Never His Mate: a Rejected Mates Shifter Romance (Claws and Fangs Book 1)
Chapter 8

After everything that happened last night, Charlie gives me Sunday off.

That’s the nice way of saying that, between the fight involving one of the Cadre and the Alpha of the Mountainside Pack—not to mention the six bags of blood I fed to Aleks—he didn’t want to risk me bringing trouble down to his bar for a second night in a row.

If it wasn’t for Aleks being involved, I’m sure Roman would’ve had all of our heads for how obvious those two ding-a-lings were. Brawling in sight of that many oblivious humans? Seriously? I don’t know how Aleks convinced his boss that we weren’t to blame, but he assured me this morning that we were in the clear.

I’m glad. Last night, I drank three cups of tea and even that wasn’t enough to put me to sleep. I paced for hours, part of me expecting Ryker to show up at the apartment, the other part wondering how the Cadre was going to respond. I was almost convinced that they’d run me out of town before long.

At the very least, I hoped that the vamps forced Ryker out.

When I asked Aleks, he changed the subject. Though I’ve never told him outright that I can tell when someone is lying to me, he’s pretty fucking astute. He figured it out on his own, and has his own workaround. My roommate doesn’t lie to me, but if he doesn’t want to tell me the truth, he evades the subject.

Fair enough. It’s not like I’m completely honest and open with him all the time. And after everything that happened at Charlie’s, I’m doing a bit of avoiding talking about it myself.

We come to an unspoken agreement. Neither one of us mentions Ryker, and when I tell him that Charlie gave me the night off, Aleks confesses that he already requested another guard take his patrol. Without saying so, I get the idea that he planned on joining me at Charlie’s, just in case Ryker made a third appearance.

I’m actually a little surprised by that, though I probably shouldn’t have been. In the year since I’ve known Aleks, he’s only taken a handful of nights off. My twenty-sixth birthday was one, the anniversary of his death another. He insisted we celebrate both nights—even if I thought it was weird to celebrate his death, but, hey, vamp—and he brought me to one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the whole of Muncie each time.

Mea Culpa.

Really. That’s its name.

It’s a vamp club. A fang is your ticket inside: either you have a pair of your own, or you wear one as a charm like I do. Even if Ryker avoided being chased out of Muncie by the Cadre, there’s no way he’d be able to track me down at Mea Culpa.

Which is precisely why I ask Aleks if he wants to go with me.

Am I using him? I’d like to think that I’m not. We’ve gone clubbing together as platonic friends, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to have drinks and do a little dancing at the club. Deep down, though, I know a good chunk of my reasoning has to do with proving to myself that I’m over Ryker.

Because while I was pacing last night? I kept thinking of our near kiss and wondering if I really am over him.

For the first time in months, I feel the bond stretched between me and Ryker that I’ve long thought buried. All it took was him showing up, acting like a possessive alpha, and I’m falling under the same spell.

I don’t want to, though. And if I have to go out on the arm of a beautiful, generous, kind vampire to prove it? Wow. What a hardship.

Of course, Aleks jumps at the offer. I make it clear that this isn’t a date—I’m not so cruel that I’m purposely going to lead him on—but I don’t think he cares. Honestly, I get the idea that, after the way Ryker attacked him, he likes the idea of being seen with me. Like I chose him, and not the aggressive wolf that didn’t belong.

I don’t blame him at all. His body might’ve recovered, but I think it’s going to take some time before his pride does. Going out to Mea Culpa instead of hanging over at Charlie’s is just what he needs.

At least, I think so—until about an hour after we arrive and, with a soft rumble, my wolf warns me that our mate has found us.

What the…

I don’t normally second-guess my senses, but I have to be sure. I turn in time to watch Ryker stroll confidently into the club. The music is pumping, countless bodies swaying, and still I can pick him out on the edge of the crowd. The vamps nearest to him give him a wide berth, and after a few seconds, he’s standing all alone.

His eyes are locked on me.

I don’t blink until I catch the rusty, tangy, meaty scent of blood on the air. Aleks’s blood. I jerk my head, following the scent. Holy shit. I must’ve grabbed at Aleks’s arm when I first picked up on Ryker. I don’t even remember giving my claws the order to come out, but I obviously did because I’ve basically stabbed the poor guy. I can already see blood welling up.

“Ah, shit. Aleks, I’m so sorry.” I carefully pull my claws out of his arm. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Aleks isn’t even looking at the marks I left in his formerly flawless skin. His jaw tight, his fangs lengthening, I see that he’s also spotted Ryker.

Oh, boy. The last thing I need right now is a repeat of yesterday.

Grabbing Aleks by the sleeve, I tug him until he’s looking at me instead. “Wanna dance?”

