Page 154 of Rejected By the Alpha King

I remember what he said about us leaving by boat. “As unhinged as he seems, I don’t think he’ll do anything too stupid. Having said that, he funnels a lot of money into this town. I mean, a lot. I got a look at his books one night. He owns real estate and companies here.”

“One night?” Jax asked sharply and then closed his eyes. “Sorry. That’s not what I need to focus on.”

“He touched me, Jax, but he never raped me. I took a few blows when he lost his temper, but he didn’t do any real damage. As fucked up as it is, he did seem to want me happy.

He took what Bridget told him and used that to base my life. I worked at a bar similar to The Fanged Smile. He told me it was mine when I was ready, which I’m pretty sure meant when I pledged my bond to him. My suite was lavish and beautiful if you ignored the bars on the windows and the guards at the door. The only time he forced me to be in his company was at dinner. He took a call a few times, and I snooped around. He had to have known, but he didn’t care. Wherever he kept his secrets, it wasn’t there.”

“It’s all right. You weren’t there to uncover secrets. You shouldn’t have been there at all.”

The frustration was back and he nodded his head toward me. “Please eat your dinner.”

I took a few bites in silence. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I started eating, but I forced myself to eat slowly. My body was still healing. I didn’t need to vomit my calories back up.

I also couldn’t take the silence for much longer. “We need to focus on escaping, and in order to do that, I think we need to clear the air. You’re pissed at me.”

“You were in a tight spot, Anna. We still hadn’t built any trust, and you thought you were doing the right thing,” he said tightly. “I’m upset that you didn’t think I could protect you, but I understand.”

“I do think you would have protected me, Jax. I think you would have given up your damn pack for me because of this stupid mating bond. I couldn’t let that happen. If Emerson wasn’t bluffing, that is exactly what would have happened. Hundreds of wolves violently evicted from the only homes they’ve ever known. Because of me.”

“Because of Emerson,” he snarled and closed his eyes. “I think of that moment a hundred times a day. I could see that something was wrong. I could tell he was communicating with you somehow. I saw the horror on your face, and then you just calmly said that you were leaving. I was so stunned I didn’t stop you. I didn’t object. I just let him take you away. Was it a spell?

Was I in shock? I still don’t know.”

Opening his eyes, he stared at me. “I heard what you said to Amelia. You didn’t think I was coming. You really thought I would leave you there.”

Even if I couldn’t feel his pain, I could see it. “I would have left me there.”

71

Jax

“Would you have left me there? If the roles were reversed? Would you have come for me?”

When she rolled her eyes, I knew I’d hit the mark. She stopped believing in herself a long time ago. Stopped believing that she was worth anything. It clouded every decision she made.

“It’s not the same,” she argued. “You have responsibilities. You are in charge of the largest pack on this mountain, and you love it! I told you to let me go.”

“Have you so little faith in me that you don’t think I can protect you and my pack?”

“I think every second that I’m with you, we are all in danger. You. Me. The pack. Even if we do leave this town, Emerson will just find another way to take me. He doesn’t give up.”

“Neither do I,” I roared. I didn’t want to lose my temper, but I was so done with her flimsy excuses. “I am stronger than him, Anna. He can try a thousand times. Or maybe, I kill him and rid us of the problem entirely.”

“If you kill him, you could start a war.”

“I’ve all but declared war on him already, Anna. I warned him of what would happen if he tried to touch you again, and we both know he will. Emerson is living with a ticking clock, and I’m at the end of it. Now eat your damn soup.”

Eyes wide, she stared down at her soup and took another bite. There was a knock at the door. “What?” I snapped.

It opened, and Saul stepped in. “Only little old me. I thought I’d check on Anna while she was awake. If you could give us a moment.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I would remind you that a, you are currently not my alpha, and b, even if you were, my orders supersede yours when it comes to patients.”

“It’s all right, Saul,” Anna said with a small smile. “He’s feeling a little vulnerable, and you clearly just came in here because you hear him yelling at me. We’re all right. There might be more yelling later, but it’s good for us to clear the air.”

Saul stared at her for a moment and then nodded. “All right. How is your stomach feeling?”

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