Page 56 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

“Someone is going to die,” I whispered.

29

Rhyson

“Rhyson, I am in no danger,” Maya insisted. “There is no need to fight.”

Anna cleared her throat. “Jax, back down. Now.”

The alpha and I stared at each other. Instinctively, my wolf knew that he was protecting his mate and his territory, but my sanity was hanging by a thread. When I learned that Maya had gone off by herself, I’d lost my mind. We only had a stranger’s word that we were safe here.

I don’t know who moved first, but suddenly, we were both in the air, each aiming for the other’s throat.

“Roosavier,” the blonde shouted.

With a grunt, we both fell to the floor. Grunting, I tried to rise, but there was something invisible pulling me down. I could barely budge an inch. When Jax growled unhappily, I knew he was in the same boat.

“Irene,” Anna snapped, and raced to Jax’s side. To my shock, Jax sat up and shook his whole body before glaring at me.

“What? I didn’t hurt them, although the spell isn’t all that strong. It won’t hold them for more than twenty or thirty minutes. Not nearly long enough to talk some sense into them. How many times do I have to make it clear that I do not like it when wolves fight in my kitchen! It takes forever to order new dishes!”

“Release Rhyson.”

Maya’s voice was calm. Too calm. In all the chaos, I hadn’t really focused on her, but I turned my head and saw that she was on all fours. Her change had begun.

“Or you’ll eat us all?” Irene sighed. “The spell isn’t hurting him.”

“You don’t understand. I’m not doing this on purpose.” She made a small whimpering noise. “I’m losing control. Release him. Or cast the same spell on me.”

“Fine.” Irene reached her arms up and closed her eyes. Whatever spell she wanted to cast never left her mouth. One minute, Maya was still mid-shift, and the next, she was a wolf and jumping on Irene. I roared, and Jax threw himself at Maya.

“Shit,” Anna growled. “Jax, get away from her.” She raced to my side and touched me. The spell somehow dissolved around me, and I turned. To my relief, Jax had backed off, but he was bleeding heavily from his shoulder. Maya was also bleeding, but she still had one paw on Irene, pinning her down.

Lowering my head, I reached for her wolf and rumbled. Maya growled back at me, and I snarled at her and pushed an immense amount of power her way. Eyes narrowed, she huffed and removed her paw from Irene.

“I’m all right,” Irene said instantly as she sat up. “She didn’t hurt me. Can you hold her a little longer? Janelle!”

“Already on it!” Janelle walked a little closer, her hands in the air. “I’m not here to hurt you. You want answers, right, Maya? I can give them to you. I just need to touch you. Can I do that?”

Still holding Maya’s attention, I shifted. “Give me a moment,” I told her. “Let me make sure I have her.”

“Have her?” Jax asked behind me, also finishing a shift. He hadn’t had a chance to heal, and his shoulder was still bleeding. I only gave him a brief look.

Irene opened a cabinet and pulled out some clothes. I kept my eyes on Maya while I dressed in the sweatpants. “Do you understand what’s happening? No one is in any danger here. The alpha is keeping his distance, isn’t he?”

“Fine,” he said abruptly.

“I was upset that you went off alone, but I’m not upset now. Maya brought you here for answers.” Approaching her slowly, I touched her head. “These witches can give you answers, but not if you rip out their throats, do you understand?”

With an annoyed rumble, Maya lay down and flopped on her side. She wasn’t quite showing her belly, but she wasn’t in a position to attack. I looked at Janelle. “No tricks, witch.”

“Your show of trust is overwhelming,” Janelle said as she moved next to me so Maya could see her. Slowly, she placed her hand on Maya’s wolf’s head and closed her eyes. “I can tell she’s a werewolf. There is so much wolf magic surrounding her, but I can’t find Maya at all. Not even a speck of humanity.”

“She’s there. A wolf can’t just do away with its human. She’ll relinquish control when she’s ready.” I hoped, anyway.

“How did you get this far with a feral wolf?”

“She’s not feral,” I snapped. “And this is only the second time she’s lost control. At least, as far as I can tell.”

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