Page 71 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

Irene’s hands circled my wrist. “Breathe. You can leave this memory whenever you want, but they can get tangled in your mind if you’re in too much of a hurry to leave. Settle for something strong. Something that you can focus on the details. Something that gives you a feeling of peace.”

“I don’t have anything like that,” I whispered, but the scene started to change around me. I didn’t even know what would appear until we were already there.

“Oh. Well, this works. We don’t need to watch again,” Irene said with a soft laugh.

I gazed down at the bed. I was just waking up and realizing that I wasn’t alone. Next to me, Rhyson slept soundly, the sheets twisted around us. “No, it’s okay. I left not long after this. Nothing else happened.”

I remembered staring at him for what felt like hours, wishing I could suspend the moment forever. Outside of that room, the rest of the world waited. My father. Fear. But here, I’d never felt such pleasure in my life.

I’d never felt so safe.

Little did I know how that would all change.

Turning from the scene, I blew out my breath. “All right, what do I need to do?”

“It’s going to take a lot of meditation and concentration, and some work on your wolf’s part. We need her to take us where she inhabits inside of you. Where she calls home. It’s not a physical place, obviously, but a mental or maybe a spiritual one. That’s where we should find whatever might be left of your bond.”

When I looked up at Janelle with skepticism, she shrugged. “It’s not an exact science. This kind of magic is used to help witches share power. It’s not meant for wolves, and I’ve only successfully done it one other time. I didn’t have Irene to power me, and it didn’t go quite the way I imagined.”

“What were you trying to do?”

Her face hardened. “When Emerson was an alpha, he severed his alpha bond with a wolf. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that happen, but it’s excruciating both physically and mentally. I felt responsible. I was trying to help her heal. All I did was make things worse, but I could see her bonds, so I’m hoping to do the same here.”

“I’ll do my best.” The memory of me was getting out of bed and searching for my clothes. This memory, this peaceful place I didn’t even know I had, would fade soon, so I sat in front of my wolf and framed her face with mine. “Hi. We don’t get to talk much like this, do we? I wonder if this is your first time seeing me, or if you can see through my eyes. Maybe you’ve seen everything. I’m sorry. You’re so powerful and strong, and you’re stuck in me, but maybe we can change that. Can you show us where you are? Can you take us there?”

At first, nothing happened. Disappointment crashed through me, and I rested my forehead on hers and closed my eyes. “It’s all right. It was a long shot. Maybe you can’t understand me, or maybe you just don’t want us there. It’s okay. We’ve made it this far just like this, and we’re strong enough to keep going. I believe in you. I believe in us.”

“Maya, it’s all right,” Irene whispered. “We’re here.”

Opening my eyes, I drank in the beauty of the space. A full moon in the darkest of night skies was reflected on a pool of water so still it looked like glass. The grass was lush and thick, and a dense forest surrounded us on all sides. It was so quiet. So peaceful.

“This is inside me?” I whispered. “I didn’t even know that I was capable of this.”

“It’s a good sign. Your wolf is not at all troubled, and it’s no wonder she’s so strong. She’s gathered so much power and magic to make this, and it’s probably nothing to her.” Janelle walked over to us and glanced down at my wolf. “It’s beautiful.”

I studied her face carefully. “And yet, you can’t smile. What you’re looking for isn’t here, is it?”

“It is, actually. May I?” She held her hand out to my wolf, who slowly walked toward her. When Janelle touched her, she pulled her hand away and held a short thread that gleamed gold. My breath caught.

“That’s it? That’s my bond?”

“It’s a bond. It looks relatively new. The problem, Maya, is that there are no bonds surrounding you. And if I can’t attach it to anything, I have no idea how to repair it.”

38

Rhyson

“You look different,” Nash observed as we headed to Jax’s office. It was early in the morning, but the grounds were hardly quiet. The main roadway was busy with juveniles racing in packs around us and adults either scurrying after them or yelling at them to settle down. A few vehicles drove past us, ranging from jeeps to golf carts, and I couldn’t help but grin at the flurry of activity. It had been awhile since I spent much time totally immersed in a pack. I missed the hustle and bustle.

“Slept well,” I responded. “And I feel more relaxed now that we’re here.”

“Sure. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the screams of pleasure I heard while walking down the hallway,” he said cheerily, immediately hopping to his left when I turned my head to glare at him. “Look, I’m just saying that Maya is a complicated wolf, but we all like her. When it comes down to it, she’s one of us.”

That was saying something for Nash. He wasn’t won over easily. “She’s carrying my child. It’s important that we keep her safe.”

“Sure. I’d argue that it’s important to keep her safe regardless, but I know you’re just hiding the fact that she’s more than just the mother of your child to you, but it’s fine. When you’re ready to admit it, we’ll be here supporting you.”

I rumbled, and he chuckled and jogged ahead. The others, excluding Paisley and Tessa, who were spending the day with Jax’s healer, were meeting me at the security office. I didn’t know why we weren’t meeting Jax at his personal office, but I didn’t complain. I wanted to get a look at what his security center looked like.

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