Taming His Mate by M. Limoges Page B

He scented her arousal whenever he found an
excuse to touch her. Seen the longing she attempted to disguise
when he smiled at her. She was a liar if she said otherwise.
    He growled. “What do you mean something you don’t want?”
    Her spine straightened, and she scowled over
her shoulder at him. “I don’t want you.”
    “Bull-fucking-shit.” The blatant dishonesty
just pissed him the hell off. “Yes, you do. You can deny what’s
between us as much as you want, but the fact still remains, you’re
my mate.”
    Kate shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
    Stephen grabbed her shoulders and spun her to
face him. “I know you feel the bond between us. You think this shit
happens to everyone? What you and I have is rare, Kate. Why can’t
you see that? How long do I have to wait until you accept our
fate?”
    She ducked her head, but not before he saw a
pained expression pass over her delicate features. “I’ve never
asked you to wait for me. If you’ll remember, I’ve repeatedly asked
you to leave me alone. We’re not meant to be. I’m not the mate you
want. Nor will I ever be.”
    His grip tightened, and he fought the urge to
shake her into submission. Christ, she infuriated the shit out of
him. “I don’t need you to be someone else. I just need you to be
you. The exact way you are. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
    Kate slumped and dropped her hands to her
sides. “It won’t work, Stephen. You’re wasting your time with
me.”
    Brushing off his hold, she faced the forest
once more and grasped the wood railing in front of her.
    Still, she refused to give him a reason.
    An unrelenting determination goaded him to
push for more. He crowded into her personal space, plastering his
bare chest to her stiff back. He dipped his head to the curve of
her neck, the same delectable neck he’d dreamt of marking for
years, and inhaled her scent. The sweet tinge of honeysuckle
wrapped around his senses, driving the Wolf inside him nuts. She
attempted to move away, but he slid an arm around her stomach,
holding her in place. He ran his lips along the column of her
throat while his body absorbed the tremble passing through her
frame.
    “Why, Kate? Why do you keep denying me?”
    For one flicker of a moment, he thought she
might give him a straight answer. Instead, she choked out, “It’s
not meant to be. Please, leave me alone. I’m begging you.”
    Fuck, she always pushed him away. Always kept
to herself. Never trusted him enough to speak of her reservations.
No matter how hard he tried to convince her she could open up to
him, she ran.
    Always .
    Did she have any clue how much her denials
affected him? His heart could only withstand so many jabs before it
shattered into pieces, and she didn’t seem to care one damn
bit.
    “Fine. I’m going home.” Stephen heaved a
frustrated sigh and dropped his arm. For once, he was too tired to
chase her. He’d just tell her what he’d come to say and be on his
way.
    He stalked to the edge of the porch and
paused on the last step. “Some hunters from Collins have been
snooping around after Marston. I found traces of a human trail near
the pack’s territory earlier tonight when I ran the borders. Be
sure to keep your doors locked and don’t venture into the woods
alone until this shit is sorted out.”
    With his warning delivered, he stepped off
the porch onto the dewy grass, the dampness tickling between his
toes. Her faint sniffle reached his ears, and he forced himself not
to race back to comfort her. Instead, he worked on steadying his
thrumming pulse. Pushing past low-hanging branches, he slipped into
a dense copse of trees behind her house and halted long enough to
hear the slam of her screen door. Tilting his head to the side, he
waited for the flip of her backdoor lock. At the low click, he
continued on his way home to another morning spent in his lonely
bed without his mate.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Kate swallowed a mouthful of beer and
attempted to drown out the noise