Rejected

• TWENTY SIX •

"Lie down with me." I finally sounded, pulling her out of her own wonder filled thoughts.

She looked at me and let a slow lazy smile fill her face. It was one of my favorite smiles of hers because it reached all the way up to her beautiful dark doe eyes.

"You're lucky I need help out of this top." She sounded matter of factly as she strode over to the bed.

I sat up and assisted her with the aforementioned silk and lace top, while pretty I couldn't deny that I prefer my mate with as little on as possible when it's just us.

Afterward she stepped out of her lovely skirt and I followed suit, stripping down into only my boxer briefs.

We both got into the bed and I listened on as she gushed about the party today, I was glad she had such a good time.

"I'm so glad I didn't make a fool of myself in front of your mom, that was my biggest worry." She confessed a little shyly.

"My mother adores you Duchess."

She gave me a soft smile, "you're just saying that."

I shook my head, "trust me, if I wasn't her son I'd wager she could like you better than she even likes me."

"Oh please." She sounded in protest. "She only likes me because I'm your mate."

"Is there any other reason needed?" I asked slightly humored now.

She made a face of disbelief, "really?"

"What?" I asked genuinely confused.

"I mean I'd like to be liked for being a good person, hell I'd even take being liked for being well mannered."

I couldn't believe that she seemed to have taken nothing and turned it into something bigger.

"I mean you are an amazing person with impeccable manners Duchess, and I'm sure my mother will see that with time."

"Patrick..." she sounded a little sadly.

'Patrick'

My wolf and I had picked up on our mate calling us by my name, we prefer it when she uses nicknames, it shows us she is comfortable with us.

"...is it always going to be like that?"

"Be like what Duchess." I asked softly as I reached over to stroke her cheek, hoping she'd calm down a little with my touch.

"Are people only going to be nice to me now because I'm Patrick Westbrook's Mate, or worse...hate me because of the same reason."

My heart fell a little, "are you ashamed of us?"

She panicked a little, "no, that's not what I meant...I only meant, will I ever be able to be myself again or will I always just be your mate."

"Just my mate?" I asked for clarification, I couldn't pretend I wasn't hurt. "Is being my mate not enough for you?"

"It's more than enough Patrick, but I have to know that I'll still be seen as my own person as well."

"Where is this coming from?" I questioned out loud, everything had seemed perfect before the party. Then it hit me, "did someone say something to you at the party?"

She shook her head but I could see in her eyes that she was lying.

I got up and started putting my clothes back on.

"Forget it Blue Eyes, it was just me being paranoid." She said in a faux upbeat sort of way, trying to brush her concerns away. "Why are you getting dressed.

"I get that this is all new to you and hey it's new for me too...but one thing I know is I don't ever want us to lie to each other...like you're lying to me right now."

"I'm not lying to you!" She shouted.

I kept my cool, "so you're telling me nothing happened at the party that made you question being my mate?"

She began to bite the inside of her lip and I stood there waiting to see what she would come up with.

"Fine," she sighed heavily. "There was a moment right before we left, remember when I excused myself to find the restroom?"

I nodded.

She continued, "I bumped into a girl there."

"Harper?" I asked almost knowingly.

She shook her head, "not Harper."

She wasn't lying.

"I don't know, a girl I've never met before...anyways she mentioned how she noticed that I was with you and she made it clear that no one would ever see me anymore, they'd only see US, how I'd lose my individuality and how being with you would get me new friends as well as new enemies I didn't want all because of who I'm associated with."

I was pissed, I didn't know who this girl was or what her motive was but she had my mate questioning everything, and that could jeopardize my relationship with our mate...and I would be damned if I let anything or anyone come between my mate and I.