A Twisted Rejection Read online

  "I figured this would be more comfortable for both of us. You know, so you don't have to hold me up the whole time." I say, looking at him shyly.

  "You won't hear me complaining." He replies huskily, putting one of his hands on the center of my lower back. I grin at him as he leans his face toward me and captures my lips in a kiss. I have only kissed one other guy, Jason. His kisses were always rushed and felt sloppy. Even the kisses we shared the night we made love for the first time left much to be desired. Kissing Rowan is the exact opposite. He kisses me deeply, fisting my hair to pull me closer. His tongue glides across my lips, gently asking permission for entry. A fire starts burning in my core and I feel his erection just below my bottom. I open my mouth for him and he delves in, sliding his tongue along my own and pulling a groan from me. Digging my fingers into the back of his neck, I pull him closer to me. My hardened nipples brush across his chest and I bite his lower lip. He moans into my mouth taking our kiss to the next level. Our tongues tangle together and our teeth clack as we devour each other. I push my feet into his lower back pushing my pussy into him and purring into our kiss. When we break apart, we are both panting but continue staring into each other's eyes.

  "Wow." I sigh, earning a grin from him.

  Rowan's hand reaches up to brush some of my hair behind my ear.

  "Wow is right, lovely," he says pressing his lips back to mine.

  Chapter Five

  Alana

  My heart constricts in my chest as Rowan kisses me in the lake. There are so many butterflies in my tummy you would think that I had eaten a crap ton of caterpillars. His brown eyes stare into mine and his smile makes a matching smile grace my lips.

  Leaving, I was leaving. I can’t do this again. I think as I pull myself from his arms.

  “I’ve got to go. Sorry. Thank you. I’m so sorry.” I say swimming back to the shore as quickly as I can.

  “Alana, wait! I’m sorry!” Rowan yells, coming up behind me. His fingers gently touch my arm and I turn to look back at him.

  “This isn’t your fault Rowan. I swear, I just need to go. I don’t belong here. I’m so sorry. Please don’t follow me.” Leaning down, I grab my clothes from the ground and pull them onto my wet form. I bend down and grab my pack and throw it over my shoulder. I start to jog, trying to separate myself from them.

  Deep down I never loved Jason, I just loved the idea of him. I loved the idea of love and having someone to share my life with. These feelings I am getting with the guys, I just know would have the power to kill me. I know that these feelings are just from receiving kindness for the first time in my life, but I think they could have developed into something deeper, something that could have hurt me more than Jason ever did. That’s just not something I can allow to happen.

  I hear their voices fading into the distance, I truly hope they won’t chase me. It would be better for all of us. I have no idea why these four gorgeously sexy bears are wandering the forest and not part of a pack, I can only imagine they are trying to live it up before they are forced into a mating. Pulling them from their fated mates is not something I would ever do, and I definitely won’t be their one last fling. I allow these ideas to float through my mind, hoping that if I see them in a disgusting light it will make this easier. That the look on Rowan’s face as I ran from him won’t destroy me for the rest of my life. The look of pure sadness and betrayal. I am so sorry.

  I pick up my pace even as it kills my lungs, I will have to get into better shape if I am to live out here on my own. Sobs rack my chest as I try to keep up my fast pace. I slow down as I realize where my run has taken me, back towards my former home. I know I can’t be seen here; they will kill me. I sit down in the grass and put my face into my hands. Fuck. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I should let them kill me, it would be quicker than starving to death. I mean what kind of life is in store for me?

  I curl into a ball in the grass, hoping it shields me from sight. I just need to lay here until I can calm down. Until I can come up with a plan.

  A rustling behind me pulls my focus. Shit, the guys. I stand and look around for the source of the noise. “I told you guys not to follow me.”

  “What guys?” The deep voice makes my insides freeze as I look over to see Jason standing from his crouch. “Why are you back here Alana? We fucking warned you.”

