As part of his agreement with the pack who’d accepted his mate, Mateo had to do annual visits where he met with the alpha, they talked, and he found out exactly how Harper was doing. No one knew about the visits, not even Harper’s parents.

When he’d banished her, he knew it had been the right thing to do. Slowly, he had felt his wolf start to go crazy, and not only that, he had felt different about abandoning her. He’d talked with the alpha, and it was time for his annual visit when he got an update, and got to even inhale some of Harper’s clothing, to help the beast within him from breaking loose.

He’d gotten her scent on the way over.

The two men at his side, his closest allies, knew what he had to do and why he had to do it. Peter and Damon came to keep him from doing anything stupid. Harper was too damn young to be an alpha’s mate. He couldn’t put her at that kind of risk. Not now, not ever.

She wasn’t old enough or strong enough to deal with pack politics, and some of the females would hurt her. He had no choice but to protect her because she couldn’t look weak. He knew it had been a long time since a pack female was replaced by another stronger female, but he couldn’t allow anyone to go through with that.

Staring across the bar, he saw her, well, he saw the back of her head. She was standing with another woman, blonde, who within seconds led her onto the dance floor, and all too soon she was surrounded by other men and women.

There were a couple of men who’d gotten close to her. He felt the wolf within him start to rise, and it was Peter who grabbed his arm.

“We’re in human territory. You don’t want to run the risk of starting up some horrible rumors, Alpha,” Peter said.

“And we’re already gaining too much attention. We must leave.”

He couldn’t leave the bar, not without talking to Harper. Damn it, even though the scent of alcohol, sweat, sex, and plenty of other human aromas filled his senses, he could still smell Harper.

She was there, and it smelled warm, like cinnamon and apple, but stronger, with a touch of vanilla thrown into the mix. The only problem was, he smelled other men, and his wolf couldn’t handle it.

Breaking out of Peter’s hold, he moved through the crowd. The humans, clearly seeing a man on a mission, stepped out of his way. He broke through the crowd and finally got to look at Harper. The last seven years had aged her well. She no longer looked like a schoolgirl, and he wasn’t happy.

“Hey!” the woman with her gawked at him as he reached for Harper. No one made a move to stop him as he all but dragged her out of the bar.

At first, Harper didn’t react, but it was like she woke up from whatever trance was holding her, and as soon as they were out of sight of the humans, she began to attack. She dug her heels in and jerked her arm.

“Let go of me!” Harper’s strength surprised him, and he had no choice but to let her go or risk hurting her, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

He looked at her and watched as she pushed some hair off her face. Seconds later, the woman she was with, along with the rest of the pack, stood several feet away, but he knew they’d come to protect her.

“Leave,” Harper said.

“You’re not supposed to be here. None of you are,” Mateo said.

Peter and Damon were at his back, and he knew they’d react if he needed them to.

Harper chuckled. “You’re not their alpha. They don’t have to follow your orders.”

He took a step toward her. “I’m your alpha.”

Silence.

Harper glared at him, and then she took one step, followed by another until she stood almost toe-to-toe with him. “Guess again. You banished me, Mateo. You’re not my alpha. I don’t answer to you.”

He grabbed her arms, pulling her in close. He felt such urgency to press his face against her neck, to breathe her in, but he held himself back. His wolf just wanted to throw her to the ground and claim her right there and then, but he kept control. Like always, control was something he knew.

“You’re my mate.”

“No, I’m not. I’m your rejected mate. I’m not yours and I’m never going to be yours.”