Page 103 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

“I love you. I wish I’d told you. I wish I’d had one more night in your arms. One moment where I’d pushed everything away and felt only you. I’m sorry.”

Maybe the wind would carry my words to him. Or maybe someone else would whisper them to him.

A scream ripped from my lips just as I landed on the gray wolf and plunged the dagger into his side. His wolf screamed in pain as he rolled, throwing me to the ground. Teeth sank into my arm, and I instinctively shoved him off me.

No. NO!

Crying out, I lunged forward, but it was too late. Champ had released me and moved.

The dagger was still embedded in his side.

I’d lost.

Rhyson. I’m so sorry.

Champ lunged.

56

Rhyson

My heart stopped when I broke through the tree line and saw Maya on the ground. A bloodied wolf snarled and pounced.

I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t give it a single second as I burst forward, catching him before he landed. We tumbled on the other side of her, and I landed on all four paws while he rolled a few feet from me.

The hilt of a knife jutting out from his side gleamed in the setting sun. Maya had gotten a hit. Good. Pride swelled in me as I lowered my head and pawed the ground. I didn’t dare look behind me. I needed to believe that she still lived. I needed that hope.

The wolf, Champ, took a step away from me as if he was going to run. Coward. He wouldn’t get far. Then, like he already knew that, he lowered his head and charged.

At full strength, this might have been a good fight, but he was injured and obviously exhausted. I slammed him into the ground and opened my jaw, ready to rip out his throat.

“Don’t kill him,” Maya shouted.

Pinning him down, I growled and looked up at her. She was upright, her arm around Dash’s wolf as she struggled to stand. “He’s here to kill your sister and your mate. We can use him to take down my father.”

Champ lay limp beneath me. Duke’s wolf walked over to me and sat down, taking over guard duty. I looked back at Champ. I didn’t need him to take down Bruce Callahan. I could kill them both and be much happier.

“Rhyson, please. You’re the king. You have to do this right,” Maya tried again.

Releasing Champ, I walked over to her until my wolf could butt his head against her belly. Her entire body trembled, but she didn’t let go of Dante and lean on me, like I wanted.

“The baby is all right,” she whispered, and sagged even more. “I can’t shift. I’m too tired.”

Releasing my wolf, I took control and let him sink back into me as I shifted. Then, taking Maya’s hand, I pulled her off Dante and picked her up.

“She won’t like it,” Maya said weakly, but she didn’t struggle.

“Our vehicles aren’t far. I’ll carry you there, and you’ll sleep,” I told her. “And when you awake, you and I are going to have a talk.”

“I know. It’s okay. I know,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes. “I just want you to be happy.”

I carried Maya back to the vehicles. Juniper had driven, doing her best to track us from the road. I left Champ to the others. Frankly, I didn’t care if he bled out or not. They could get him to the other vehicle.

Maya slept as Juniper drove us back to London’s territory. Not wanting to let go of her, I’d crawled in the back and cradled her body against my lap. She couldn’t feel the bond. I already knew that would happen, but a part of me had still hoped for a miracle. She thought I belonged to Gemma.

We would set that record straight as soon as she woke up.

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