  “I didn’t – I didn’t mean to come back, Jason.” I say backing up, sweat drenching my palms. He walks toward me with malice, anger burning in his eyes. A growl rips from his throat as his eyes drift from me to behind me. I whip my head to the side only to see Aiden, Rowan, and Liam walking towards us far in the distance, I would be unable to see them without my shifter eyesight. They would never make it to me in time. I look back and them and shake my head, urging them to leave. Their presence will only make things worse.

  “Who the fuck are they?” Jason asks, breathing in deeply trying to catch their scent from the air. “Bears?” He growls in disgust as he steps toward me, grabbing my arm.

  “Stop Jason, just let me go. I’ll leave. I promise.” I try pulling my arm from his grip, but it only causes his hand to shift and his claws to dig into my skin. A whine leaves my lips as pain radiates down my arm. He’s pissed.

  “You are a little fucking slut. Are you with those bears now?”

  His words scar me deeply, he has hurt me so much already and this is too much. Too fucking much. I swing my other arm around and swipe my claws across his face, I just want to get away. His anger is palpable. I can feel it in the fucking air. His hand drags down his face and he stares at the blood left behind.

  “You thought that just because I left you that you could move on? You are fucking trash. Do you think those bears want some fucking slutty bobcat? Someone that her mate didn’t even want?” He laughs at me as he fucking shreds my heart. Tears well in my eyes and they cause him to laugh more. “You always were fucking soft. Do you think Madessi would ever allow someone to talk to her like this? I couldn’t deal with being mated to someone as submissive as you. Someone that can’t take care of herself. A life of being a babysitter.”

  I continue to try to pull away then his claws whip across my face and neck. Wincing at the pain, I feel hair and blood falling from my head as I look into the distance and see the men running toward us. They’ll kill him. I think as fear constricts my chest. Bobcats are small but if they harm Jason, the whole clowder will come to help. They couldn’t win against those numbers. So many will die, because of me.

  I let my body go limp, allowing Jason to continue his attack on me. If its over when they get here maybe they will just leave. I will be dead, and they can move on. A growl rips through the air as the bears get closer, causing Jason to finally shift as he must know he is outmatched. I squint my eyes through the pain, blood clouding my vision, as I attempt to watch his disappearing form. I feel so weak and I can barely keep my eyes open. The last thing I see before I die is the bears running toward me. I feel a smile move my lips right before the darkness comes.

  Goodbye.

  Chapter Six

  Dax

  We stood by watching Rowan make love to Alana's mouth and it was one of the most erotic things I've ever witnessed. Not even with my fated had I experienced anything to that level of passion. Then she left.

  I fucking knew it.

  It pisses me off. I promised myself I wouldn't let anyone get close once Lexy abandoned me. We had been mated for 3 years when I found out she had been unfaithful to me. With another woman. She tried to break it off with the other woman, but I could tell her heart wasn't in it. She didn't love me and to be truthful I didn't love her. The attraction was there but it was based on instinct not freewill. When the woman she had been sleeping with was murdered by a neighboring pack she went crazy, feral. The alphas were forced to end her and there was nothing I could do about it. I was cast out, another male rejected by his fated. Forced to live on the outskirts. I felt content in my solitude until I met Aiden. He was from a neighboring sl
euth and had too been thrown from his home. I felt a connection to him immediately. Almost like a fated connection but in the form of brotherhood. It was nice to break up the days with conversation and laughter. When the two brothers, Liam and Rowan, joined us I felt a sense of completion.

  We had formed a brotherhood and I was almost happy. The lack of a fated bothered my bear more than it did me. Women are a hassle. They are weak and annoying. Not to be trusted. Any sexual contact we need we find in our brotherhood. None of us are gay, in that none of us had been with men previously or are particularly attracted to males. We are just scratching an itch for each other. It has formed a stronger bond between us. An unbreakable bond. A bond I fear this little bobcat can destroy. I had looked at them kissing and found the deep urge inside me to join. I have taken Rowan before and he has taken me. His arousal calls to me, but so does hers.

