CHASED BY MY REJECTED MATE

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TYLER

I was brought back from my train of thought while I was driving when I received a call from my mom.

I groaned loudly and slapped my palm against my forehead. Of course, it had to be her.

Just when I was starting to feel like I could breathe again. Just when I was trying to focus on figuring out how to win over Kat.

That was when reality felt to come knocking to remind me of everything I left behind in my pack. I scoffed in annoyance.

Trying to win Kat back had distracted me from the problems I was facing back home. But they were still there. Waiting. Piling up.

And my mom wasn’t helping one bit. She was my main problem. Especially ever since I started having those chest pains, she’d gotten even more insistent about the whole marriage thing with Elayne.

She never wanted me and Kat to be from the onset. And yeah, I thought about it too, that maybe my mom was the one who framed Kat and made me chase her away but she wasn’t.

My mom convinced herself that if I just married Elayne A.K.A Miss Perfect as my mom always liked to refer to Elayne, everything would magically fix itself.

I was sick of hearing about Elayne.

I didn’t want her. I Never did. And no amount of pressure from my mom or the elders in my pack was going to change that.

I let the call ring out and then declined it. I didn’t have the energy to deal with another dinner invitation.

I already knew what she wanted. Probably to arrange another meal with Elayne at the family lodge, light candles, and talk about producing the next Alpha heir.

I wasn’t doing it.

Not tonight. Not after I just found my lost love, Kat, and our son Rex.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel as I drove through the streets, following Julian behind but not very closely.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Kat. About the way she looked at me earlier. Like I meant everything to her but she still didn't want me in her life.

But my son… My baby boy wanted me. He liked me. He was mine and I wasn't going to let Julian be the one to bring him up.

I couldn’t wait anymore. I had planned to call Kayden later at night but screw that. I needed to talk to someone now.

I picked up my phone, opened my contacts, and dialed Kayden’s number.

He answered after the first ring.

“Well, well,” he said in a teasing voice. “Look who finally remembered he has a beta.”

“Kayden,” I said, my voice more serious than I meant it to be, “I found her.”

Afterward, there was a pause on his end.

“Uhm…Found who?” he asked, confused.

“I found Kat,” I said flatly, and then there was silence for a second and then Kayden exclaimed.

“Holy s**t,” he breathed. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” I answered.

“Wait, you found her? Your Kathrine? Like actually your Kat? Not some lookalike or distant cousin?” He asked again to be sure.

“It’s her,” I said. My voice softened a little. “And she had the baby. A boy. A handsome little boy. He’s mine, Kayden.”

Kayden let out a loud exhale like he’d been holding his breath.

“Damn,” he said. “That’s… man, that’s good news. Really good news. You know what this means, right? The pack members can finally shut the hell up. No more rumors that you killed Kat.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t give a f**k about what anyone says. Let them talk. They always talk even when they know nothing.”

But deep down, it had always bothered me. The whispers. The looks of fear. The elders of the pack watching me like I was a ticking time bomb. The guilt they tried to place on me. It all bothered me.

People loved to create stories when they didn’t have answers. And I had given up on defending myself.

Until now.

Now I had proof. Kat was alive and I didn't kill her. She had been alive this whole time. And she had my son.

“I need you to do something for me,” I said.

“Name it,” Kayden replied immediately.

“Do another background check on the guy I came here to do business with. Julian McKenny.”

“Wait, didn’t we already run a full check on him?” Kayden asked. “He came out clean. Why do you want us to dig deeper?”

“Because Kat is engaged to him,” I told him, my jaw tightened.

There was another loud gasp.

Then Kayden muttered, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

In the background, I suddenly heard Noah’s voice. “What the f**k?!”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oh great. Drama queens on speaker.”

Noah was my gamma and also the most dramatic person I’d ever met. If there was anyone who could turn a regular conversation into a full soap opera, it was him.

“Are you serious, Ty?” Noah asked, clearly already pacing in the room. “Kat’s engaged to this Julian guy? The guy we’re doing business with? Are you f*****g kidding me?”

“I wish I was,” I muttered.

“That doesn’t make any damn sense,” Kayden said. “Did she recognize you?”

“She did,” I replied.

“Want us to come meet you?” Noah asked. “We can be there in under two hours. Just say the word.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure?” Kayden asked.

“It’s your honeymoon, Kay. I can’t ask you to come. Also, I need you to be running the pack for now till I get back because I’ll stay longer than I planned,” I said. “There’s no way I’m leaving Kat with that guy. But I need you guys to find out everything you can about Julian. I want to know his dirt. His history.”

“You got it,” Kayden said. “We’ll pull up everything we can.”

“I can handle the rest here,” I told them.

“Alright,” Kayden said. “But if anything goes sideways—”

“It won’t,” I cut him off. “I’m not losing her again.”

I ended the call and tossed the phone aside. My hands clenched around the wheel again as I focused on the road.

I drove straight to the hotel where I was originally supposed to meet Julian.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to sit across from him without imagining Kat by his side.

When I got there, Julian was already seated, trying to look casual in his stupid fitted suit and a smug little smile.

We took our seats.

I didn't even look at him. I was trying to keep calm.

Then I heard a loud squeal.

I looked up and saw a woman, tall, with brown hair and glossy lips, practically running over to our table.

“Babe!” she said cheerfully, leaning down and planting a kiss on Julian’s lips.

Julian froze as his eyes were fixed on me. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

The woman smiled sweetly. “I was just about to wait for you in our normal room in this hotel, but I saw you sitting here and thought I’d say hi.”

Julian’s face went pale. “A-Amanda, I—what are you doing here?”

She blinked, confused. “Why are you acting weird? It’s not like Kat is here. And the man you’re with is your friend, right?”

I stared at him in silence.

This was the man Kat wanted to marry? This lying, cheating, two-faced bastard?

Rage boiled in my chest.

Julian was about to find out what happened whenever anyone tried to play games with what belonged to me.

So I did something he least expected.