Mate: Sacred Hill Rejects, #2

By Darcy Rose

No one ever told me that finding your mate was such a pain. 

 

Eden is nothing like I expected, and everything I never knew I needed. The more I get to know her, the more conflicted I get. 

What if my parents were wrong about her? 

If she really is my mate, then I have not only failed her, I have failed myself, and my entire pack.

 

**This is book two of a mini series. Books one, Eden, has to be read prior to. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bleeding Heart Press
• Release date: Feb 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393230045

Book preview

1

2

Nobody ever told me this whole mate thing would be such a pain in the ass.

This is not a true mating bond. I can basically hear Dad’s voice in my head as I approach the truck. She is attempting to trap you using witchcraft.

I have to remind myself this isn’t real. Eden is not my mate, though it feels fucking real. Ever since the clock struck midnight on Eden’s birthday, I can’t get her out of my head. I can’t stop following her to make sure she’s okay.

I need to figure this out because I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend the rest of my life feeling a connection with this girl if all she does is run away from me.

Strange how I don’t feel the same kind of disgust I used to when I think about her. Those ugly, nasty words don’t carry the same weight they used to. No matter what I call her, this psychic connection or whatever it is needs to stop. I can’t drop everything at a moment’s notice and drive hours just because she’s in trouble. Because I feel her pain. God, did I feel it. My wolf was going berserk the entire time I was on the road, to the point where I was afraid more than once that I’d end up getting in an accident before I reached her.

And what did I get for my trouble? Her fucking attitude.

That, and what happened under the tree. I don’t know exactly what made me do it. I only know it was like being in a trance, like I’d lost control of my body. It was something else working through me. My wolf? I don’t know. I only know I’ve never felt that way before, like somebody else was moving my arms and legs to get closer to her.

My fingers wrap around the door handle, and bright, blinding agony explodes in my right ankle. For a crazy split second, I think one thing has to do with the other, like my truck was somehow rigged. But the pain continues after I release the handle, yet when I look down, I find nothing wrong. No trap, no animal with its fangs sunk in me, nothing. I yank up the leg of my jeans, convinced I’ll find something biting into my flesh, but there’s nothing there. Only the pain.

My wolf makes sense of it before the rest of me does. Mate. Mate. The same word replayed in my head a thousand times along the drive here. Something’s wrong with Eden. No matter how much the human side of me wants to shrug and keep going, that’s not going to happen. Not now. Not until I know what happened.

Just like before, something takes over me. It’s no use trying to fight it, just like it was no use fighting it earlier. I’d never be able to drive home now, not without at least knowing why she’s in pain. I let my wolf lead me deeper into the woods, so dark there’s no way I’d be able to see if it wasn’t for my heightened senses. A human would be hopelessly lost out here, but then, I’ve always known I was better than humans.

It isn’t long before the scent of blood hits my awareness. Eden? I call out, now more worried than ever. Where are you? There’s not a sound in response, not even muffled crying. I let my wolf lead me farther, keeping my eyes peeled for any hint of her.

As it turns out, I practically trip over her before realizing she’s lying in a heap on the ground. Unconscious, she’s curled in a ball. I look down

Reviews for Mate

[Theodora Soh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved getting to see Paxton's POV! Never read a series where each book was from a different character's POV before. It's really interesting.