Mated By Mistake

BRIA

The next day, I spend six hours at the clinic.

I’m exhausted and in dire need of a shower by the time my shift ends.

I head back to my room to freshen up.

A text from Sage pops up on my phone, inviting me to dinner with Lorenzo and Rhett.

A thrill of excitement runs through me at the thought of seeing Rhett again.

It’s astonishing how quickly my heart is ready to forgive him for kissing another girl.

He doesn’t even know I’m his mate.

The weather has taken a chilly turn, so I bundle up.

I choose a snug-fitting sweater, hoping to catch Rhett’s attention.

It seems to do the trick.

As I descend the stairs, I find him leaning against the building outside.

He’s casually smoking, one foot propped against the wall.

His dark brown eyes rake over me, taking in every detail.

Before either of us can say a word, Sage pulls up in her car.

“Get in losers,” she calls, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at her.

Lorenzo is in the passenger seat, leaving the back seat for Rhett and me.

I can’t help but scoff when she pulls into the drive-thru of a fast food joint.

“I thought you said we were going out for dinner?” I question her, and she just shrugs.

“This is dinner.”

Rhett chuckles.

“Lighten up, princess. A burger won’t kill you.”

I roll my eyes at him.

Just to prove a point, I order two double cheeseburgers, fries, and chicken nuggets.

His eyes widen at the mountain of food in my lap.

I can see the disbelief in his eyes; he doesn’t think I can finish it all.

Just watch me.

Sage drives us to a scenic overlook and parks the car.

The sky is overcast, heavy clouds threatening rain, so we stay in the car.

We all dig into our food.

I lick the last of the salt off my fingers, having finished my fries.

Rhett gives me a nod of respect.

“That’s my kind of woman.”

He has no idea what that comment does to me.

I can feel his gaze on me all the way back.

My mind is a whirlwind, wondering if he’s figured out what I mean to him yet.

***

Monday finds me back at the clinic, but I make time to have dinner with my parents.

Despite the chaos of my four siblings, it’s comforting to spend a few hours with them.

I miss them at the pack house, but I know I’d never get anything done if they were around.

My father has even had to step back from some of his beta duties.

He won’t let my mom handle everything alone, knowing she wants to work as well.

Together, they manage my three brothers and sister.

I offer to help, but they always decline, wanting me to focus on my future.

I’m secretly relieved.

I adore my siblings, but there’s no way I’m having five kids.

I can’t fathom what my parents were thinking.

Why keep trying when they got it so right with the first one?

I spend Tuesday and Wednesday volunteering at the library with Miss Meadows.

I know it’s not exciting, but it makes me happy.

I work at the clinic in the afternoon.

I show up after lunch for my six-hour shift, which ends at seven.

The day is uneventful until Rhett Tiercel and Lance Whitson are brought in.

Both of them are battered and bloody.

My heart clenches.

Seeing my mate hurt causes me pain.

It’s agonizing to see him like this.

“What happened?” I ask as they enter the clinic.

“That fucker got what he deserved,” Lance spits out, making me wince.

I’ve never been fond of that word.

Rhett shoots him a glare.

“Fuck off, asshole. You started this when you started talking shit about me and Enzo,” he retorts.

Another nurse, sensing the tension, steps in.

“Mr. Whitson, come with me. Mr. Tiercel, Bria will take care of you.”

I’m relieved she made that call. I don’t want anyone else touching my mate.

“Follow me, Rhett,” I instruct, leading him to an empty bed.

I motion for him to sit and draw the curtain around us.

“Do you mind if I examine your injuries?” I ask.

He meets my gaze with his dark eyes and shakes his head.

“Okay,” I respond, stepping closer.

I breathe in his spicy scent and immediately regret it.

It’s going to be hard to focus.

His lip is split, and he has a cut on his forehead that will need stitches.

“Are there any other injuries I should know about?” I ask.

In response, Rhett lifts his shirt over his head.

