Page 42 of Rejected Wolf Mate

“She wanted me to tell everyone else the information she had,” he explained. “In fact, she was stubbornly adamant about that fact.”

The thought of Astrid going into danger bothered me more than I would have expected. I stalked outside, rubbing my face as I tried to process everything. The wind pushed the hair from my face as I closed the door behind me.

Moonlight shone down on the lake, the reflection rippling and distorting.

Astrid had betrayed me. She’d betrayed all the Silver Wolves. Even if she told us eventually, that didn’t fix the potential damage she’d caused.

Except, she was trying to rectify things, even if it meant putting Thea in danger. She wanted to make things right.

And now she had gone after Thea. She would do anything to protect her sister. Including sacrifice herself. She’d done all of this, knowing there was a strong chance she wouldn’t make it out alive.

My fingers gripped the balcony, knuckles turning white. Astrid was walking into what could very well be a suicide mission. After everything she’d done, I shouldn’t have cared. I shouldn’t have worried about her at all. But the thought of her getting hurt still gnawed at me. Just knowing she was putting herself in danger made my wolf snarl and pace.

I rubbed my face, taking a step back from the balcony as I wrestled with myself. I couldn’t let Astrid get hurt. I was furious with her, so I shouldn’t care. Then why the hell did I?

All the things I had liked about Astrid flooded back to me. The way she didn’t take my bullshit. The way she laughed, and the way she glared when I did something that annoyed her. I liked how passionate she could get about things, and I liked how she was as stubborn as me. I liked how a tiny little woman like that had no issue standing up to me. She was smart, kind, and cared about those she loved.

And I’d liked how she had always loved and defended Thea. I’d admired the lengths she would go to for her sister. I still did.

And it hit me. It probably should have hit me a long time ago, but I hadn’t wanted to admit it. I knew why I couldn’t stand the thought of Astrid getting hurt.

I loved her.

I loved her, and I couldn’t let her try to rescue Thea on her own.

I marched back into the living room, where the rest of the Silver Wolves were chatting in low murmurs to one another. They all fell quiet the instant I walked into the room.

“I’m going after Astrid,” I said, turning to Tannen. “You said she told you where the hideout was?”

“A general approximation,” he agreed. “I’ll go with you.”

“Same here.” Mark stood, stretching. “You should have at least a bit of backup. Who knows how many people you’re going to go up against?”

“You’re going to need a healer if you’re getting yourself into this sort of mess,” Klyte said, pushing away from his chair.

“I’ll come, too.” Luke shrugged. “Mostly because I’m really itching for a fight.”

“Same,” Malcolm said. “There should at least be someone with sense coming along.”

Jameson nodded, eyes roaming across the remaining group. “We can probably handle things here with the rest of us,” he said. “If anything goes wrong, I want one of you to come back and let us know.”

I barely heard him. I didn’t care about the details now. All that mattered was that Astrid was alone and in danger. I aimed to change that. I’d worry about the rest after.

Chapter 19 - Astrid

I paused at the entrance of the hideout, hesitating as I raced through my options, trying to come up with anything stealthier than waltzing right in and searching for my sister, and coming up with nothing.

It was Saturday afternoon. Mostly likely most of, if not everyone, was close to Brixton, preparing to move on the Silver Wolves. I hoped they were all right. At least with Tannen having all the information he did now, they should be able to prepare and figure out how to protect everyone.

If anyone caught me, they would know instantly why I was here, and then Thea and I would either be dead or in separate cells. But I couldn’t think of that. All that mattered was getting her out and to safety.

I tentatively punched in the code on the door, half-expecting it to have changed since I left. The keypad beeped, and the light turned green. I pushed the door open.

Nothing but silence greeted me. I peered in, looking both ways, then stepped inside.

My heart pounded as I waited for the alarms to ring, for a dozen shifters to come out of the woodwork and attack me, stopping my rescue mission dead in its tracks. But again, nothing.

I took a deep breath, then moved up the stairs, heading toward where I remembered the bedrooms being.

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