That’s the way it works.

“But, I mean—” He slides me a glance. “Haisley’s sucking your dick. She’s banging Finn. Jaime.”

“So?” We’ve got rules for the lone females to keep the peace and keep them safe, but if a female has a father or brother or mate to make sure shit doesn’t get out of hand, she can do what she wants.

“Dermot doesn’t seem to mind.” Tye raises an eyebrow. “And she’s happy enough.”

‘Cause she likes to lord “my favor” over the other females. “And your point is?”

“Jimmy is mated to Dierdre, but he’s living with Conor,” Tye goes on.

“Ain’t our business.” Eamon and the other elders keep bringing it up, and I keep tellin’ ‘em that love is love. Got that off a dude’s shirt at a cage match down in the valley.

“Dierdre’s been sneaking off on runs with Liam.”

“No shit?” I don’t know anything that’s going on in my own pack. I guess if folks keep a lid on the drama, I don’t have to.

“All I’m saying is if you open your eyes, there’s a lot of evidence that the old timers don’t know what the hell they’re talking about when it comes to mating.”

“That fits the pattern.”

The old timers are—collectively—morons. They want to be back in the dens. They think it’s disrespectful that a female won’t present on command. I installed solar panels on the lodge to cut the electricity bill, and they’re worried the place will catch on fire. You know, like ants under a magnifying glass—‘cause that’s how solar energy works.

“All I’m saying is—” Tye draws in a deep breath to make the pause all dramatic. “What if she’s your mate?”

“She’s not my mate.” If she was, my wolf would’ve claimed her. Period. End of story. He ain’t shy.

“How sure are you?”

“Completely.”

“I looped past the lone female’s cabin on my way back from patrol.”

“Yeah?” My adrenaline spikes. I’m only interested because every packmate is my concern.

“She wasn’t there.”

“I’m sure she’s got work.” The females are always doing something.

“She’s not in the commons.”

That’s not surprising. She’s probably running the woods now that her wolf’s wide awake. And she’s got to be embarrassed. She’s not gonna want to bump into Haisley or her mother any time soon.