Page 13 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

“No. That is not what happened…”

“Your father says you’re a disappointment,” he growled. “And I can see why. Had I known what a fucking slut you were, I never would have touched you with a ten-foot pole. I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, nor do I care. Leave before you humiliate yourself even further.”

The cold rose up inside me. It was the kind of raw response that I used often. One that helped numb the pain, but even as I tried to coat myself in it, it didn’t stop his words from breaking me. The pain in my chest was an unusual feeling, and it quickly spread. A lump welled up in my throat and tears sprang to my eyes.

No. No, I couldn’t show weakness. I couldn’t let him know.

Closing my eyes, I called out to my wolf. Feeling my pain, she resisted, but I needed a quick escape. I needed to hide before any of them saw me for what I truly was.

Weak and desperate.

The wolf took over, and I slipped away into the nearest line of trees, running as fast as I could to put as much distance between myself and my only hope as I could.

“Shit,” someone said from behind me. “She can’t go in there. The rogues will tear her apart.”

I had no idea what that meant, but I didn’t care. I just ran faster.

6

Maya

I let my wolf’s instincts take over. She was the only one who could run, evade, and hide. I was only good for fucking things up, apparently.

I’d been so wrong about everything. Larson was just like my father, so at least I dodged a bullet there. It was foolish that I’d put my hopes in him.

Even more foolish? Thinking that the next man who was nice to me would save me. That a lover would save me.

My wolf was small and fast, a powerful little bullet in the dense woods. It wasn’t until she slunk under a bush that I realized she wasn’t reacting to Rhyson.

Wolves.

The scents were old, maybe a few days to a week, but there were so many of them. Had I entered a pack territory without knowing it? If an alpha caught me, I’d be dead, but these markings were personal, not pack. That also didn’t make any sense.

Where the hell was I?

I tried to think of what I knew about the new king. King Silas had reigned for as long as I could remember, and for almost a decade before I was born. He had reached his thirty-year mark but rarely came to visit this part of the country. I’d never seen him. I’m not even certain my father had ever met him. There were rumors that he was losing his mind at the end.

Rhyson came out of nowhere to challenge him. His brother was an alpha, and Rhyson was part of his pack. I didn’t know why he challenged Silas, but I heard he fought for a brutal month of challenges. I remembered Chase asking my father if he would challenge him, but Bruce liked his position. Sure, he wanted to expand the pack, but king? Too much responsibility.

What was he doing here? The king lived five hundred miles away, and there was no way we traveled that in five hours. So where the hell was I?

More than anything, I wished I could communicate with my wolf. Others knew exactly what their wolf was thinking or feeling. They could act as one, but my wolf and I weren’t like that. We were so disconnected, and I had no idea why. Still, I tried to ask her why her hackles were going up.

No response. I could detect the wolf smells, but there was something else. Something that was making her very uncomfortable.

We couldn’t stay under a bush for forever. I needed to find a person so I could ask where I was. With this many wolves, it was unlikely that I was in human territory. If I was lucky, the alpha would be kind and understanding.

Except I was never lucky. So recon first.

I forced my wolf back and took control. I didn’t hear anything, so I slowly crept out from under the bush. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. It had been nearly an entire day of no food, but it was not the first time I’d gone without. I had about twelve hours before I really started to weaken.

Except that everything was different now. My normal calculations didn’t count for shit. Still, there was nothing I could do about it now. My wolf had never hunted in her life. I had no idea if she even knew how, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t still be wandering around by myself in twelve hours. Wolves were territorial. Someone would find me.

The sun was high overhead, but the woods were dense and provided plenty of shade. The summer heat could be tough on wolves, but not here. I crept slowly, my head a constant swivel until I heard the sound of water. Cautiously, I walked forward into a clearing. A large river rushed by me. My thirst was suddenly undeniable, and I kept close to the edge as I walked, searching for a calmer shore. Half a mile downriver, the river widened, calming the currents. I waited a few minutes to see if anything else emerged from the thick underbrush.

Finally, I made my way forward and slaked my thirst with the cold water of the river. My legs started to tremble. I was exhausted. I was not going to be able to go much longer without food.

I turned just as the shadow moved out from the woods. I didn’t stand a chance. The wolf, nearly twice my size, rammed right into me, and I rolled and splashed into the river. As I struggled to get back to my feet, teeth sank into my shoulder, and I yelped. Panic set in, and I scrambled back to get away from my attacker.

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