4-MATE!

Evander’s POV

“I can’t believe you expect me to welcome them,” Lucy complains.

“You are the Beta Female, you should welcome new members, especially the Gamma family,” Daniel reminds her.

Lucy scoffs and tries to hold him, but he pulls away.

“Please don’t touch me, Abby doesn’t like your scent on me,” Daniel tells her.

I look at Bridget and see she is torn. She loves both her parents and has never understood how her father could mark her mother but keep Abby around. Because Daniel is with his fated mate it doesn’t hurt Lucy. But it hurts his daughter. Mark is totally on board with mates. He buys in completely. He won’t even take a she-wolf to bed.

“We won’t be like them,” I promise Bridget again and kiss her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Bridget holds my hand.

When we see the blue SUV I recognize the woman jumping from the car. She has long black hair, deep brown skin and beautiful brown eyes. She hugs both my parents and Daniel. They look like old friends. Lucy and Jennifer nod to each other.

“Evander?” Jennifer questions, looking at me. “I can’t believe how big you are.”

I let go of Bridget’s hand to hug Jennifer, but then the back door of the car opens, and I almost push Jennifer out of way. The scent of cinnamon rolls hits me in the face like a baseball bat. Brown hair, brown eyes, light brown skin, pink perfect lips and a body oh, that body.

Dexter-MINE, MINE, MINE!

Me- WOW!

She is a younger version of Jennifer, and she is beautiful.

Dexter- Kiss her, you moron.

I can’t resist and she is eager too. It’s the sparks. When our lips touch it’s the sparks, they start in my lips but run down my body to my toes, then back up to top of my head. She wraps her arms around me, and more sparks explode on the back of my neck. she is wearing a crop top so when I slide my arms around her waist my hands are touching bare skin.

Dexter-MATE, MATE, MATE!

Me- I get it.

Dexter- Accept her.

“Evander,” Bridget’s soft cry fills my ears and brings me back to reality.

Dexter- Do not keep the whore. I want our mate.

“Bridget, I’m sorry,” I shake my head to clear the fuzz Dexter is causing. I made a promise to Bridget, I have to keep it. No matter how much this girl in front of me is perfection, I can’t hurt Bridget. I don’t know this Marcella, I don’t know anything about her. I know Bridget, I love Bridget. “I, Evander Bazin, future Alpha of the Bazin Pack, reject you, Marcella Nightingale, as my mate.”

I know her name because of my mom.

“I, Marcella Nightingale, refuse to accept your rejection. The moon goddess has made us mates and I will not disrespect her.” Marcella tells me, with a stern and unmoving expression.

“Oh, I love her!” Mom smiles. “Sorry Evander, but a deal is a deal, you cannot go back on your word.”

“Your mother is right Evander,” Dad says. “We had a deal.”

“Wait, what is happening?” Bridget asks.

“If Evander found his mate before your ceremony, he agreed to cancel your ceremony and accept his fated mate,” Mom explains. “I’m glad Marcella refused your rejection.”

“NO,” Bridget screams. “I am supposed to be Luna. I rejected my mate. I put up with you for all these years. I have done everything, everything I was supposed to do.”

“Bridget, I’m not accepting her,” I say.

“You can’t be Alpha if you don’t,” Dad tells me.

“What? Why?” I ask.

“Because you will have broken your promise. An Alpha who goes back on his word is not an Alpha,” Mom tells me.

“And it will be difficult to be Alpha once I’m done with you for hurting my daughter,” The most feared man in America for Werewolves is Martin Nightingale and he is ready to fight me.

Marcella positions herself between me and her father.

Dexter- Mate is protecting us.

Me- Shut up!

“It’s my birthday, I have been driven from my pack and the one thing I have looked forward to my whole life was my mate,” Marcella tells me. “I understand you have a chosen mate, but you are unmarked. I will not accept your rejection.”

Dexter- Mate is perfect! Mate is perfect, I love mate!

Me- Shut up!

Bridget lets out a horrible scream. “I’ll kill you.”

She launches at Marcella. I try to protect my mate, but Marcella doesn’t need me. She grabs Bridget by the shoulders and slams Bridget’s feet down. Now they are standing face to face.

I see the differences in them, they are the same height, but Marcella is as dark as Bridget is light. How can I be attracted to both of them at the same time?

Dexter- Mate bond, Dummy! You will start to see what I have been seeing in Bridget all along.

