Awakening (2 book series)
Awakening – Rejected Mate Chapter 6

I know others are watching; my senses are hitched up real high and my body goosebumping all over in response. I can feel them on me from all over and I want to sink into the ground and disappear. I yank but the blanket begins to tear from the pressure nearer my

end and I have no choice but to stop or be left with a scrap that will cover nothing.

"For god's sake, Damon. This isn't the time or place. My father is staring at you. Pack it in." Colton snarls his way, pushes him from behind and comes into view, shoving him off the blanket and swoops down to pick it up with speed. He walks forward in two confident strides and hands it straight to me, bending lightly as he does so to make sure I get it without any more interference. I know he's only doing it to save face, exert his dominance in front of his father and save Damon from punishment later. Either way I'm for the first time ever, thankful for him and relieved he is an Alpha in the making.

I reach out and take it gratefully, quickly pulling it around me and hiding what's on show, afraid to really look at him, but it's almost impulsive as his hand, still attached to the corner, briefly touches my shoulder in passing because of how speedy I am. Hot searing flash runs through my body alarmingly, igniting something tingly inside of me that I can't identify. Like being zapped by a low strength taser and I gasp at the contact, glancing up at him as he attempts to rise to standing, seemingly also recoiling for what was maybe just an electric shock. For one brief millisecond of synchronized surprise, our eyes lock ....

It's all it takes.

One second of direct focus, a meeting of eyes I have never dared to look into before and the worst thing in the world happens to me. We connect; visions, images, projections start flowing through my mind at neck breaking speed that fries my brain and I cannot break his gaze or look away. Startled into silence, locked in, and unable to fight what happens. My body rigid and paralyzed, controlled by this higher force as we're forcefully held, trapped in an intense stare down and his dark, almost black eyes eat into my soul. His memories, my memories, his fears, my fears. They become a jumbling mass of zooming information, flooding, invading my mind, and overtaking me as I'm body slammed with an overwhelming amount of emotions, in literal seconds, that could potentially zap your brain to death.

My body, my heart, my soul, all pulled into this flash of breath, which completely spins my world on tilt and changes everything instantaneously. Rooted to the spot, aware only of the darkest chocolate eyes on mine, unable to break frees yet marooned like I suddenly found home and his gaze goes from sworn enemy to lifeline in my darkness. Neither of us can do anything in our paralysed state but let it happen, until the wild ride of transferring all we are, we know, we feel, is done and we are left shellshocked from the fall out.

Breathless, reeling from the invasion of his life, his memories, his history, pouring into my shocked memory banks, I finally snap out and fall backwards in a slump. Released from whatever the hell that was and momentarily dazed. Fully incapable of any kind of movement as I lay on the ground, startled into silence and lightheaded from what felt like a physical assault.

"Holy shit" Colton's voice waves my way, sounding equally shocked and as breathless as me, and I strain up to see him, also on the ground. On his knees though, looking like someone just sucker punched him in the stomach, and he falls forward to drop his palms on the ground to hold him steady. Eyes wide, skin pale, unusually for his normal tanned hue. He looks like someone just told him the worst news he ever wanted to hear in his life and he's reeling in the aftermath. Around us is complete and utter silence, like a pin could drop and be heard right now and I have no idea what to think.

"They just imprinted" one solo voice squeaks out, and echoes around us like someone announcing a death sentence.

"No, that's can't have happened..." another, moments later.... and then another, and another. The voices blending and blurring as my fingers replace my skull and I start scrubbing my head to get my brain to start functioning. To figure out what just happened to me. The mutterings of one or two become many, deafening as they all begin to verbalise their questions at what they just saw. Me? I did what?... No. It can't be.

I lay here, dumbfounded, and trying to pull my thoughts together, unsure why I now know how he likes his coffee, or his favourite song, or why I suddenly can't get the strong scent of him out of my nostrils, or the need to get up and go hug him, out of my brain. The crazy primal urge to get up and go sit on him and do things I never wanted to do before, or even a few seconds ago. It's like every part of my soul is suddenly attuned to him, even though he's feet away.

I lay back down and try to breathe through the oncoming panic, trying to rationalize what this was as I draw in air with shallow breaths and try and let my body recover from the huge zap he gave me.

"Silence!" Juan Santo demands with a venomous tone, echoing around the mountain and like a sudden clap of thunder, his voice halts the rest of the chaotic noise, giving me some relief before my brain explodes.

He storms towards us and physically drags his son up by the shoulder from his slumped position. Gripping and hauling him like a madman and angrily turning to face him once on his feet, raw anger erupting all over.

"Tell me you didn't!" He demands at him in a cruel tone, but Colton seems as spangled as me. Knocked sideways and unsure what the hell just happened to us. His normally confident stance is loose, and he seems unsteady on his own legs.

"I don't know what that was... I've never .... I don't know!" His cocky, dominant tone is lacking too, and I can feel his eyes back on me as I struggle to sit up, pulling myself into a sitting ball and finally have the courage to stare at them.

As soon as I meet Colton's eyes again that same jolt hits me in my heart and stomach like a massive thud and I know this isn't anything else. Heard enough about it to know what it is. Saw it happen to others. The need to go over and wrap myself in his arms, the longing way we stop and gaze at one another as urge blots out sense and beast overtakes human reasoning. He stares at me with the same instinctual longing I replace myself throwing his way, the unspoken need to walk towards him and touch each other. We just imprinted and the Fates gave me my mate.

Colton Santo is my destined alpha, the wolf that I'm meant to spend eternity with and follow him wherever he goes. Until the end of time. He's my path set in stone, my lover, my life, the father to my future offspring. And I can't imagine anything worse.