Rejected My Alpha Mate novel Chapter 2

The Next Morning

"Who are you?"

I came awake with a jerk, disoriented and aching all over. A heavy male body lay beside me---we were both naked except for the sheet covering our bodies.

Embarrassment stained my skin bright red. I searched my memories of the night before, trying to figure out how I had gotten here while attempting to wrap the sheet around my body. I stopped when I realized I'd leave my bed partner totally nude.

My skin felt too hot and too tight as I tried to work out how to get myself out of the situation.

I wasn't used to being around naked men even if I was a werewolf. We cared about propriety no matter what humans thought!

I remembered myself saying over and over, "I'm your mate!"

I eased myself off the bed to look for clothes. I tried to be as quiet as I could so I didn't wake up the stranger. I didn't take the sheet to spare his decency, instead sacrificing my own modesty: I'd rather be caught naked than have to face a naked man I'd evidently seduced with all the subtlety of a bitch in heat!

His scent was all over me, all over everything really. Rich and masculine, every time I breathed I felt as if I was being surrounded by the forest with hints of wood and a warm spice I couldn't name. I wanted to crawl back into bed beside him and never leave.

My wolf, Rayne, grumbled in my head, "We shouldn't leave! He is our mate!"

An open suitcase was on the dresser. I took a white button-down shirt out to cover myself. He was huge compared to me; his shirt was long enough on my body to cover me almost to my knees. I took a necktie to act as a belt around my waist.

"We have to get home to Ethan! He's only fourteen, Rayne! What if Patrick's debtors come for him?"

"Our mate matters more! Can't you tell? He smells so good! He's the strongest Alpha we've ever met."

Shock had me turning to look at the male asleep behind me.

He was an Alpha?

Rayne groused louder in my head, "Of course he's an Alpha! Take a deep breath! No one will dare hurt us with his scent marking us as his."

Was he Alpha to a whole pack?

I looked at the collection of personal belongings littering the top of the dress beside the suitcase. I left his wallet, keys, and money clip alone. I was no thief!

A gold card case had the initials "TW" on it; I found business cards inside all saying they belonged to Tyler Wright of Moonrise Entertainment.

House Wright was the Alpha House of Moonrise Pack.

They were the biggest werewolf pack in the USA in both members and resources. They could buy and sell any of the other packs without breaking their bank accounts.

Every wolf knew them; their Alpha was an older male, older than my father even.

I supposed this meant the man in the bed was related to them somehow, but he wasn't their leader which was a relief.

Knowing in part who he was helped shake off some of my fear though my hands wouldn't stay still, trembling from nerves as I prayed with all of my strength I would get away before he awoke.

Rayne continued to insist we stay with our mate. I took one of his cards so we could contact him later.

We had to get to our brother. Ethan was only a child!

I couldn't stop worrying over my fated mate being a real, fully grown Alpha. He might even be the Alpha of a sister pack to House Wright. I didn't know enough about Moonrise Pack to know their lower houses.

I knew I had to leave before he woke up though. An Alpha would stop me from leaving until we were properly marked as each other's mate. His wolf instincts would insist I stay with him no matter how worried I was about my baby brother.

Ethan was too young to fend for himself, period, and I knew our father wouldn't protect him. Patrick -I refused to call him 'Dad' after what he'd done to me- had proven he didn't care about his children when he sold his daughter to pay his gambling debt.

I couldn't find a phone in the room other than the man's personal cell phone which was locked.

I left the room after checking the hallway was clear; I took the elevator down to the lobby level where I saw the word 'LUST' on the wall. I blushed again as I realized I was in a place famous for pleasure.

As I got off the elevator, a woman in a skintight black dress came over to greet me, holding a tablet in her hands, "May I be of service?"

I steadfastly refused to consider what sort of 'services' she might offer.

"Yes. Can you please call me a ride?"

"Of course," she replied smoothly, pulling up a rideshare app on her screen, "What's the address?"

I started to give her my home address only to stop when I realized it probably wasn't smart to go there.

I gave my best friend Bella's address instead as I knew I'd be safe with her family. We had only met our freshman year in high school, but Bella was more like a sister to me than a friend.