I swallow hard.

This is the first time I’ve seen his bare chest.

Moon Goddess, give me strength.

Even with the bruises and cuts, his golden, muscular chest is a sight to behold.

My mouth goes dry and my heart races.

“Uh, nurse?” Rhett’s voice snaps me back to reality. He grins at me, clearly aware that he caught me ogling him.

“If we could focus on the task at hand,” he teases with a wink.

I huff and pull the cart over.

Sitting next to him on the bed, I examine his wounds more closely.

“This cut will need stitches, as will the one on your forehead. The rest are superficial. Let me get you some painkillers.”

“It’s okay, I don’t need them,” he declines.

“I’ve been in fights before. I’ll be fine.”

At his insistence, I don’t fetch any pain meds.

He stays perfectly still as I clean and stitch his wounds.

He’s the perfect patient.

Being this close to him, inhaling his intoxicating scent, is difficult.

His eyes never leave me, making me blush.

When I’m done, he pulls his shirt back on.

“Thank you, Bria.”

He stands and moves to draw back the curtain, but hesitates.

He glances over his shoulder at me, a pained expression on his face.

“Bria…”

Just hearing him say my name makes my knees weak.

“If Alpha Byron asks you what happened—”

I interrupt him before he can finish.

“I’ll tell him that Lance started a fight with you,” I finish for him.

He looks at me, surprised.

“I was only going to ask that you tell him it was both our faults. I don’t want Lance blaming it all on me, but I did hit him back.”

I shrug.

“He provoked you. He wanted a fight. It’s his fault.”

Rhett’s eyes soften, and I see something like gratitude in them.

“I don’t know why you’d do that for me, Bria, but thank you.”

I don’t respond.

My heart aches when he leaves.

He still hasn’t figured it out. The spell has worked.

***

Thursday and Friday pass without incident.

I split my time between the clinic and studying for my nursing qualification at the library.

On Saturday, Sage convinces me to go to a party.

The promise of Rhett being there is enough to get me to agree.

I put extra effort into my outfit and makeup, hoping to catch Rhett’s attention, even if he can’t feel our bond.

When I arrive, Sage and Lorenzo are all over each other.

I would cringe, but I’m too busy feeling envious.

They marked and mated each other on Sage’s eighteenth birthday.

Their mating period lasted a day. It was that quick.

It’s not even unusual; most mates complete the process within a few days, a week at most.

And here I am, a week after discovering Rhett is my mate, and I haven’t told him yet.

The full moon is in eight days.

The spell will wear off then, and he’ll know.

Now that we’re friends (I guess that’s what we are?), I need to get him to talk about mates and find out whether he plans to reject his when he meets her.

Sage and Lorenzo finally break away from each other long enough to notice me.

“Oh, hey! You came! Want a drink?” Sage asks, pouring me one without waiting for my response.

“Come on, everyone’s over here,” Lorenzo says.

I follow them to a more secluded area.

There’s a campfire in the small clearing, surrounded by plastic chairs.

Annie, Jordan, Rhett, and, unfortunately, Mona, are seated around the fire, chatting.

They all look up as we approach.

Sage and Lorenzo take their seats, leaving two empty chairs.

One is next to them, the other is next to Rhett, with Mona on his other side.

He tips his head in my direction, a silent invitation, and gestures to the seat beside him.

A thrill of anticipation flips my stomach, and I eagerly take the offered spot.

He’s about to say something to me when Mona interrupts, pulling his focus back to her.

So, I turn my attention to Annie, chatting with her across the flickering fire. I do my best to tune out the obvious flirtation happening right next to me.

I keep telling myself, over and over, that Rhett doesn’t know I’m his mate. He’s clueless about what I mean to him, he’s not doing this intentionally.

Mona lets out a giggle at something Rhett says, leaning in to plant a kiss on him.

I spring up from my chair, startling them both and effectively halting the kiss.

I march off toward the party.

A girl can only take so much, right?