Page 31 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

She gave me a secret smile. “Why would you assume that?”

My cheeks flushed. “Sorry. I just thought that if you’d had the opportunity to learn what else was out there, you would take it.”

“And not return.” She chuckled. “I’ll admit that this is a strange life. Werewolves and witches. I left here when I was eighteen and went to university. I studied overseas for eight years before I returned. Life out there is wonderful, but I’m not done here.”

“Is it hard to be human and not tell people about magic? Where I’m from, if anyone even thought you suspected we were werewolves, you’d be killed.”

Sera shook her head. “Humans aren’t ready. Maybe one day they will be, but their fear and their obsessions can drive them to unspeakable acts. I would never dare to tell another about this mountain. These secrets are safe with me.”

“What did you mean that you’re not done here? What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, she tilted her head. “I believe those are your wolves returning from the hunt. No parting gifts were necessary, but we were pleased with the offering. Come. I have a feeling Rhyson will be unhappy if he doesn’t see you safe and secure immediately.”

A figure moved on my left. Juniper. “I’ll take her.”

She had a strange look on her face, and my heart skipped a beat. Had she heard Sera and I talking? I thought she was supposed to be searching for a witch.

What if I wasn’t the distraction? What if I was the target all along? Was Juniper testing me to see if I’d spill Rhyson’s secrets and claim sanctuary?

Once the seed of doubt was planted, I simply couldn’t get rid of it. Here, I thought maybe I was making some headway with the group, maybe even making some friends.

But maybe I was being naive. They followed Rhyson, and as long as he didn’t trust me, they wouldn’t trust me either.

16

Rhyson

We’d returned with two bucks and half a dozen rabbits for the village. They lined up to meet us and accepted our offering graciously. Juniper joined my side with a sunny smile but Maya, I noticed, stayed close to Sera.

“This is more than wonderful,” Charles said as he shook my hand. “We thank you for the bounty.”

It wasn’t just to say thank you. I wanted to move freely around the perimeter of the village to see what lurked on the other side of the boundary. We didn’t run into a single wolf, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was magic.

While the carcasses were carried away, Maya stared at me stonily. Ignoring her, I turned to Sera. “I would like to speak to your resident witch before we leave. See if he or she has some foresight into our journey.”

“That won’t be possible. She’s been traveling, and we’re not certain when she will return,” Sera said brightly. “Come. We have some things we’d like to supply you with for the rest of your journey.”

Supplies. Food. More medicine? They were the goddamn welcoming party to Shadowed Moon Mountain. Hard to believe that they would be so kind without strings attached. Trackers? Most likely, but why would they care? What kind of stake did they have in all this?

Humans in a world of werewolves. They had an agenda.

“That is kind of you, but I would not want to impose on you any more than we already have. We should get going soon. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Are you certain?”

“We’re wolves, Sera. We travel light.”

After a moment, she nodded. “Please know that you can always return here if you need help or a place to rest. If there is anything we can do for you before you leave, please let me know.”

“If you have any insight on how to best navigate the mountain, we would love to hear it.”

“What is it that you seek?” Charles asked.

I hesitated. Eventually, I was going to have to release the name, trusting that it would either lead me to my brother’s killer or lead my brother’s killer to me, but they weren’t wolves. I found it difficult to release my secrets to humans. I looked over at Juniper, who gave me a small nod. While we were out hunting, she was supposed to be looking around for the source of their magic.

And keeping an eye on Maya. From the way Maya was still glaring at me, I had a feeling that she didn’t appreciate Juniper’s job.

That was not my worry.

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