The fierce look in his eyes softens when he glances down at me. “Are you doing this so that I don’t confront your wolf?”

“He’s not my wolf,” I argue, “but yes.”

A tiny smile, only one punctuated by the point of his fang digging into his bottom lip. Better there than in Ryker’s thick throat. “I’d be an idiot to refuse. Lead the way.”

I can feel the heat of his shifter’s gaze on my bare back as I take Aleks by the hand, pulling him further into the crowd. If I have to dance with him all night to keep the two of them from fighting, I will.

For a moment, I wonder if I’ll get the chance. After the way he tried so publicly—not to mention failed so publicly—to stake his claim on me, I almost expect that Ryker’s going to chase after us. If he really was an alpha coming to retrieve his mate, he’d never let another male get between us.

He doesn’t.

From across the club, I watch as Ryker purposely walks away from the dance floor. He climbs the stairs that lead to the private tables. One of Mea Culpa’s bouncers intercepts him, and I’m not sure what happens next, but the vamp nods and brings Ryker to a table that just so happens to overlook the part of the dance floor that I’m standing on.

It takes everything I have to ignore him. And when that doesn’t work, I just try my best not to let him catch me watching him watch me.

Ah, Luna.

How can Ryker Wolfson make me so crazy by just being there?

Well, I came here to unwind and to dance. I might not be able to relax with the weight of his golden stare on me, but hell if I’m not going to dance.

So I do. I already knew Aleks was an amazing partner, and if he throws in a little something extra because he knows we have a spectator, I forgive him. He promised me that he has no hard feelings for Ryker for the way Ryker shredded him open yesterday and, shockingly, he was telling the complete truth.

Doesn’t mean he’s not going to rub the fact that he’s dancing with me in Ryker’s face.

I’d probably enjoy myself a lot more, though, if I could figure out if Ryker cared. He’s careful to keep his expression neutral which only riles my wolf up more. That expression… that expression! It’s the same look he wore right before he broke my heart and rejected me.

At that memory, I move a little closer to Aleks, trying to dance the sting of Ryker’s rejection out of my head.

It… doesn’t work. And, eventually, I give up on trying—with dancing, at least. Instead, when Aleks offers to get us a couple of drinks, I accept.

I can tell that he’s hesitant to leave me on my own, but he’s not stupid enough to actually verbalize it. With a quick look over my shoulder to where Ryker’s still lounging at his table, he murmurs over the cranking music that he’ll be right back.

A few minutes later, he returns, but he isn’t alone.

I have to work hard not to let my annoyance flash across my face. Though I rarely have to interact with any of the Nightmare Trio—trust me, we don’t run in the same circles at all—there are times when I’m forced to. For Aleks’s sake, I play nice.

Gretchen, Leigh, and Tamera are not Cadre, but they’re vampires. He’s known them for decades, if not longer, and they respect him. Sure, Gretchen would’ve eaten me happily the first night we met, and I’ve gotten the vibe that she’s barely refraining from licking her lips when we do run into each other, but she’s kept my secret.

Just because of that, I’ll tolerate her. And, though it isn’t often that she’s out on her own, she’s not as terrible when she isn’t showing off in front of her followers.

I offer her a tight-lipped smile as she comes strolling up with Aleks. He mouths the word sorry to me, so I know it’s not his fault, and I accept the drink he holds out to me with a nod.

Gretchen sniffs. At first, I think it’s because she’s just reminding me how much disdain she has for me—or maybe she’s just judging my short, strapless, backless dress and the heels that put me closer to her in height—but then she says, “Like I was saying, Aleksander. I can’t believe the Cadre’s allowed two of the mutts in our city.” Another sniff, then a cool look my way. “One was bad enough.”

“Gretchen,” Aleks says, almost as a scold.

“What?” The blonde says it so innocently, I’m almost fooled.

My roommate sighs. “Enough.”

Whether she heeds him or not, I can’t tell. But I do notice that her pale eyes flicker toward Ryker. And, unlike how wary most of the other vamps are regarding the dangerous shifter in their midst, she looks almost… interested.

An idea starts to form in my brain. Probably not the best idea, but it’s a kernel that begins to go pop, pop, pop when Gretchen adds, “Though, I must say, if the Cadre hadn’t passed it down that the Alpha wasn’t to be bothered, I might’ve tried to take a nibble out of him myself.”

I don’t know what surprises me more: that she knows he’s the Alpha, that the Cadre’s on Ryker’s side, or that Aleks doesn’t look like any of that is news to him.

One thing that doesn’t surprise me, though? Is how spot-on I was when I thought Gretchen was interested in Ryker. I guess her hatred for shifters only extends to me and not the ruggedly handsome Alpha sitting on his own.

