I Was Dumped by Four Mate Candidates Chapter 07

I Was Dumped by Four Mate Candidates Chapter 07

On the way back to the hotel that afternoon, Lydia Vance asked me for coffee. It was actually a little tavern at the edge of pack territory. A werewolf-run place. They served spruce-needle tea and mead. Way more comfortable than those noble gathering spots.

Lydia was as busy as an Alpha running ten packs. She sat down and shoved her phone over immediately. “Look.”

The group chat. Someone had posted that Flynn chased out a few wolves who were gossiping about Ruby at The Howling Terrace the night before. Released the full pressure of his hunting-captain pheromones. Nearly forced a couple of low-ranked wolves into an involuntary shift.

The comments erupted beneath it.

[So Flynn’s obviously into Ruby.]

[Wasn’t Sloane always his favorite before?]

[That was before. Now the Omega is the real love.]

Lydia was so furious she nearly crushed her mead glass. “These wolves are absolute bastards.”

I pushed the phone back. Voice even. “Good.”

“Good?”

“At least now the whole pack knows my four mate candidates like Ruby Hale. Not me.” I sighed. “Maybe now people will stop lumping me together with them.”

“Sloane.” She was careful. “If it hurts, you have to say it.”

I set my cup down. Watched the wolves passing by outside the tavern window. Some had just shifted back to human form, hair still damp against their foreheads. Some walked with pups. A little one was chasing its own tail in circles.

“Yeah. It hurts.” I was finally honest. “I never thought I’d be sitting across from them one day and have to prove I wouldn’t pheromone-suppress someone first.”

Lydia was one of the few wolves who’d met Lucian.

I’d only been in the Thunderbird Pack a short while five years ago when I met Lucian Stormcrest.

We walked through a forest together on a blizzard night. He used his pheromones to shield me from rogue wolves tracking our scent.

He learned common tongue for me. Studied it until he could write long letters to my parents. It wasn’t even his native language. The Thunderbird Pack had its own ancient dialect. It took him a full year just to untangle common-tongue grammar.

A year ago, I accepted his fated-mate bond under moonlight.

Lucian’s mind-link touched me again.

Before I could even greet him, he spoke in that calm common tongue.

“Sloane.”

“I miss you.”

“I don’t want to wait until next month to see you.”

His voice lowered. Almost like he was murmuring right against my ear.

“I’m already packing.”

The ache just vanished. That’s what it felt like. Being chosen. Without question. It settled you instantly.

Lucian asked quietly, “Are you happy I’m coming early?”

I looked at my own reflection in the tavern glass. Smiled when I answered.

“Very happy.”

I turned to Lydia grinning. “I’m not sad anymore.”

She stared at me. Then yelped.

“Oh my god. Are you mind-linking with Lucian right now? It’s only been a month. Are you trying to kill me with your sugary love?”

We both burst out laughing.