Page 22 of His Rejected Fated Mate

I curled my hands into fists. “No, I meant here in this moment. Why did you have to come over here like that?”

He blinked and shook his head. “Hold on. Are you upset that I came over and defended you? I heard what they were saying, and I came over to make sure it stopped.”

“I had it under control.”

“You weren’t saying anything.”

“I was thinking!” I snapped. “And I don’t need you to defend me.”

Troy frowned. “I was just trying to help.”

“Well, don’t!” I yelled. “You’ve done enough.” I stormed past him, suddenly wondering if this was actually going to work.

Chapter 7 - Troy

“Are you listening?” Ivan asked, waving a hand.

I scowled. “Explain to me why she would want to live out in the woods rather than living here in town? Or at her parents’ house, at least, if she didn’t want to stay with me.”

Ivan ran a hand over his face. “Troy, you’ve been walking about this for two days. Let it go.”

“I can’t just let it go.” I could still see her apartment. It was the smallest place I’d seen. It had run-down furniture, and it looked so dark. I hadn’t seen everything inside, but I saw enough to know that no one should live there.

And she refused to live in the pack. I figured she would think about moving in with her parents if she didn’t want to live with me, but she said no. She wouldn’t consider it.

“I just don’t understand.”

“Then move on,” Ivan asked, pointing at the papers. “And get some work done.”

I was having a hard time focusing. My mind was always thinking about her, and after our ceremony, my wolf was feeling all kinds of things. It was lonely and irritated. It was constantly on edge, wondering if she was okay. After seeing her living condition, it only got worse.

“Are you listening?”

“What?”

Ivan rubbed at his eyes and reached across the table, snatching the papers. “Alright, that’s it. Just go. You’re of little use to me. I’ll finish these and figure out the next steps.”

“I’m listening.”

He gave me a hard laugh. “No, you’re not. I’ve repeated myself four times. So, why don’t you go out for a run or go see your mate? Because clearly, your head is somewhere else.”

“I wasn’t thinking about her.”

“You were. It’s written all over your face.”

“You know what. I am going to leave. Not because you said so, but because you mean today.”

He snorted. “You do that, and I’ll finish the paperwork that I asked you to finish four days ago.”

I rolled my eyes as I got up and left the office. Outside, I froze. I couldn’t exactly go to Elize. She couldn’t care less about what I was feeling, and the last time I was there, she slammed the door in my face. I couldn’t go home because my mind would drive me insane.

I headed to my car and mulled it over. I figured maybe a run would help tire my wolf out. Then maybe I could start getting some of my shit done.

I headed into the woods and shifted. I left my clothes near my car as I headed into the woods. I would have let my wolf take control, but I knew it would just head in the direction of her convent.

I headed west, running along the trees and past a small pond. There were abandoned railroad tracks that I ran across, and I headed up a couple of hills. I felt myself starting to relax as I ran. The woods were a powerful place for shifters. It felt like being connected to the planet on a deeper level.

I came to a stop a couple of miles away in a clearing. I stood in the middle of a meadow and felt the wind blow. The long grass swayed, and the smell of earth filled my lungs. Iwatched a rabbit run through the grass, the grass moving as it hid.