Hmm.

“That’s not a bad idea,” I say casually. “You don’t know Ryker. I do. He’s always wondered what it would be like to try a vamp on for size. You should go over there.”

Gretchen glances over at him again. “He is cute.”

He’s more than cute, but I’m not about to argue with Gretchen. Not when I might be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Distract Ryker and get rid of Gretchen?

“Go on. Say hi to him.”

“Gem…”

I guess it’s my turn to be the reason for that warning tone creeping its way into Aleks’s softly accented voice as he murmurs my name.

Oops.

I pointedly ignore him. “Hey. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Aleks shoots me a look that says he knows very well what the worst that can happen is. He’s living—well, not really living—proof of how well Ryker gets along with vamps. I can only imagine how many donors he tapped last night to be completely back to normal after Ryker’s attack.

But, I tell myself, Gretchen is different. She’s always reminded me of Trish, so maybe Ryker will enjoy her company. From the way her pale eyes light up as she zeroes in on him, like a predator sizing up its prey, I know that she’s even more intrigued at the prospect of taming the wild alpha than she’s letting on. Not only because Ryker is, well, Ryker, but because the female vamp obviously thinks that he’s mine.

If he is, then she seems more than happy to take him from me. And I’m more than happy to give him away.

Of the three of us, Aleks is the only one who doesn’t like what’s going on here.

“Gem, I don’t think⁠—”

Again, I pretend I don’t hear him. Sorry, Aleks. Club’s too loud, and my shifter’s ears are on the fritz. Whoops.

“You’re just his type,” I tell Gretchen. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to meet you.”

“Is that so?” Her tone turns thoughtful. And, unless I’m imagining it, a little accusatory. “I thought he’s crossed our borders to see you.”

Ugh. Looks like news of his appearance down at Charlie’s has spread through the supernatural gossips like wildfire.

I give my head a royal shake, as if I couldn’t care less. “And? It doesn’t matter what he says, he’s not my mate.”

Gretchen slants a sly look my way. “Does he know that?”

Aleks clears his throat. Though he answers her, his gaze is locked on my face as he says softly, “You heard her, Gretchen. It doesn’t matter what the wolf says.”

That cements it for her. She didn’t give a shit what I told her, but Aleks basically giving her the ‘go’ sign? She’s taking it.

“Okay.” Gretchen flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Why not?”

I fight back the urge to shoot off a feral grin.

Why not, indeed?

I don’t know what’s in the drinks that Aleks keeps bringing me, but they have me thinking real inappropriate thoughts as the night wears on. And, yeah. That’s a cop-out. I’m a fucking bartender, for Luna’s sake. I know exactly what’s in each one, and like I purposely requested, they’ve all been virgins. Getting drunk with Ryker within touching distance… bad idea all around.

I’m being ridiculous. Even I admit that. After I sent Gretchen to flirt with him, I get annoyed that he lets her sit down with him for a few moments. She doesn’t linger, and I’m not so surprised when she shoots me a loathing look as she sweeps away from his table, but Ryker isn’t alone for long—and I didn’t send a second vamp over there.

And so begins a carousel of club-goers all trying to be the one that’ll snag Ryker’s attention. Though I know I shouldn’t care, and that I’m just driving myself crazy for no reason, I can’t help but keep an eye on his table, waiting for the moment when he chooses a date for the night and leaves.

It’ll happen. I know it will.

Which is why I get the irrational idea to beat him to the punch.

Once Aleks realized that I was more interested in paying attention to Ryker than dancing with him, he led me to the edge of the dance floor for good. It’s in a spot where we’re somewhat hidden, but I angled my body just enough that I still have a line on the shifter as well as some of the male vamps prowling around the club.

They’re not as pretty as Aleks, but one of them will do in a pinch.

“Hey, Aleks?”

“Yes?”

“How mad would you be if I brought one of these guys back to my room with me?”

Did I really just say that out loud?

Aleks’s eyes go wide for a moment. I don’t think he can believe I did, either.

And then⁠—

“Are you asking me as your roommate, or as the male who would much prefer to be the one you use to make that idiot jealous?”

I feel my cheeks go hot. Yup. Instant regret, all right. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

If only it was as easy as that.

“But I don’t want to. I prefer to be honest. And the truth is that I’d take you any way I can get you, Gem. I’ve made that clear since the beginning.”

He did. I’m just the selfish bitch who let the green-eyed monster blind me for a moment to Aleks and his feelings. What the fuck was I thinking, asking him if he was good with me picking up a stranger and sleeping with him in a twisted way to get back at Ryker?

