Page 79 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

I captured her easily into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t lose those instincts, Maya.”

We showered and joined the others downstairs. I noticed the way Maya tried not to show too much interest in the books that were spread in front of Irene and Janelle. My wolves and Jenson were prowling around the room, no doubt restless from the sparks of magic in the walls, and she walked aimlessly by the shelves and dusted her fingers over them.

In the room next door, Anna and Lunessa were arguing, but it was hard to make out their words.

“So Anna is kin to a witch,” I said as I crossed my arms and stared at the witches. “And she seems to be able to work magic?”

“Not quite, and not our story to tell,” Irene said without looking up. “And if you go back to your home, wolf king, and tell them of ancient magic in the mountain that’s up for grabs, you’ll gain nothing but a slew of dead wolves at your door.”

“And here I thought we were friends,” I said evenly, but my own wolves stiffened.

“‘Friends’ is a strong word. We’re friendly. We just want you to know what will happen if you decide you want this for yourself. Many wolves have tried to take this coven.”

“It looks like someone succeeded.”

“Then you haven’t opened your eyes wide enough,” Irene said just as Anna popped her head in. “Dinner is ready. I hope soup is okay. Lunessa’s kitchen is lacking.”

“Maybe because she wasn’t expecting all these wolves to show up at her door,” the witch shouted back.

We filed in, accepted our bowls of soup, and sat on the floor. There was a dining room table, but it was stacked high with books. I didn’t know what Lunessa was looking for, but it was clear she was thorough.

“Did you find Sera?” I asked.

“No. I felt the remnants of her magic, but the whole camp was gone.”

Nash coughed and spit up some soup. “The whole camp? Like…the people and the buildings?”

“Exactly. All that is there is a clearing now.” She wrinkled her nose in frustration. “Their magic is so different from witchcraft. I’ve been spending my days there, trying to soak it in and get a feel for it so I can try tracking it.”

“What will you do when you do find them?”

“That’s none of your business, wolf,” Lunessa said darkly before she turned to Maya. “So your father is an asshole who ripped away your mating bond so he could sell you to the highest bidder. I hope he’s dead.”

“He will be soon,” I muttered, and Lunessa’s expression softened.

“Maybe there’s hope for you. Janelle is the only one I know who can work with wolf magic, so if she can find answers in the coven, you’re in good hands. I’ll pop in every day to check on you, but I’m on my own hunt, so stay out of my way.”

There was so much anger inside of her. There was sorrow on Anna and Irene’s faces when they looked at her. “You could take a break and help us,” Irene said softly.

An alarm sounded, and Lunessa stood with a feral smile. “That’s my boundary alarm. Let’s see what idiot has come to try to steal from me today.”

43

Maya

“There is still blood in your hair.”

Irene sounded almost impressed as I reached up to where she was indicating. Sure enough, there was a dried speck of blood on me. It wasn’t from the fight with the group of rogue wolves last night. I’d showered. But when I’d stepped out of the shower and Rhyson walked in covered in blood…

It was definitely the dirtiest sex I’d ever had.

Blushing at the thought, I quickly raked my hair back into a hairband. “Red hair. Hard to see all the blood sometimes.”

Smirking, Irene pointed to the circle she’d outlined with chalk. “Sit here.”

“Why?”

“There is really old magic in this den, and it has a mind of its own. It likes things nice and tidy, so we have to perform our spells in a chalk circle. If we don’t, and the old magic doesn’t like what we’re doing, your bonds won’t be the only thing amputated.”

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