  When I first set eyes on her sleeping form I felt the connection. I know the others did too. I was just the only one not jumping headfirst into it. Mostly out of fear of it destroying us. I don't want to lose any of my brothers and the possibility of that is likely when she chooses her favorite. It isn't commonplace for bobcats to share mates although it does happen with bears.

  I swim back towards shore and slide back into my pants, hating the feel of them clinging to my wet body. The guys took off after her and I stalk off towards the forest to look for food. Any excuse to separate myself from what will greet them if they catch up with her. She made her choice clear, and it isn’t us.

  I walk back to the cave after the sun has set to find that the guys are still not back. I shake my head in disgust. They may never come back, I think causing my heart to clench in pain. I don’t want to live life alone, but I will. If they could find happiness who am I to deny them? I just know that she isn’t for me, even if she wanted me too. I am far too jaded from my experiences, I’m a grumpy bastard because I know what love will do to you. Destroy you from the inside out.

  I hear noises outside as the men come back. “I’ll fucking kill him. That fucking bobcat is dead.” Rowan growls out and I am startled by the anger in his voice. I have never heard him so mad and I wouldn’t believe he was capable of such anger if I hadn’t heard it myself. I jump off the cave floor and jog to the entrance to see Rowan walking in the front and Liam in the back with Aiden in the center. In Aiden’s arms is Alana, but she looks nothing like herself. She is covered in blood and large sections of her hair is missing. Her body is limp in his arms and it is clear she is unconscious.

  “What the fuck happened?” I yell as I jog up to the guys, getting the full effect of the condition Alana is in. It causes a growl to escape my lips. Anger flashes in Rowan’s eyes and he slams his hands into my chest.

  “This is your fucking fault. If you weren’t such a fucking asshole she wouldn’t have left. Wouldn’t have gone back to whatever the fuck we just walked into to.” I have never seen this man, my brother, so angry in my life. His tone causes my own anger to flare.

  “How the fuck is this my fault?” I yell as I push him back.

  “Stop! Both of you. This isn’t the fucking time.” Aiden growls, alpha radiating through him causing us both to submit. We don’t normally try to push another in submission like he is now. I look into his eyes and see that he is not in the mood to be fucked with. He walks right past Rowan and me, heading straight to the cave with Alana in his arms. Liam squints his eyes at me as he passes, then Rowan joins him back on their way to the cave. I push down my anger and follow them.

  “She has lost a lot of blood. Shit. Is she going to be alright?” Liam asks as he bends down, wiping the blood from her brow. Her hair is jagged in places where she was cut by what must be claws, as the marks mar her face and neck as well. Anger rips through my body as I take in her form. Someone fucking attacked her.

  “What happened?” I ask again, this time it comes out in a growl.

  “She went back to her home and some asshole bobcat attacked her. We could see her talking to someone, but we kept walking towards her, then we saw him attack. We ran as fast as we could but there was nothing we could do, by the time we got close enough the fucking pussy had taken off.” Aiden explains as he wipes blood from his chest. Alana’s blood.

  “I would have fucking gone after the fucker but we needed to bring her back. Get her away from that place before that asshole brought the whole pack down on us. We snatched her up and brought her back here.” Liam says, eyeing her sleeping form warily.

  “If you say one fucking thing Dax. One fucking thing, I will fucking lose it. I don’t give a shit what you think of her or how you feel. She stays. If she wants to leave fine. I’ll try to convince her otherwise, but she will not be leaving because you feel the deep-seated need to be an asshole.” Rowan growls at me, his finger pointing straight at my chest and shaking with anger. I see a fury in his eyes that I have never seen before. He has always been such a calm presence in our life. Broken, yes, but calm. Centered. Right now, I’m truly surprised he hasn’t shifted as I can see his eyes flashing bear so frequently that I know he’s just on the surface. I nod my head to him and walk toward the mouth of the cave.

