My Rejected Mate

Chapter 9

SERENA'S POV

Three days later, I decided I had been patient enough. My side still hurt when I moved too quickly, but at least I could walk without looking like I was about to collapse. Kyle had stopped checking on me every few hours, which I considered progress.

He had also stopped asking questions. I wasn't sure if that was because he trusted me or because he had finally realized I was terrible company. Either way, I wasn't complaining.

I stood in front of the small wardrobe in my room and looked at the clothes I'd been given. A pair of dark trousers, a loose cream-colored shirt, and a jacket that was warmer than it looked. I ran my fingers over the fabric.

At least Kyle’s mysterious hospitality is decent.

I smiled to myself. Then I grabbed the jacket. I wasn't going to tell Kyle I was leaving. If I did, he'd probably give me another speech about how weak I was, how far Eldoria was from home, or how I would collapse before reaching the end of the corridor.

I had heard enough of that. I slipped out of my room and closed the door quietly behind me. Nobody stopped me. That surprised me. I'd expected someone to be watching the door or at least keeping an eye on me. Instead, the hallway was quiet.

I followed it outside and stopped. Eldoria was nothing like I expected. I'd spent the last three days hearing the name and imagining some isolated settlement hidden in the middle of nowhere. But this wasn't a settlement, it was a town.

People moved along the wide paths between buildings, carrying baskets, talking to each other, heading somewhere. A woman stood outside a small shop arranging vegetables. Two men were arguing over something near a wooden cart. A group of teenagers were gathered around a training area, laughing as they watched two of them spar.

Nobody seemed particularly interested in me. That was probably the strangest part. I walked farther. There were houses everywhere, some small and simple, others larger with gardens around them. Smoke rose from chimneys. Somewhere nearby, I could smell bread.

A child ran past me. Then another. A ball came bouncing across the path and stopped against my foot. I looked down then I noticed a little boy standing several feet away, staring at me. "Can you kick it?" I looked behind me but there was nobody else there. "Me?" He nodded.

I kicked the ball toward him and it rolled past him. He stared at it. I stared at him. "That was intentional," I said. He picked up the ball. "Sure."

I narrowed my eyes. He ran away before I could respond. I laughed despite myself. For the first time since waking up in Eldoria, my shoulders relaxed.

I kept walking. The more I saw, the harder it became to understand how a place like this had stayed hidden. There were shops, training grounds, families, people working. It wasn't perfect, exactly, but it looked peaceful. Almost too peaceful.

I was beginning to think Eldoria might actually be some kind of paradise when I turned a corner and walked straight into someone. My shoulder hit his arm. "Watch where you're going." I stepped back. The guy looked at me like I'd personally ruined his day.

"You ran into me," I muttered. He gave me a look. "Then maybe pay attention when you're walking." I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize walking required an instruction manual." His mouth twitched, but it wasn't quite a smile. "Maybe you'll learn."

He scoffed and walked past me hurriedly I turned to watch him go. "Wow." He didn't even look back. I shook my head. Apparently even paradise had idiots. I continued down the path, still thinking about the encounter when I noticed a small crowd gathered near the training grounds.

I slowed down. Kyle stood in the middle of it. He wasn't dressed like the man who had sat beside my bed and told me I was too weak to leave. He wore dark training clothes, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. A few people were gathered around him while he spoke to an older man. Kyle listened, said something, then turned toward a younger boy who was struggling with a training exercise.

He stopped to help him. I watched from a distance. The boy tried again and this time, he got it right. Kyle nodded. The boy grinned. Something about the whole thing made me pause.

I'd seen Alphas before. My father was one. I'd watched him lead meetings, settle disputes and command an entire pack. But Kyle wasn't standing there demanding attention. People simply listened to him. He seemed to know everyone. Or at least know how to handle them.

Maybe he really was an Alpha.

I was still watching when Kyle suddenly turned his head. Our eyes met and I froze for a second. Then I turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Quickly. I heard footsteps somewhere behind me. I walked faster. I glanced over my shoulder.

Nobody. Good. I turned down another path. Maybe I'd lost him. I kept walking, trying to look casual while checking behind me every few seconds. Then I walked straight into someone. Again. I closed my eyes.

"Today is really not my day."

"Apparently not."

I knew that voice. Slowly, I looked up. Kyle was standing in front of me. I stared at him and he looked far too amused. "I was beginning to wonder how long you'd keep pretending you weren't trying to avoid me."

"I wasn't avoiding you."

"Of course."

"I was exploring."

"By running in the opposite direction when you saw me?" I crossed my arms. "That was a coincidence."

"Very convincing."

I sighed. "Fine. Don't try to stop me. I need to get back home." Kyle looked around. "Look around. Nobody's trying to stop you." I blinked. "What?"

"You're free to go." I hadn't expected that. I studied his face. "Great. I’ll leave." I turned. "You're not going to get very far." I stopped. "Why not?"

"Eldoria is far from the territories you know. You don't know the route out, and you're still recovering."

"I can figure it out."

"You could." I turned back toward him. "But you won't make it very far before your body gives up." I hated that he was probably right. I looked away. Kyle stepped closer, but not enough to crowd me. "If you want to leave, get strong enough to walk out of here by yourself."

I looked at him. "How long would that take?" His expression changed. "I know a way you can recover faster."

"What way?"

"Come with me."

I hesitated. That was exactly the sort of sentence that should make a person suspicious. But I needed to get home. So I followed him. We walked away from the main part of Eldoria and toward a quieter area surrounded by trees.

The farther we went, the fewer people we passed. I looked around. "Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see."

"That's reassuring." He ignored me. Eventually, we reached an open area surrounded by trees. I stopped and looked around, then back at him. "What a perfect place to kill someone without witnesses."

Kyle turned to me. "If I wanted you dead, trust me, you'd be dead already." He walked toward the center of the clearing. "Why did you bring me here?"

"To help you heal."

"I thought you said you knew something that could help."

"I do." He turned toward me. "Shift." I stared at him. "What?"

"Shift." I almost laughed. "You brought me all the way out here for that?"

"Yes." Kyle's expression remained calm. I looked away. This was the part I hated. Admitting it, talking about it, explaining it. I'd spent twenty-one years trying to shift. I'd tried everything I could think of. I'd trained until my muscles hurt. I'd followed every piece of advice anyone was willing to give me. Nothing had worked.

Kyle stepped closer. I shook my head "I’ll just take my chances on the road."

"Serena." He watched me for a moment. Then his expression softened slightly. "If it'll make you feel better, I can shift with you."

I looked at him. He seemed serious. I hesitated. A part of me wanted to tell him and another part of me knew exactly how this would end. I shook my head. "I don't think this is going to work."

Kyle's patience finally seemed to wear thin. "Serena, what do you want from me? I'm only trying to help you. But if you don't want my help, then fine. Suit yourself."

He turned and started walking away. I watched him go. For a second, I said nothing. Then the words came out before I could stop them.

"I can't shift!"

Kyle stopped. Slowly, he turned around. The amusement was gone from his face. He just stared at me. And for the first time since I had met him, Kyle Rowan looked genuinely shocked.