Falling For My Rejected Mate

Chapter 4

Carly

“Mom, I don’t need a taser!”

“Yes, you do! Caden might be our Alpha, but if he picks on you today after you hurt his ego by rejecting him, you will fight back by using that taser on him, honey.”

“I don’t want to hurt him!” I don’t like Caden, but I don’t think using a taser on him will make things better.

“Oh, bless your heart. He is a werewolf! The taser won’t hurt him...that much.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine, I will pack it into my bag.” But I definitely won’t be using it.

I say goodbye to my mom and leave to listen to my seminar about human rights. The funny thing is that at least half the people listening are going to be supernatural creatures, but since the professor is a human, he doesn’t know.

As I wander up the stairs and search for a seat, I spot Sophie. She is sitting with another girl this time, and they are laughing animatedly. My stomach sinks. I would love to get to know Sophie better, but I don’t dare to approach the two girls. I’m the pack’s Omega, and it would probably be awkward if I tried sitting with them.

I bet they don’t want me around.

“Woah! It looks like your mate is in this seminar too, Caden!”

As if things couldn’t get any worse...

I turn around to see Felix, Caden, and two other football players walk through the door. They are all huge, and they are all from my pack. And yes, werewolves love football.

There are actually a lot of supernatural creatures playing human sports, but to make it fair, supernaturals never use their inhuman strength...unless they are faced with other supernaturals.

I let my eyes roam over the four werewolves, assessing the situation. Is Caden mad at me? It looks like it, but then again, his face seems to be caught in a permanent scowl. He keeps his intense eyes on mine, and I grimace.

“I swear I’m not stalking you or something.”

Caden arches an eyebrow at me, and I immediately take a step back. The other guys are searching for seats, and I feel a bit uneasy in their presence.

It feels like it was only yesterday when I attended middle school, and Caden was shorter than me. Now, he is more than a foot taller than me, and the two unfamiliar werewolves are also swollen with muscle, while Felix is a bit leaner. I suspect that’s because he is a quarterback.

“I didn’t think you were stalking me,” Caden says. Surprisingly enough, he doesn’t sound angry. Instead, he glances at where his friends are already getting comfortable, and then his eyes are back on mine. “You want to sit with us?”

My eyes travel to his friends. Felix is scrolling on his phone while the other two are arguing with each other. It sort of makes me think they are brothers.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I force a smile and turn around. It would be stupid to sit with the mate I rejected. We aren’t friends, and I bet he only offered to intimidate me or something.

‘No, I think he likes you.’

I momentarily freeze at the unfamiliar voice inside my head. Is my wolf finally awakening?

‘Are you my wolf?’

I’m met with silence and sigh before taking a seat at the top, far away from everyone else...or so I had hoped.

It takes less than five minutes for a trio of girls to sit down in the same row as I, and I discreetly look at them from the corner of my eye.

“Ugh,” one of the girls from the group comments. “Why are the only empty seats next to her?”

I immediately recognize her. Her name is Tegan, and she is a warrior wolf, brown, tall, gorgeous with legs for days, and built like an athlete. She used to date Caden. Maybe she still does? I doubt Caden broke up with her since I rejected him and didn’t accept him as my mate.

I try to ignore their presence, hoping they will do the same, and focus on the professor’s lecture. But it’s hard to concentrate when Tegan keeps making snide comments about me under her breath.

“Carly is not even pretty—how come the moon goddess picked her as Caden’s mate? She doesn’t deserve to be Caden’s mate, and I don’t understand why he hasn’t rejected her yet!”

“I don’t get it either. Carly is the Omega—it makes no sense that she is the Alpha’s mate,” Quinn comments, her voice full of distaste.

“It also makes no sense for Carly to reject the Alpha. That’s so ungrateful. Like, he is totally out of her league—she should have been thrilled to be mated to him!”

I feel my heart drop. It’s bad enough that I’m an Omega, the lowest-ranking member of the pack, but now it looks like I’ve lost my pack member’s respect by rejecting Caden.

“I agree that she is way out of his league. Carly is so pathetic,” Tegan mutters, earning a giggle from her friends.

I want to say something, to defend myself, but I know better. I keep my head down and try to focus on the seminar, but my mind keeps wandering to what Tegan said.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice when Caden takes a seat next to me. I look up at him in surprise, and he runs his fingers through his blonde hair.

“Hey,” he says, his voice low.

I glance at him, slightly irritated. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugs while keeping his eyes on our professor. “You looked lonely.”

I’m not sure if I should feel grateful or annoyed. Maybe both?

“I’m not lonely,” I say, trying to keep my tone even. “I’m just trying to listen to the seminar.”

Caden chuckles, and I feel a strange flutter in my stomach. I shouldn’t be attracted to him, especially since I rejected him, but his deep laughter is doing something to me.

“You can listen to the seminar with me,” Caden says, and his warmth seeps into my arm as he nudges me. “I won’t disturb you.”

I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, but I nod and try to focus on the seminar. I can feel Tegan’s eyes on us, and I try to ignore her.

As the professor talks about human rights and equality, I can’t help but think about how supernaturals have their own set of rules and hierarchy. Werewolves, for instance, have the Alpha as their leader, and everyone needs to listen to them.

But what happens when the Alpha makes a mistake? Who holds them accountable for their actions?

I glance at Caden, who is intently listening to the professor. He looks so different from the unfriendly and always-angry football player I know him as. His posture is straight, and his face is serious as he contemplates the lecture. He is very handsome, and I grow thoughtful. Is it wrong to feel this way? To be attracted to your rejected mate?

