Page 99 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

Grabbing the handle of the door, I pushed it open, but before I could climb out, hands grabbed me and pulled me out. A sickeningly familiar scent hit me.

No. Oh, no, no, no, no.

“Sweetheart, I have missed you,” Champ said with a nasty laugh. “Come on now, out you come.”

My vision returned, blurry, and I was helpless as he dragged me out of the jeep. “You’re not here,” I murmured. “You can’t…you can’t be here.”

“Please,” Champ snorted. “Like I haven’t been here before. We had a good thing going with Emerson before he decided to serve a different master. Or mistress. Whatever. They’re both dead now.”

I tripped over something and fell. Pain shot through my leg, and I immediately smelled blood. Looking down in horror, I realized I’d fallen on spikes.

Road spikes.

“You…set a trap?”

“That I did. Come on. Keep going.” Not caring that I was injured, he dragged me forward.

“How did you…”

“How did I know? I didn’t. Your dad wouldn’t even let me go after you. He nearly skinned me alive when you ran, but then he learned what Rhyson was doing, and he about shit himself. Sent me to make sure there was no one on this mountain left to squeal on him. When I found out that pretty little sister of his was alive, I was coming for her. Imagine my surprise when my contact told me that Rhyson was a daddy-to-be, and you were the mother.”

Fury filled his voice, and my heart sank. I hadn’t counted on Champ. Champ wouldn’t give a damn whose baby I was carrying. He just wanted me for himself, and since no one was around to keep an eye on him to make sure that he didn’t go too far…

“Champ,” I whimpered in a low voice. “Champ, don’t do this. Please.”

Oh, the phrase he loved to hear so much. He loved it when I begged. Immediately, he stopped, whirled around, and leaned close. “What’s that, sweetheart? What are you begging for?”

“For you to die, asshole.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my knife and buried it into his chest. Snarling, he released me and stumbled back. With the last amount of energy I had, I turned and ran.

54

Rhyson

“Charlotte and Bryan were wonderful,” Emily said softly. “We couldn’t give our real names, and we couldn’t come up with fake ones. We were so scared to talk to anyone. They were the ones who named us Christa and Carla. I think, to this day, they still assume that Gemma and I are sisters. Rhyson, I don’t want you to think that I forgot our parents.”

“No,” I broke in, my throat tightening. “No, I don’t think that at all. You do not need to apologize for surviving. I would like to meet them and thank them for taking care of you.”

Gemma and Emily exchanged looks. “We spoke to them last night after London told us the news. We needed someone to talk to. We ended up telling them everything,” Gemma confessed. “It was a long night of confessing, but they would love to meet you as well.”

The door opened, and Juniper stepped in. She was beyond pale. Immediately, I was on my feet. “What? What happened?”

Emily gasped. “Juniper?”

“Emily.” Juniper forced a smile. “I can’t wait to hug you and catch up on everything, but I need to talk to Rhyson first. Can you step out into the hall?”

Emily’s eyes widened, and she and Gemma grabbed hands. “Is everything all right? Did something happen?”

“You’re safe,” I told them as I rose. “Believe me, I am not going to let anything happen to you. Stay here. This should only take a minute.”

I was going to wring Juniper’s neck. What the fuck was she thinking? Terrifying Emily like that, and for what?

“It’s Maya,” Juniper whispered when the door closed. London was still sitting in the hall, still protecting his charges. He cocked his head and stared at us. “She thinks she knows who took Emily and Gemma. Who killed your parents.”

London swiftly stood and walked closer. I clenched my fists. “Maya was just in here. She ran out because she had morning sickness.”

“More like a major panic attack. She’s not hiding anything from you, Rhyson, but she couldn’t tell you herself. She says she doesn’t have proof, but she recognized a tattoo that Gemma described. She says her father has it preserved and hanging in his study. She’s certain it belongs to him.”

My world stopped. Why the hell would Bruce Callahan have been in the wolf trafficking trade? He was an alpha. A beloved one, at that.

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