Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

hapter 20

Valen POV

I wasn’t proud of my actions after leaving the hotel and my mate. Ashley wouldn’t stop crying and demanding to know who Everly was to me, but I also knew if I told her right now, it would be all over the city by the end of the day, and the last thing I wanted was the media hunting Everly down and harassing her. So, I remain quiet the entire drive until I pull up out of the front of her house. Ashley reaches for me, and I pull

away.

I can’t stand her touch; it repulses me, and my entire body is pulling me back in the direction of my mate. I know I needed to figure out something fast. I had been away from her for only five minutes. I don’t know how my father survived my mother dying. This was agony, and barely any time slipped past.

“Get out!” my voice escapes as more of a growl. Startled by it, Ashley jumps, looking at me nervously.

“Get out,” I repeat at her when she sits frozen in her chair, staring at me. The command rolls over her, and her hand reaches for the door handle before hastily getting out.

“And Ashley?” I ask as she climbs out of the car. She stops, her hand still on the open door and looks back in at me.

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“Don’t come looking for me. Stay the fuck away from me, or you will find yourself living with the rest of the forsaken,” I tell Ashley.

She gasps; I had never banished anyone from the city before. We try to usually avoid forsaking wolves, but she just made finding my mate an entirely new struggle when she couldn’t remain in the Goddamn car like I asked. Her puffy red eyes blink at me in shock at my words before she nods and slams my door shut.

I start the drive home with a sigh, wanting nothing more than to go back to the Mountainview Hotel and retrieve my mate. I can’t understand why she didn’t want me. Wasn’t that all she- wolves wanted was to be mated to an Alpha? Yet, she tossed me aside like she felt nothing for me. And she is a damn rogue. She should be jumping for joy.

but most Alpha’s are bonded to other Alpha’s; I only know of two

have always wanted my mate; I trusted the Moon Goddess to make the right choice for me, and after seeing her. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. My

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the tip of my tongue. I have this weird sense of déjà vu, which I knew was insane. I definitely would have recognized my mate had I seen her

win her over. Technically, I could mark her forcefully. It is allowed by our laws, as Alphas can be weakened without their mates. It is considered unacceptable for an Alpha to be debilitated

is put at risk, and I couldn’t allow that. I need her, and she needs me. She will feel the pull; it is inevitable. She is good at pretending I don’t affect her, but her heart rate said otherwise, the way her breathing increased at my proximity. But no one can live without their mate, or so I hoped, and she would be

lot of my hotel, I groan when I see my father’s car still parked where it was. I was hoping Marcus could get rid of him while I was gone, but what intrigued me the most was the car parked beside

the brakes, I stop, and the valet rushes over when I toss my door open, leaving the

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at the growl that escapes me, echoing off the

is he” I snap at

Beta,” I nod, heading for the stairs instead of the elevator, not willing to wait. I take the stairs on the left and race up the steps to the

mainly office buildings and off- limits to patrons; the other half was the sectioned–off and all restaurants and bar areas. When I reach the door, I swipe my card to let myself in and

few public incidents recently that had the entire city on edge that a war was coming. Honestly, it was inevitable; Alpha John had been overstepping and recently had a

pack’s border and was willing to try and get it by

territories, he couldn’t stake a claim to the land, but

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businesses there out.

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