  “I’ll get water so we can clean her wounds. Check her pack for first aid supplies, some of those cuts will need to be sealed.” I direct, eyeing each of the men individually. I still don’t know how I feel about this. About letting this woman into our lives but I know I am outnumbered. None of them will let her leave now, even if she wanted to. They will convince her to stay and I cannot leave. I love them too damn much, so I’ll just have to suck up my pride and deal with it. That and try not to get burned.

  Chapter Seven

  Rowan

  Fury rips through my body like waves crashing against the shore. Seeing that motherfucker attack Alana was one of the worst moments of my life. I never thought I would say that after what happened with Leah. I was crushed when she cheated on me, completely and totally crushed. That man is lucky he still breathes. What kind of monster would attack a woman like that, someone as kind and innocent as Alana? I bend over and brush some of her hair from her eyes that are closed with sleep. He nearly beat her to death and probably would have succeeded if we wouldn’t have intervened.

  I watch as Dax leaves the cave and a soft growl leaves my lips. I know I reacted too harshly towards him and I honestly can’t blame him for his reaction to Alana. We have all been burnt by the fates and those burns left deep scars. I just can’t let her go and it’s not just because of these feelings I have for her. Although they are a huge part of it. I can’t let her leave if she has nowhere to go if her only option is back to that monster.

  I will fucking kill him.

  I jump slightly at the sound of the bucket scraping against the cave floor. Alana stirs and Aiden pulls her into his arms, running his fingers along her hair and face. It is clear that I am not alone in my feelings as the same look burns in both Aiden and Liam’s eyes. I fear for our emotions as I know that this woman could be the end of us, but I can only hope she won’t be. Dax gets onto his knees and dips a small piece of cloth into the water before rubbing it against her face to remove the blood that is starting to dry there. It looks as if most of the bleeding has stopped, thank the gods for shifter healing. If she were a human, the man would have succeeded in killing her.

  Her eyes begin to open slightly as Dax continues cleaning her face. “Dax? Where am I?” She asks, her voice coming in rasps. His body freezes as their eyes connect then he visibly relaxes placing the cloth to her face once more.

  “You are safe, Alana. It’s going to be okay.” He says, his voice noticeably shaking.

  A soft moan leaves her mouth and she cuddles closer to Aiden. “Thank you.” She breathes as she falls back to sleep.

  Dax’s hand tightens on the rag he is holding, causing water to drip onto the cave floor. “Rowan, finish this up. I’m going for a run – make sure you guys weren’t followed.” The rag splashes into the buckets as he stands, stripping his pants off right be
fore he runs out the door to shift into his giant black bear.

  Well, it’s a start. I think as I watch him disappear into the night.

  “That went better than expected,” Aiden whispers, laying his head against the wall. He looks drained, we all do. It feels like our lives have been flipped upside-down since Alana entered them. “I really thought we’d have a fight on our hands. He is a stubborn bastard sometimes. I know he is scared. Fuck, I mean I am too. But we can’t leave her out there to fend for herself.”

  Liam and I nod in agreement, both of our eyes locked on her sleeping form. “Do you think that man will come after her? That he will bring the entire clowder with him?” I ask, looking outside into the darkness as if they might be already out there. Watching us. Fear courses through my body at the thought of Dax out there alone.

  “Maybe, but not right away. We may have size but they have numbers. It’ll be a rough fight and they may not want to risk it for one girl. Many will die.” Liam replies, determination crossing his features.

  I nod my head in agreement, hoping that it doesn’t come to that. I know that if I see that fucker again, it just may.

  Chapter Eight

  Alana

  I wake up and it feels as if I have been run over by a truck. I try to roll over with a moan but find that I cannot move due to the arms encircling me. Aiden. He is sitting up with me on his lap, asleep with his chin to his chest. Yesterday is a bit of a blur but I know it had something to do with Jason. I move slightly and Aiden’s arms fall to his sides, allowing me to slide from his lap. I walk toward the entrance of the cave and see Dax sitting at the opening, looking out onto the land.