Page 42 of Rejected By the Alpha King

Away from Jax.

When we walked the rest of the way, we did so in silence. If Jax was suspicious of my motives, he didn’t let on. If he was planning on going back on his word, he didn’t let on.

And it wasn’t until we climbed the small path up the rock formations and gazed on the coven fortress that I knew something was wrong.

“There weren’t any more traps,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Two days ago, we hadn’t even traveled ten minutes before you were ensnared in a trap.

We haven’t seen a single one since then. Except for the spell around the fortress itself, I don’t see anything.”

Jax frowned. “So either we got lucky or the witches know that we’re coming.”

Something was wrong. “Neither, I think. This is different than when I came. I think they changed things.”

“The witches didn’t appreciate your arrival. Good to know.”

Except that wasn’t how it went down at all. Or was it? Blinking, I rubbed my eyes. What if my memories of this place weren’t what they seemed? The whole place was surrounded by magic. I really wasn’t all that certain what I could or couldn’t do, or what the witches could do to me. What if I was so desperate to have a happy memory that I’d fabricated the whole thing?

No. I couldn’t believe that.

The fortress was only a mile ahead. Shooting Jax one last look, I walked cautiously forward. It wasn’t until they reached the entrance and she saw the spell wrapped around the building that she relaxed. The last line of defense.

“There’s a spell trap surrounding the whole fortress. If you try to enter, it will paralyze you. It’s their version of a prison. They can come out, help you, or at least feed you, until they’re ready to send you on your way, or they can leave you there to starve to death.”

Jax nodded. “How long until you dispel it?”

“Forever.”

Turning his head, he looked sharply at her. “You can’t do it?”

“No, I can. I’m just not going to. Not yet.” At this point, defying him felt wrong. Maybe it was because we’d saved each other’s lives. Maybe it was because I’d confessed my darkest secrets to him. Or maybe it was because I’d let him touch me, but it broke me to put myself in his way.

For years, we’d thought the worst of each other, and it all came down to this. Either I would trust him, let him through and go my own separate way. Or he would kill me.

“Anna,” Jax growled. “What kind of game are you playing?”

“I’m not playing a game. I’ve asked you one question, and you’ve ignored it. We’re out of time, Jax. Tell me what we’re doing here.”

His eyes narrowed, and I saw the hurt flashing through them. He thought I was betraying him.

Maybe I was.

“Does it matter?” He asked in a dangerously soft tone. “You’re my mate. You’re supposed to stand beside me, no matter what.”

“Really? Is that how you felt three years ago when you hid me away in a dive bar? That we would stand beside each other no matter what?”

“You told me…”

“I did, and I didn’t lie.” As much as I hated it, tears pricked my eyes. “And you didn’t care to delve any deeper. Now, because you think I’m not as bad as you originally thought, we’re supposed to just stand beside each other no matter what? It doesn’t work that way.”

Stonily, he stared at me. “And you choose now to punish me?”

“It’s not a punishment, Jax. It’s a question. I’m done being responsible for death. I’m not going to let you through here if all you want to do is try and hurt them. There was a time—” I stopped short and took an involuntary step back. “Did you hear that?”

Jax whipped his head around. The forest had become unnaturally still. No birds or insects.

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