Page 22 of Rejected By the Alpha King

Instantly, the wolves moved out. My wolf leaned down and gently bit her nose. It was a sign of affection. One he hoped would be returned.

Instead, she just stared at us, her eyes glassy with fear.

Turning my head, I grumbled at Saul. “Don’t look at me. I’m not hurting her. The wound is already closed, so I’m almost done. I just want to see…” his voice trailed off. “My God.”

My wolf rumbled at him again.

“Anna, I’m going to turn you over to your stomach,” Saul said in a gentle but strained voice. “Please do not be afraid.”

He tried to turn her, but she wiggled and tried to push away from him. She didn’t growl.

There was no aggression in her at all.

“Jax, a little help here. It’s important.”

My wolf leaned down and nudged her with his head. With a whimper, she flipped over.

Fury washed over me when I saw what Saul had felt.

Scars. Her wolf was covered in scars.

Instantly, I yanked the reigns back from my wolf and shifted. When I put my hands on her to part her fur, she yelped, rose, and bolted.

Cassius started after her. “Leave her,” I commanded. “Bridget, follow on foot please. Take her some clothes.”

With a nod, Bridget disappeared. “You’re certain she won’t run?” Saul asked in a low voice.

“She has too much at stake. Her freedom,” I said flatly. “She’ll finish this.”

“She was right. This path to Wisteria Woods is far too vulnerable,” Jenson spoke up. “We haven’t even entered the woods, and we were attacked.”

I nodded short. She’d been right, and I put my wolves in danger by not listening. I would not make that mistake again.

“There’s only one thing I know of that would leave scars like that on a wolf,” Saul said tightly.

Wolfsbane.

Was it the reason Anna had been hiding her wolf from us? She didn’t want us to see the scars? She wasn’t hiding her red wolf, that was certain. Her wolf was the color of Anna’s hair. It wasn’t out of character for a wolf and its human to share some features, but her coloring was completely unnatural for a wolf.

She and her wolf were close to each other. Very close. In most cases, it was a sign of an alpha.

“She won’t stay in wolf form,” I said in some frustration. “Will that affect how she heals?”

“Certainly. She’ll be weak.” Saul looked at me and sighed. “I will leave my pack with you with some instructions, but you’ll need to find shelter. It’ll be at least a full day, maybe even two, before you can enter Wisteria Woods.”

“What is he talking about?” Maverick demanded. “Where is Saul going?”

“Not just Saul. Anna told me that we were going in with too big of a group, and she was right. We’re attracting too much attention. Stealth is key here.”

Cassius snorted in disbelief. “You’re going there alone? With her? You trust her?”

“I don’t have a choice.”

My comment was met with silence. I could tell most of them wanted to argue. A few minutes passed before Bridget returned, a dressed but pale and shivering Anna by her side. She had shifted the first opportunity she had.

“What’s going on?” Bridget asked as she helped Anna to a stump. Saul immediately crossed the camp site to her.

“He’s ordering us back,” Maverick said tightly. “He and his mate are going alone.”

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