The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate
Chapter 7

DUTCH

I was one of the first people to work with Snow when she showed up out of the blue one day to work at the ranch. She didn’t have any experience, but she knew how to ride and she loved animals. Sterling and I got in a fight about hiring her. He was convinced she was a waste of time and money. I told him she had value, that there was something there. He thought it was just her pretty face that made me hire her, maybe my bleeding heart as well. Now, though, I noticed him looking at her differently. I liked it better when he thought she was worthless.

My alpha wanting the same woman I wanted to mate was the last thing I needed. I mean, how could I fight that? Even though she wasn’t part of the pack and didn’t know a lot about her history because she couldn’t remember anything, it didn’t mean she would be completely immune to the draw of the alpha. All it had taken was Sterling turning it up just a little bit and I saw the change in her eyes. It made me realize that I had been wasting my time. She had been at the ranch for over three years and I had never made my move. In the beginning, I wasn’t ready, and as time went on, we got too close. There was a lot at stake if things went wrong, because she wasn’t just someone I worked with, or even somebody who worked under me, she was a very good friend as well. I didn’t want to make things awkward.

To add to my Sterling issue, there was another player in town now. Someone who went to Nashville years ago. I needed to go to town and replace out who this Tyler guy was that Snow would not shut up about. I hated him before I’d even met him. Whoever could take her attention like that was someone I wanted nothing to do with. I needed to figure out who he was.

Ever since Friday night, when Snow had gone with a couple other women to go see Tyler at Dotty’s, she had talked about it nonstop, talked about Tyler. How talented he was, how cute, I didn’t even want to repeat some of the things I overheard her saying on her phone to one of her girlfriends. It was devastating.

I worried about what I was going to replace out about him. I was looking for some dirt, something to make him seem less of a choice for Snow. I was trying to burst her bubble, because I wouldn’t be passed over again. I just wanted her to see that this guy couldn’t be as great as she was building him up to be in her head. At least I really hoped not.

When I got to Dotty’s, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been here in a very long time. I didn’t know when I stopped going out in town. It was probably about the time Snow started at the ranch. I went and saw old friends every once in a while, but when I could stay at the ranch and spend time with Snow, why would I go out to spend time with anyone else?

.

I got the bartender’s attention and asked, “Who’s the kid that played on Friday?”

“Oh, you mean Tyler?”

I couldn’t tell if he liked the guy or not, so I couldn’t tell him honestly that I was trying to replace some dirt on him so that the woman I love would stop looking at him. Is that really something you could say to a complete stranger? If I thought it would have worked, maybe I would have.

“Yeah, he was looking for a job at one of my ranches. I want to make sure he is someone I should be hiring. Any information you would be able to give me would be very useful.” It was a lie, but I didn’t feel bad about it at all.

I knew I had come to the right place when the bartender leaned closer with a gleam in his eye. Someone liked to gossip. “Well, from what I hear, he went to Nashville after someone discovered him here at this very bar. He got a manager, all of that. It didn’t work out, though. I hear he washed up and lost all of his money. You wouldn’t think that by the way they act around him. You should have seen it, women acting like they were in heat.”

It could have been a jealousy thing; I knew I was feeling it myself. I probably got all the information I was going to get out of the bartender, so I got out of there before I could say too much. I thanked the guy and left.

When I got back to the ranch, Snow was there, and I was happy that she wasn’t talking about Tyler again. I wanted to tell her what I had found out. This wasn’t like me, I didn’t usually root for people to fail, but I never thought anyone was going to take Snow away from me either. I thought I would have time to do it right and when it felt right. Now, I just saw it as me being a chicken. I could have already had her, but I was afraid she would say no. I had to fix this before I lost her for good.

Snow finally saw me and came over. “Where’ve you been?” asked me what was going on and

I told her, “I just went to town.”

She looked surprised. “Really? You never go to town. What did you do there?”

She was way more interested in what I did than I would have liked. When I played this out in my head, there were no questions. She was just supposed to listen and lose all interest in Tyler.

“Just went to Dotty’s and got a drink.”

“This early in the day?” She must have thought I was depressed or something. I was getting her sympathy, once again, not at all what I was hoping for.

Why couldn’t she just see that this was for her? That I was trying to keep her safe and away from guys who were going to take advantage of her? I wasn’t here to take advantage of her. I was here to make everything better. I couldn’t do that though if she was suspicious.

I didn’t answer, just asked, “Anyway, do you want to hear what I heard about Tyler?”

Snow agreed, but she got this look of caution on her face. Was I really that easy to read? I wanted her to believe that it was merely a coincidence that I came upon this information. She didn’t need to know I had gone out of my way to get it. Then I may seem as petty as I was acting, and I definitely didn’t want that.

Of course, like everything else that was going on in this conversation, Snow did not take it the way I hoped she would. Instead of being turned off, she actually looked empathetic towards him, and she even said, “Poor Tyler,” a couple of times. She was supposed to not want to be around him, not be more attracted to him.

I had messed everything up. She was looking past me with a sad look on her face and I knew damn well who she was thinking about. She was thinking about Tyler and how she should probably go talk to him and make sure he’s okay. I wasn’t okay. I was ready to lose my shit. How had I read the situation so wrong? Whatever I was thinking, I knew better now. Getting closer to Snow wasn’t going to keep her from remembering that another man wanted her as well. I needed to tell her how I really felt.

The problem with that was I had no idea how to say it. Every time I started thinking about it, I thought about what would happen if our relationship was over and we were no longer friends. We’d been very good friends for over three years. Did I really want to rock the boat? I did if it would work. If I kissed her and she wouldn’t hate me and we wouldn’t stop talking, I would do it in a heartbeat. At least that’s what I told myself. The truth was I was scared shitless of a girl half my weight.

“Well, I think I’m going to go see if he’s alright. I’m sure it’s really hard to be back in Winter Fall after trying to make your dreams come true. Don’t you think?”

I didn’t feel sorry for the guy. It sounded like he had gotten a chance and ruined it. I knew fuckups very well. But it wasn’t even really that. I didn’t have anything against the guy. I didn’t even know him. The idea that he was trying to get with Snow, or that she was even interested in him, made me hate him. I didn’t think I’d ever hated somebody I’d never met before, but I hated this guy. I just wanted him to disappear as quickly as he popped up.

Not knowing what else to do, I opted for something rash. I moved forward and touched her face softly. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Why?” she asked me.

I didn’t have the words I needed to say, so I pressed my lips against hers, feeling the softness there, and pulled her closer. I wanted to make sure there was enough heat behind this k**s that she understood it wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t a friend kissing another friend. This was a man kissing a woman who wanted to mate with her. My wolf went crazy every time she was around, and when our lips touched, I knew that I was done for. Nothing was ever supposed to feel this good and not be mine.

When I pulled away, she just kind of stared at me for a moment, touching her lips like she could still feel me there. I was on fire, and there was suddenly only me and her and what I knew was supposed to happen next. This was right, this was what was supposed to be. I didn’t have to question it anymore.

“Dutch, I didn’t know you felt that way.” Snow could barely meet my gaze, her voice sounded funny.

I hoped she knew now. I had given her enough feeling and emotion that she should know exactly where we stood. I needed it to be enough.

Snow walked away slowly, and I was afraid my offer would be rejected. What if she didn’t want to be more than friends? Could I go back?