The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate
Chapter 17

SNOW

Dutch thought that Sterling needed to be told about my imminent attack so that he could get involved. Tyler agreed, saying that we were going to need all the help we could get. While I didn’t want to bring such trouble to Sterling’s doorstep, I couldn’t see another way. We needed his strength and know-how. Sterling would know what to do.

The guys decided they were going to stick by me, and considering how important this all was, it meant a lot. Having the two men I thought the world of by my side made a scary situation a little bit better. If we could get Sterling on board, I knew we would be unstoppable.

Before leaving to replace Sterling, Tyler pulled me in for a k**s. I didn’t have to see Dutch’s face to know he was not going to like it. This was a very weird situation. Dutch had feelings for me, but he’d had years to make a move and he didn’t. I knew he cared about me, maybe even loved me, but something held him back.

I made the k**s short since there wasn’t time for this and it was already awkward. It got even more awkward when we were trying to figure out who was going to go with who and in whose car. I decided that we should all just split up and keep our phones close for when we found Sterling. It was going to be tense to be around him again after that k**s and him telling me that we were meant to be together and that I was his true mate.

I didn’t have long to clear my head, before I got a call. Of course, Dutch was the one to replace Sterling. He knew him the best. We planned to meet up at Pullers main house. Sterling had his own information to share and wanted to do it when all of us were together. I raced over to the main house, and it was a bit jarring to see the three men I was entangled with all together. I’d had s*x with Tyler, and wanted to have s*x with the other two. The three of them together was quite a sight, and for only a minute, naughty thoughts ensued, even if what I thought about wasn’t possible. Who could blame me for thinking it, though?

When I walked up to the trio, Dutch looked uncomfortable, Tyler looked downright murderous, which was something I didn’t even think he was capable of, and Sterling had that hungry look in his eyes that always seemed to fill them nowadays. It was hard to look at him when he was acting that way.

“I knew that there was something about you, Snow,” Sterling said with a grin on his face.

I didn’t want to talk about what that something was. “Did you tell Serling about what was going on?” I asked the other two.

Now that I was standing in front of Sterling, I was starting to doubt how good of a case we had. What were the chances that my dreams were wrong and that it was just an overheard conversation that Dutch had taken the wrong way? That seemed more plausible than me being the queen of my own pack. Being rejected by my supposed mate, skewed my feeling of value.

“They told me about your dreams. I wish you would have told me about them yourself, Snow. I would have tried to help you any way that I could,” Sterling insisted with sincerity.

I nodded. “I didn’t know what to think.”

“You told Dutch,” Tyler reiterated, and he was not happy to be in the trio. Jealousy poured off of him even though he was the only one who had ever touched me.

“Because Dutch, well, he’s Dutch. He has always been here for me and I tell him everything.” I looked over at the man I was talking about. The intensity of his gaze was stunning. He was always here for me. He was my rock and my foundation.

Tyler was talented and sensitive, creative. Sterling was strong and capable and always did the right thing. Dutch was the man I had fallen for years ago, and that love had turned into a friendship. Now, I don’t know what was between us, but he would always have my trust the most and that was more than the other two would ever get. I felt like I wanted to get that part clear, not just to Tyler and Sterling, but to Dutch himself.

Sterling scowled and Tyler looked upset. Dutch had a smile on his face, so it was worth their reactions. I wanted to say more, like that he should have made his move when he had a chance, but Sterling spoke then.

“Is there anything else you left out? It’s better if we know everything, Snow.” Sterling was looking at me, imploring me to tell the truth. I’d seen that look before and he was right, there was a little bit more that I could say.

“My stepmother and my fated mate rejected me. And then there were a couple years where they tortured me and I think they were genuinely trying to kill me. They could have just chopped my head off or something, but they were afraid of the curse. I’m not really sure why they are coming here now, but if what Dutch overheard is true, maybe they’ve found a way. Ariana wants power, so she could very well be with Bane now. If she found out that I was alive and sent Onyx, she will be coming. I don’t think she will be happy until I am dead.”

I said the last part a little quieter, because it was still kind of hard for me to say it out loud. At one time, I thought Ariana cared about me. She made me think she was like a mother to me, but as soon as my dad died, that all changed. I learned that it was all a facade.

Sterling agreed with my theory that it was all about power. “There can only be one queen, so if she has her sights on being it, then she has to kill the real queen first. Each pack is a little different on the rules, but there are some rules that don’t change. You can’t have two queens. You need to get your pack back, Snow. If you don’t, you are leaving them in the hands of Bane and Ariana, and from the sound of it, that is a cruelty they do not deserve.”

I liked the fact that Sterling always wanted to do the right thing. It was refreshing in a world where nobody did what was hard and right, but what was easy. I highly respected that, but at the same time, it meant I had to do the right thing as well. It would have been easier to save just myself.

“We aren’t going to let anything happen to you. This isn’t your fault,” Dutch said gently, always knowing what it was that I needed to hear.

We talked some more and figured that they were going to come in at night. But we had no idea how many people were going to hit or when it was going to happen. I liked to work out conflict without confrontation. It didn’t look like that was going to be an option this time.

Sterling said he was going to call an emergency pack meeting. My memory was still fuzzy, but one thing I knew for certain was that the B***d Moon pack was pretty big. Sterling’s pack had many fighters, but how many did the B***d Moon have? I wished I knew more so that we could be ready. Right now, we were walking into everything blind. The more I thought about it, the less comfortable I felt about letting them fight my battle. But Dutch was right when he said I couldn’t do it by myself. There were so many people coming, how could I do alone?

I wasn’t allowed to go to the pack meeting, so I just got the information passed on to me after it was over. Dutch came to see me and, as always, did a great job of calming me down. He said everything was going to be okay, and with him, I actually believed it. At least I wanted to believe it.

Dutch told me that there were many people who were going to stick up for me. Not just that, but the animals of the area would help as well. It wasn’t just eagles that Sterling and his pack were able to connect with, but all animals, especially on their land.

Dutch talked me into staying with him for a little while. I was hopeful that it would mean that we would finally get to the bottom of what was between us. He was still acting shy and unsure, but I was sure enough for both of us. I had a plan. It seemed like we would be perfect for each other and I wanted to see. If he wasn’t going to make a move, maybe it was my turn.