I would regret it. For so many reasons, I would regret such a stupidly, impulsive action. But apart from giving it up to someone who means nothing to me, I know it would hurt Aleks.

“Like I said. Forget it.”

“Mm.”

I hate it when he does that. I know he has something he wants to say, but he’s choosing not to. Normally, I let it go. But I am jealous and I am frustrated and, hell, it’s creeping closer to the full moon than I want to admit which means that I’m full of sexual tension.

It’s nothing that I can’t take care of myself—I usually do—but with Ryker a tease to my senses and Aleks’s offer almost too tempting, I lose what little temper I’ve been clinging to. It doesn’t help that I have to admit my brilliant plan in regards to distracting the Alpha has backfired spectacularly on me.

Ryker’s not jealous, but no denying that I am.

“What?” I snap. “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”

When he doesn’t say anything, I feel worse—and then, because I do, I growl under my breath. I’m being unfair, I know I am, but I can’t figure out how to stop myself.

“Look,” I continue, “I fucked up by even mentioning that. I didn’t mean it. I’m just—” A harsh exhale. “I don’t know what I am. Sorry. Maybe this was a mistake.”

Maybe the whole night was a mistake.

I start to storm away from Aleks. I’ve made it about four steps before I feel the chill of his palm pressed to my forearm as he latches onto me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ryker suddenly get to his feet.

I shake Aleks off. “What?”

“Roman has allowed him to court you.”

At that moment, I forget all about Ryker. Ironic, since I know that’s exactly who Aleks is talking about, but if Ryker doesn’t think I can handle Aleks, then he really doesn’t know me at all.

“What did you say?”

“That’s what Gretchen was referring to before. It’s why he’s still in Muncie. Why he’s allowed at Mea Culpa. Roman approved it.”

Okay. Maybe I’m being an idiot, but I don’t get it.

“Approved what?”

“He claims you’re his mate. I don’t know how he convinced Roman, but he did. He asked for permission to court you inside of Muncie when it became clear that you consider this your home.”

Supes—whether they’re shifters or vamps—respect the mate bond. Like my kind, vampires have their own mates. Some fated, some chosen, but it’s for life, just like a shifter’s bond. If Ryker showed proof that I was his intended, that would’ve been enough for the Cadre to back off. And, like it or not, there was an arrangement made between my dad’s pack and Ryker’s.

That’s not even getting into the fact that he’s also my fated mate…

But he asked? I find that so hard to believe. After all, he is an alpha. The Alpha. They don’t ask.

At least that explains why Aleks didn’t look surprised at all before.

“You knew this?”

Aleks nods. “Roman informed me this morning when he warned me not to get involved in a shifter’s mating. I wasn’t punished for my role in yesterday’s… mm… altercation, but only because I could plead ignorance. He won’t believe that a second time.”

And, yet, if I hadn’t dragged him onto the dance floor earlier, Aleks would’ve gone after Ryker as soon as he walked into Mea Culpa.

Hang on⁠—

“Why would you be punished? Ryker attacked you.”

“And he did so because he believes you’re his mate and I interfered. Unless you renounce him and choose another mate, he’s at no fault.” The look Aleks gives me is so searching, I feel like he can see right through me. “Will you do that, Gem? Or do you like the fact that he’s finally chasing after you?”

I gasp. My hand flies toward Aleks’s face on its own, and it’s just pure reflex that has me retracting my claws before I slap him.

My chest is heaving. My wolf is up and pacing, desperate to be set free as the alpha side of me overwhelms the human I’ve been pretending to be. Aleks knows what I really am, and he knows how I feel about Ryker, and no matter how thoughtless my comment was, he just took it way too far.

I’m a female alpha. Being a bitch is part of the job description. But Aleks? He’s always been such an aristocratic, gentile, mature male that I guess I never expected him to go for the low blow like that.

He’s already trying to make his apologies but I’m just not willing to hear him out. Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow. But now?

No fucking way.

After warning him not to follow me, and knowing from the shamed expression beneath the imprint of my hand still on his cheek that he won’t argue, I make my escape.

It isn’t until I make it to the club’s exit that I realize something: I don’t remember seeing Ryker in my rearview as I booked it across the dance floor.

It shouldn’t matter.

I shouldn’t care⁠—

I glance over my shoulder and curse.

Ryker’s table is empty.

Reaching out with my senses, my wolf whines when she finds nothing but Ryker’s lingering scent. He isn’t just missing from his table. He’s left the club.

I don’t know what’s worse: the idea that he’s waiting for me outside, or that he took advantage of my little tiff with Aleks to sneak out.

Alone?

As much as I wish I didn’t care, I really, really hope so.

And I’m even more pissed that I have no way of knowing.

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