Every Were Gets A Mate

Chapter 3

Picture at the top is Colton.

******************

Nothing.

I felt absolutely nothing.

I knew my eyes showed only confusion because I felt nothing. There was not a single tingle in my arm or anywhere in my body. I breathed in again now that I was against Colton's chest, but his scent wasn't the least bit pleasant to me. I always thought he smelled faintly of death, probably a figment of my imagination, and that hadn't changed.

Colton definitely appeared to be feeling things. Want and possession were clear on his face. He was actually smiling! I had never seen that before. Even so, I had to say something. I shook my head slowly, letting my confusion show. "I think you're mistaken."

Colton's eyes narrowed at me, and he repeated louder, "Mine!"

I shook my head again, a bit more forcefully, but still kept my voice low. "I don't feel anything."

A scowl came to his face, and he pulled my hand up. He pressed my fingers against his cheek.

I said, "I do not feel any tingles."

His other hand came up and slid against the side of my neck. He squeezed lightly there. It was affectionate rather than threatening.

"Nothing. You don't smell good to me either."

His scowl deepened. I could see and hear his anger as he nearly shouted. "You're lying! You are my mate!"

Although I had been pretending to be a meek, biddable girl for years, I couldn't hold back a moment longer. I yelled back, "No! I feel nothing. I smell nothing. You are not my mate!" With that, I shoved my hands against his chest with as much strength as I could muster.

Colton took a step back, but I was realistic enough to know it was only because the move was completely unexpected. It took him less than a second to step forward again and wrap his arms around me. His voice was harsh as he insisted, "You can't reject me. It's impossible."

I tried to push him away again, but he wouldn't budge. My hands were trapped between us. "I don't have to reject you because you just are not my mate."

Colton stepped forward, pushing me back, away from the lineup and closer to his father. I didn't have the strength to stop him. The crowd was deathly quiet. These things usually resulted in a kiss, which in turn caused a rousing cheer from the rest of the pack. Even without looking, I knew everyone was confused.

Alpha Fisher stepped closer and looked at the two of us with confusion. "What's going on here, son?"

Colton looked at his father and stated with obvious disbelief, "She's trying to reject me."

Alpha Fisher's expression was incredulous as he turned his eyes to me.

I insisted, "I'm not rejecting my mate. Colton is not my mate. I feel nothing. No tingles at all. He doesn't even smell good to me. I swear. I don't know what is going on or why he thinks he feels the mate pull with me, but I feel nothing." I shouted the last word.

The alpha looked at his son. "Are you sure?"

Clearly fighting not to scream at his father, Colton said, "Of course I'm sure. Her scent is driving me crazy. The tingles are strong and constant."

Alpha Fisher nodded to Colton and turned his eyes to me. His tone was surprisingly patient and kind. "What do you feel, Jessica?"

My irritation obvious, I stated, "Nothing. I feel nothing. He doesn't smell good to me. I feel no tingles at all. I'm just irritated and confused."

Alpha Fisher looked at my eyes and slowly shook his head. "I don't understand this."

Colton insisted, "Jessica is my mate." He looked at me and ordered, "You must accept me!"

I pressed my lips together for a moment, narrowed my eyes at him slightly, and firmly stated, "No."

I was shaken roughly. Colton yelled at me, "I'll make you accept me!" He looked to his father. "Order her to accept me!"

Real fear shot to my heart. I looked at the alpha and saw him thinking on it. His back stiffened. I saw his decision. Before he could speak, I did. "I, Jessica Ellsbeth McIntire-"

Quickly guessing what I was about to do, Colton shook me again and screamed, "No!"

I ignored Colton and kept speaking to the alpha. "Do hereby renounce my allegiance-"

Alpha Fisher's face contorted into a snarl, but he couldn't speak. He couldn't interrupt my formal declaration. The psychic energy link that bound each member of the pack to the alpha and gave him his power simply wouldn't let him.

Colton tried to speak over me. "Don't you dare!"

Despite the years I had spent in fear of these men and their obvious anger, I felt no fear now. What could they do? Kill me? Colton would be mateless. Torture me? Colton would go insane. I finished, "-to the Fury Pack and its alpha."

Pain slammed into my body, and I closed my eyes tightly in reaction. It was meant as a punishment. The severing of a pack bond was usually done by the alpha during expulsion and banishment because of a crime against the pack. I knew it would be painful. Severing a pack link was never to be done lightly. I had no choice. There was no way I was accepting a man who wasn't my mate as my mate because of an alpha command.

Colton screamed and gripped me to him in reaction to my pain. His claws had come out. I felt them poking into my jacket, but the suede was thick enough to provide some protection. When his scream stopped, he took several gasping breaths. He was much more visibly effected than I was, but I had been masking my emotions and internal pain most of my life. That he felt my pain confused me even more. Only mates felt each other's pain.

The pain in me subsided faster than I thought it would, and I was grateful. After Colton got his breathing under control, the field became deathly quiet. I opened my eyes and tried to push away from Colton. He didn't release his hold on me. Instead, he ground out, "It doesn't matter. You're now a lone wolf in our territory. You'll do as we say anyway."

I managed to pull my head back enough to look at his face. "When a pack member renounces their membership in a pack, they must be given twenty-four hours to vacate the lands of that pack before they can be considered a trespasser."

My parents had made sure I knew our laws backwards and forwards. That had been annoying as a child but very helpful now. It caused Colton to scowl at me again. Almost taunting him, I said, "You can't do anything to me. Besides, if I am your mate, you can't kill me. You can't torture me. You can't hurt me yourself. If you have someone else do it, you will feel the pain and go insane from being unable to stop it. Your father can't alpha command me to accept you now. You can't do anything to me."

Colton's hands gripped my upper arms so hard I knew there would be bruises. He was close to losing control, but even if he did, he couldn't really hurt me. After staring at me for at least a full minute with more anger than I had ever seen before, he visibly calmed. "I can lock you up until you come to your senses or your twenty-four hours are up. This time tomorrow, you'll be bending to the force of my father's will like any other lone wolf." With that, he moved his hands to my waist, hoisted me over his shoulder, and marched off with me.