Page 79 of Rejected By the Alpha King

Cam cleared her throat. “Only that she was so sheltered. Did she even know what a mating bond is? Is it instinctual or did someone have to explain it to her?”

She wasn’t wrong. “I knew what a mating bond was when Jax arrived.” My voice was soft as I sifted through my memories. “Although I don’t know who told me or how I knew, but there was no mistaking what I felt when I looked at him.”

“Relief that your mate was so powerful?” Maeve pressed.

After a second of debate, I decided there was nothing wrong with the truth. “Not relief. Powerful wolves terrified me, but Jax had just killed a nightmare. My nightmare. In that moment, he was a hero. I succumbed to this girlish notion that I was facing a happily-ever-after and he was my knight in shining armor.”

Rolling her eyes, Maeve turned back around. “Ridiculously.”

“It was,” I admitted. “I realized that fairly quickly. I didn’t have the luxury of feeling like a girl, and there are no easy happily-ever-afters for wolves like me.”

My voice turned bitter and I stared out the window. Luckily, we were just pulling into Irene’s driveway.

There were five guards outside her house. Apparently, Jax had upped security for the alpha meeting.

Maeve noticed.

“Worried about something?” She asked as she got out of the car.

“Not at all,” Jax said easily. “I simply want to make sure my witch knows she’s safe now.”

One of the guards opened the door to the cottage and glared at me. It took me a moment to recognize Roy, but I tried not to show my discomfort as I walked passed him. Irene was waiting for us with a tray of tea.

She was as white as a sheet.

“Alpha,” she greeted. “Anna. Alpha Frost, welcome.”

Her gaze slid by Maeve, and her eyes widened. “Cam?”

“Hello, Irene,” Cam said in a hard voice. “You seem surprised to see me.”

“I was expecting your father.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, I am so sorry, Cam. They told me a witch was killed, but I had no idea it was Bao.”

Her eyes filled with tears, but Cam looked anything but sympathetic. There was clearly some history there, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“And how did you know Bao?” Maeve asked.

The kitchen was getting a little crowded. Jax cleared his throat. “Guards, Bridget, see to the perimeter. Irene, if it’s not too much trouble, perhaps we can take the tea to the living room and get settled.”

Eyes wide, she nodded and carried the tea from the kitchen. We followed behind. I sat on one side of Irene on the couch, and Jax stood behind her, protectively. Maeve and Cam sat in the chair across from the table and stared while Irene poured the tea with trembling hands.

“Bao helped train me,” Irene explained.

“Bao had been my witch for two decades,” Maeve cut in darkly. “And I’ve never set eyes on you. Do not lie to me.”

I glared at Maeve. “Perhaps if you don’t interrupt her, Irene can explain fully.”

“The submissive wolf has teeth. How interesting. You are right, of course. My apologies.

Continue.”

“It was ten years ago when our paths crossed. I had been invited to a coven and was on my way there. Bao was searching for an herb rumored to grow at the top of the mountain. I was procrastinating in my journey. The Spellkyn coven was a powerful one, and I didn’t think I was powerful enough to join.”

Everyone inhaled sharply but Cam and me. She clearly knew the story, but I didn’t even know what the Spellkyn coven was. “I thought the Darkwyn den was the only coven here.”

“There was a time when there were several covens here,” Irene said with a soft smile.

Witches and wolves shared these mountains. The Spellkyns and the Darkwyns were sister covens. They helped secure and protect the other smaller covens in the mountains. Anyway, I helped Bao look for the herb, and he stayed with me on the mountain for nearly a week, helping me hone my powers. I’d kept in touch with him through the years until….”

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