Page 17 of Rejected By the Alpha King

“You remember her.” His voice was still soft, but flat. I met his gaze and nodded. “When she made it back, she had clothes that didn’t quite fit her and injuries that had been hastily bandaged. I did the best I could, but she died within a few days of returning.”

Wishing he wasn’t sitting so close, I stared into the ground. Jax had returned. I could feel his presence, but I still couldn’t see him. “I’ve been at The Fanged Smile for three years. If you wanted details, you could have come to me.”

“I wasn’t ready. Did you know her name?”

“Cora.”

Saul tensed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, but he didn’t touch me. “He’d ripped up her back,” I continued. “Dragged her unconscious to the settlement and told me to fix her. That’s what he always made me do. Fix them when he was done with them. I did my best, but she’d fought him pretty hard. She was already near death. There were three juveniles in the settlement.

All under the age of ten, and my father was distracted. He kept leaving during the day. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I thought she was my best hope at getting help for the children. We both knew she wouldn’t survive long, but she said she could get back. When my father returned that night, I told him she’d died trying to escape and one of the other wolves had dragged her body away. He believed me, which was odd. I guess he was distracted. Two nights later, Jax arrived.”

It took a few seconds before Saul spoke again. “She was so near death; she couldn’t speak when she returned. Jax followed the tracks she made.”

I looked at him. He deserved the truth. “I probably could have saved her. Her life would have been a nightmare, but she was strong. The strongest he’d ever taken. She could have survived and escaped. If it weren’t for me, she might still be alive.”

His gaze met mine. “I’ve already come to that conclusion.”

“Saul.” Jax called from behind us. “Jenson needs a word with you.

The healer withdrew, and I watched warily as Jax sat down next to me. “Worried that you’ve made a mistake?”

“I already knew that everyone here hated me. It doesn’t surprise me that the man tasked with keeping me alive would hate me as well.”

“I’m the one tasked with keeping you alive,” Jax said harshly. “Tell me how to manage the magic, and you can leave right now.”

“It doesn’t work that way. Every trap is different. We’re stuck with each other,” I lied.

“Tell me why you’re risking your life to do this?”

“Your job is not to ask questions,” he said after a moment. His words echoed my father’s and I flinched involuntarily. “What?”

“Nothing. I get it. Speak only when spoken to. Don’t worry. I’m pretty good at that.”

He stared at me for a good hard minute before he rose and left me alone to my thoughts and my pain.

8

Jax

There were reasons I didn’t spend much time around Anna. Fucking important reasons.

The security of my position as alpha was at stake. Just keeping her alive was enough to threaten it.

I could kill her now and be done with it. I wouldn’t be the first wolf to live without a mate. It would be one of those rare instances where being alone made you stronger.

For three years, I stayed away. When Parker told me she was covered in scars, I said good. When he said she was terrified of everyone and everything, I told him it was justice. And when he told me she was taking an interest in the bar, I told him to shut it down.

He didn’t. For the first time ever, Parker defied me. And for the first time since his mate died, he took an interest in life.

His reports changed in tune. He started berating me for ignoring her. When I finally snapped that she was lucky I didn’t break her neck, he stopped reporting at all.

Damn it, he hadn’t been there when Cora dragged her broken body back to my territory.

He hadn’t been there when Saul went half mad when she died.

He wasn’t there when we found those children sitting among the corpses. She’d had a hand in that. She’d fucking admitted it.

I would not forgive her.

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