Noticing me staring, his eyes catch mine, and he makes a sound like a huff of frustration. “What?”

“Nothing,” I look away, trying to focus on the seminar. But my heart is racing, and I can feel my cheeks flushing from simply being near my mate.

And then there’s the fact that Tegan and her friends are still talking about me. I can hear their whispers, and it makes me feel like I’m back in high school.

“Can you believe Caden is sitting with Carly?”

“Ugh, she is such a loser. I can’t believe he hasn’t rejected her yet.”

“I bet he’s only sitting with her so he can make her life miserable.”

I feel a pang of hurt and turn to look at Caden, but his attention is still on the professor. Did he even hear what his ex-friend and her friends said?

“Don’t pay them any attention.”

I blink in surprise. “Sorry?”

Caden doesn’t turn around to meet my eyes. He is taking notes while talking in a low voice. “I know what you’re thinking without even asking.”

I snort in disbelief. “I doubt that.”

“Please, I can read you like a book.”

What the f**k. Is he trying to insult me by insinuating that I’m predictable?

“Are you trying to pick a fight?”

Caden gives a grim little laugh, and then he turns my way with a telltale smirk. “You’re bothered by Tegan and her friends, but if you’re patient, I will deal with them later. Tegan is just being a b***h to you because I broke up with her.”

I’m taken aback by Caden’s words. He’s never been this...protective of me before. In fact, he’s never shown any sort of affection towards me at all. I’m not sure how to react to this new development.

“I can handle myself,” I say, trying to sound confident even though I feel anything but.

Caden raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything else. We sit in silence for a few minutes, and I start to feel restless. I want to ask him why he is suddenly being so nice to me, but I don’t want to ruin the moment.

I write down some notes and focus on our professor, only to shiver when I feel Caden’s gaze on me. My eyelashes flicker up to his face, and I catch him eyeballing my breasts.

Really?

“You’re staring at my breast,” I deadpan.

To my surprise, Caden doesn’t seem phased. “Was I?”

I nod, and he leans back in his seat. His arms fold behind his head as he looks at me, and his biceps bulge to form two mountains.

“Now who is looking?”

My eyes flash up to his green eyes, and a ghost of a smile touches his lips.

I roll my eyes, but I can feel my cheeks heating up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

In the corner of my eye, I see his lips twitch. “Sure you don’t.”

I try to ignore him, but it’s hard when he is so close to me. I can smell his woodsy scent, and I bite down on my lower lip since it’s all I can do not to lean in and inhale him.

“You know...” Caden begins in a thoughtful voice. “You’re not what I expected you to be…”

I smirk because he left me an opening. “You’re not what I expected you to be either. I’m surprised you haven’t lost your temper yet! You must really be in love with me.”

My words were meant as a joke, one I expected to get under Caden’s skin and push all his buttons. But instead, I’m met with silent amusement. It’s not at all what I expected and a hundred times worse.

Why?

Because entertained Caden is sexy.

He leans in closer to me, eyeing me with a small smile. “You know, I might just be,” he whispers in a humor-filled voice, sending shivers down my spine.

To my horror, my stomach flips like a pancake. It’s a reaction I don’t want, and I scowl. “You’re joking.”

He chuckles. “Obviously. I’m not the type to fall in love easily.”

I gulp, trying to ignore how his words make my heart race. “I’m not either. And I think you’re making a mistake trying to get close to me, Caden. We can never be more than just pack members.”

“Who said anything about being more than that?”

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. “Then why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”

Caden shrugs, his eyes still trained on mine. “I don’t know. Maybe I just realized that I’ve been a d**k to you, and I want to make it up to you.”

“Please, you’re just trying to play sweet so that I will lower my defenses.”

Instead of replying, he chuckles again; this time, my jaw drops to the floor. I’m flabbergasted by how calm he is being, and Caden lifts an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’m just...shocked.”

“Why?”

I blink repeatedly. “You’re not angry.”

His beautiful lips twitch. “Carly, you didn’t expect me to be angry all the time, did you?”

“Uh...yes?”

He ducks his head to hide a laugh and then looks straight at me, and this time, I can see the cocky Alpha in his eyes. But instead of frowning, he is smirking.

“There are many layers to a person’s personality, but this is usually how I’m around friends.”

“Friends?” I ask. “But I’m not your friend.”

“No, you’re not,” his eyes are intense. “You’re my little runaway mate who rejected me without a good reason,” he leans in closer, his voice but a whisper. “And while I should hate you for it, I don’t. Instead, I’m determined to show you that you’ve made a mistake. So...game on, Carly.”

I swallow thickly. “Game on? What does that mean?”

“It means that I’m going to put effort into showing you I’m more than just a grumpy Alpha, and by the time you’ve learned to know me, the real me, you’re going to regret rejecting me.”

Had we been alone, I would be laughing out loud at him right now. Caden is ridiculous.

“That is never going to happen.”

“Are you sure?” There is amusement in his eyes. “Because I think I’m halfway there already if I’m to judge by the longing glances you’ve thrown at my body for the past hour.”

My lips part in shock, and then, the embarrassment comes pummeling through. A blush coats my cheeks, but since Caden is right: I have been checking him out, I say nothing to defend myself. Instead, I glance away, and Caden chuckles.

“I guess the score is one-one, now?” He smirks at me, and I take a deep breath.

“I will admit nothing.“