Rejected

• TWENTY EIGHT •

Patrick

To say I was pissed would be an understatement, it's a wonder how I was able to stand there in front of half the school and campus security and not shift completely.

What's worse...I couldn't get Mariah to see how serious this whole situation was.

"I'll give you a ride home." I said through clenched teeth.

"Patrick."

I turned to face her.

"I'm sorry." Sadness covered her face, but I needed her to understand that when it comes to her safety, this was no joking matter.

I escorted her to my car, opened the door for her, and made sure she was in safely before closing the door. As I walked over to the drivers side I had to take in a deep breath, I was angry and I needed to calm down.

I let myself in and started the car, we drove on in silence...no music playing, just us in our thoughts. When I reached her house she unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't immediately move to leave the car.

"Patrick I'm sorry that you're mad at me."

I let out a heavy sigh before I unbuckled my own seatbelt and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm not mad at you Mariah, I'm upset with the situation, and a little upset with myself." I admitted.

"Please don't blame yourself, it'll make me feel even worse than I already do."

I took her face gently between both of my hands and looked into her worried brown eyes.

"I'm upset with myself because I don't know who's doing this but that girl at the party was right...being my mate means you'll inherit my enemies, who up until now, I didn't even know I had." I confessed. "What's worse, given my past track record with women...I can't even begin to think which girl it could be."

That was the honest truth, now don't get me wrong people make it seem like I slept with every single girl in town, in truth I must've slept with four or five girls and it was purely out of sexual need not sexual want.

You see, before I met Mariah sex was a game if you will, if you're good at the game you win the prize...to be honest I wasn't totally great at the game having only gotten the prize twice before (albeit the same girl).

Then I found my mate, when she left I was lost, at this point something in me changed, I was carrying myself differently and girls picked up on it. It was as if they could smell that I was off limits but it called to them, and since Mariah turned me down, I welcomed the new attention. But the fact that I was so distracted thinking about my mate when I even talked to other girls made it impossible for me to fully see them, plus as shitty as it sounds, It wasn't like I was vying to get to know these chicks...so it's not like I could tell you much about them or who they were.

"I should've told you about the locker." She mumbled.

I kissed her, "what's done is done, but if anything else happens, promise you'll tell me immediately."

She kissed me in return, "I promise," she sighed, "can't you just come in with me."

"Don't tempt me Duchess, it's enough I have to go back to school with you on my mind."

She smiled and moved to leave the car.

I watched as she reached her doorstep, she bent down to collect a small package and then let herself into the house, I drove away once she was safely inside.

I stopped by the frat house on the way back to school, like I had told Mariah, I'd be too distracted so I called this day a bust for classes. But I knew I did have an Elite meeting in a few hours, in the mean time I suppose I can get a run in.

I went up to my room to change into some workout clothes, may as well hit the gym after my run.

But as I reached my room my phone rang, I saw my mates name light up the screen. My heart raced a little.

"Duchess?" I answered.

"I promised I would let you know if anything else happened."

I remained silent as I awaited her next response.

"I had a package, no stickers or labels, inside was binkys."

"Binkys?" I asked confused.

This time she sighed, "binkys, dummys, pacifiers."

"Like what babies use?"

"Yes...Patrick I don't know what's going on, first the rattle, now these Pacifiers...do you think someone is trying to tell us something."

"That much is clear, it's what they're trying to tell us and how they're going about it that's got me a little more concerned." I acknowledged, "look, don't mess with the package anymore, I'll be right over."

She said goodbye before hanging up, I called up Braxton, something was in fact going on and I didn't know what else to do.

"Hey man what's up?" He answered.

"We have a situation." I replied feeling a little lost.

"We do?"

I filled him in on what was happening but he wasn't grasping the big picture.

"So you're mate's being bullied...sounds no different than what you did to my mate back in the day, which reminds me, I owe you a beat down."

I guess I always knew Braxton would find out about the shit I did to Harper back in the day.

"She finally told you?" I asked worried.

He sighed, "I made her tell me what her issue with you was after seeing how she acted out at your mom's wedding get together...she told me everything, and let's just say you're so fucking lucky you're my cousin."

"Look, that was years ago and I've apologized over and over again, plus that's something I have to live with." I said a little pissed. "What we did to Harper back in middle school pales in comparison to what's happen now."

"How so?" He asked boredly.

"For one no one ever destroyed her car, imagine if they had left the outside alright and just messed with the brake line...two, no one ever fucked with Harper's house...whoever is doing this shit to Mariah just left a package at her house, what if Elise and Harper had been there, three this is my mate, Harper wasn't your mate then otherwise I would have respected another man's mate, even looked out for her...but as my mate Mariah is a pack member by extension...and she kept your secret of knowing about the Weres...I believe you offered her pack protection in exchange."

He sighed, "fine, whats her address, I'll meet you both at her place, I can sniff around for any different scents."

I hung up and hauled ass back to Mariah's place, I didn't bring up Braxton coming over, if I knew my mate, I knew she'd be pissed.