Me- SHUT UP!

Bridget can hold her own most of the time. But against Marcella, I’m not sure I could hold my own. She looks stronger than most female warriors and, in her eyes, I see a determination and fire I don’t see in many wolves, male or female. She is something.

“Evander, aren’t you going to do anything?” Bridget cries, falling to the ground in tears.

Yesterday, my heart would have broken at her cries, and I would have run to her to hold her. Today, I am more worried about Marcella.

“I understand your pain,” Marcella kneels next to Bridget. “You were ready to be Luna. You have prepared and trained. You love him. I am sorry to cause you this pain. But the goddess has a plan, and I will not disrespect the goddess. You shouldn’t either. I won’t let him mark me until you heal. I know you will need time and I am happy to give you time. All I ask is that you don’t cling to Evander and give he and I time to get to know each other.”

Dexter- See, she is going to be a great freaking Luna.

Me- Bridget is my love, but I don’t feel love for her anymore.

Dexter- Mate bond.

Me- It’s strange, part of me still wants Bridget physically, but my heart is aching for Marcella.

Dexter- Give our mate a chance. Please, just a chance.

Me- Bridget is supposed to be my forever. I want one more night with her.

Dexter- Hurt our mate and I’ll kill you.

Me- That would kill you.

Dexter- Hurt our mate, I’ll gladly die.

“I’m not giving him up,” Bridget snarls, getting to her feet. “I am supposed to be Luna.”

“May I make a suggestion?” Daniel offers.

“Oh, sweet goddess,” Lucy rubs her head.

“Bridget, ask your mate to reverse your reject,” Daniel offers.

“She can’t, he is mated and has a child,” I tell him.

My Dad looks at me with confusion.

“How long ago did she reject him?” Mom asks.

“On my birthday, two years ago!” Bridget snaps. “I’m supposed to be Luna, not some Warrior. I’m a Beta by blood.”

Bridget reaches for me, and I hold her for a moment, only to catch Martin and Marcella’s eye and I gently push Bridget away, making her cry even more.

“Okay, stop for a moment,” Jennifer holds up her hands. “Young man, you are my daughter’s fated mate and you just tried to reject her for a chosen mate, against the promise you made your parents?”

I look at my parents, who both give me the ‘you're on your own’ look. I look at a still crying Bridget; Lucy, who is looking at me with disgust. Daniel, who is half amused, half angry. Martin is ready to kill me. Then, my eyes land on Marcella. Her beautiful brown eyes are locked onto mine. She gives me a soft smile.

“I understand you love her, so I suggest we take a walk and discuss things,” Marcella tells me. “Lead the way, I don’t know this place.”

“Evander, don’t leave me,” Bridget cries.

Marcella looks at her with pity. “Evander, why don’t you walk her to her room. Then, come back here. But remember, if you kiss her or anything, I will feel it.”

I nod and lead Bridget toward her room.

“She can’t refuse your rejection,” Bridget tells me. “All you have to do is be more firm about it. Insist on it. You are an Alpha.”

“She is a fated Luna, Alpha tone has no effect on her,” I remind Bridget. I hold her close to my body and breathe in her scent. It’s not as nice as it was yesterday, but then again, I doubt anything will ever smell as good as Marcella. “The only thing I can think of is to use my savings and go rogue. You and I can run away.”

“What?” Bridget looks at me confused.

“We love each other, it’s what we want, and my parents aren’t going to make me Alpha if I chose you, so I won’t be Alpha. We can just run away.” I tell her, cupping her face.

Dexter- You will be wolfless, I will leave you.

Me- Fine. Bye dude.

Dexter- Let’s just see what the little Princess does.

“Evander, you can’t be serious,” Bridget pulls away from me. “You can’t be willing to really walk away from being Alpha of Pack Bazin. That is crazy.”

“They are going to force me to mate to Marcella. They will only accept Marcella as Luna,” I remind her. “I can’t even keep you as my mistress, Marcella would never allow it.”

“Then let’s find a way to get rid of her,” Bridget tells me. “We can make her reject you. Then everyone will insist you mate me again.”

Dexter- I hate this. She doesn’t love you man; she just wants to be Luna. You offered to go rogue, and she refused. If she loved you, she would have accepted.

“What would we have to do?” I ask Bridget.

Dexter- WOW! You are a dumbass!