THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

STRANGER

Chapter 5

Penny's eyes widened to saucers as she gaped at the man whose grip was firm on her arm. She couldn't believe her ears. Did he just say she had been sold?

It couldn't be!

Tears pricked Penny's eyes as she remembered the unusual way her father had pleaded with her to attend the ceremony. So this had been their plan all along. The pain of betrayal seared through her body and she couldn't help the torrent of tears that flowed out of her eyes.

"You look even prettier when you cry," The man who had her in his grip, grinned, his eyes flashing with dangerous glint and mockery as he stared at her.

Penny cringed and at an impulse, she began to fight him. There was no way she would let her parents do this to her. They were not even qualified to be called family. She would never forgive them for everything they had put her through and selling her was the final straw.

"Stay put, stupid b***h! Don't make me hit you!" The man roared as she fought to escape his hold. A cry tore from Penny's lips when he harshly pinned her against the bark of a tree. His other hand reached for the top she wore and with a devilish grin, he ripped it but he frowned when he saw that she wore something else underneath.

Though her vision was blurred with tears, she could see the lights that shone brightly from the pack house and she could hear people laughing in jubilation for their new Alpha, her mate who had rejected her before everyone. Now, she was disgraced and shunned along with being hated. Wasn't that enough? Why did the moon goddess put her through such a painful life?

"Let go of me!" She yelled, a surge of determination washing over her as she twisted her body and kicked her legs. The desperation to get away from him fueled her strength.

However, the man just laughed darkly. "I love it when they put up a fight. You especially, are very interesting and with that body, you have no idea how much you turn me on"

His hands caressed the bare skin of her hand and she shuddered, his touch made her feel nauseated. With a sharp jerk, she slammed her knees into his stomach and he groaned out in pain, his grip loosening just enough for her to wrench free.

She spun facing the woods and made to run but he held her back forcefully by grabbing her hair. Her scream tore through the night as she fought back. The man laughed manically enjoying the show she was putting on. He pushed her and she fell to the floor on her knees. Penny spotted a fallen branch, and desperate, she grabbed it and swung it with her strength when she felt he was near enough. The crack of the wood against his head reverberated through the darkness and he crumpled to the ground, howling out in pain.

Penny didn't wait for him to get up, she got to her feet and ran into the woods. Her pounding heartbeat roared in her ears, her lungs burned and tears blurred her vision but she didn't stop. Everything happened so fast, this was the worst night of her life. Her head spun as the memory of Kian's betrayal crashed over her like a wave. He was the love of her life, her mate, she gave him herself but he chose someone else and humiliated her.

The way he held Rachel so close haunted her. He had looked at her with disgust and disinterest as he regarded Rachel.

Why? Why had he done that to her?

The pain felt unbearable and suffocating as she ran. She was before a cliff's edge before she realized it. The ground disappeared beneath her feet and Penny stared down the vast sea of abyss that stretched before her.

Her breathing was ragged, filled with pain and pure rage. She clenched her fists, letting her tears fall freely, this pain and betrayal was too much, she couldn't live with it.

So she decided to end it.

.....

Penny was pulled out of the darkness by a low resounding hum. Her eyelids fluttered open, meeting with dim light flickering through the windows of a moving vehicle. The drowsiness she felt dissipated immediately as confusion gripped her.

She was alive?

Her hand instinctively moved to her chest, half expecting to feel nothing but emptiness but her heart was beating in its normal rhythm and she was warm like any other living being. For a moment, she wondered if she had crossed into the afterlife. Her thoughts were sluggish and haze, but then, reality came crashing down. She remembered the cliff, the fall. Kian. The man in the woods. She had been sold by her father and stepmother to him.

The memories flashed through her like pointy shards of broken glass and she broke into a sob as the pain of it all overwhelmed her.

"No, no, no!" She cried, sitting up suddenly, her chest heaving. Her voice cracked as she shouted, "Let me go! Let me out of here!"

Her fists pounded on the door beside her as the panic and terror from the night clawed their way back to the surface. "Let me go!" she screamed at the driver. "You won't get away with this, if they find me missing they will come in search of me!"

When the words left her lips, she chuckled deliriously and curled up on her side. No one would come for her, no one cared. The pack was probably in celebration of her disappearance.

She didn't notice the figure that was seated beside her until a calm voice cut through her thoughts.

"You're safe, miss" Penny's sob caught in her throat and she froze. The voice belonging to a man continued. "I'm not going to harm you and if it puts your mind at ease, give me a description of the man who hurt you and I'll have him killed"

Her head quickly whipped over to the voice and her eyes widened a bit.

The man seated next to her leaned slightly forward, his face unmistakably striking. A tendril of his dark hair fell across his forehead and his sharp features were framed by a cool and laid-back expression. She had no idea who he was but for a moment she was too stunned to speak. Part of the reason was because he was quite handsome and the other was the warning chill that settled in the base of her spine.

Something about the man felt off. Perhaps it was his unreadable expression or his piercing blue eyes that were searching her soul with a menacing glint.

"Who are you?" She whispered, her voice shaking. Her fists clenched against her sides as she watched him carefully. "What do you want from me?"

The man's gaze remained glued to her, his eyes unreadable and steady. "I want you to calm down," He replied smoothly, his tone as steady as the hum of the vehicle. "And maybe consider my offer. I do wish to meet with the man who dared to hurt you,"

Penny let out a sharp breath when she saw something dark flash in his eyes. He was dead serious!