Page 93 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

Here I was, being an optimist again. Maybe it was because Rhyson kept looking at me like that. Like he wasn’t ever going to let me go. Maybe I needed to lean into it rather than keep pulling away from it.

When we arrived, there were twelve wolves and twelve humans at the border to greet us. Immediately, I stiffened, as did the others. It was overkill.

A man stepped forward. He had a handsome face, but it was drawn in hard lines. I knew immediately that he must be London.

Jenson stepped out first and jogged over to London. Rhyson stepped out as well and crossed his arms. I could feel his power pulsing, like he was ready to grab the will of every wolf in the vicinity.

“Easy. He has every right to be on guard,” I told him in a low tone. “Don’t make him defensive. There’s a reason that we’re here.”

I heard Lunessa’s name thrown around a few times, and London’s features only darkened. Finally, he stormed our way. “Rhyson,” he said stiffly. “I’m London, alpha of Snake River Valley.”

“And not pleased that we are here,” Rhyson said, reeling in his power just a little. “Did you really think that it would take two dozen wolves to take me down?”

“I like to be prepared,” he said shortly. “And no. I’m not pleased that you’re here. I know who you are, and you have no right to be on this mountain. I don’t care what the fuck Jax thinks. I’m also pissed that Elonso thinks he can use my land to make his little fucking deals.”

“Is he here?”

London nodded. “And I’ll tell you what I told him. You have fucking twenty-four hours to chat, and then I want you all off my territory.”

I tensed, feeling Rhyson’s frustration growing. “Did he tell you what I did for him? What I’ve done for all of you here?”

“If you’re talking about the little drug kingpin wannabe, I could have taken care of him myself. I didn’t even know there was a problem,” London growled.

“Perhaps, instead of turning your anger to me, you should work on your communication skills with the other alphas. I am here to find answers, and if it takes longer than twenty-four hours, then nothing will make me leave. Not even you.”

Oh, great. I quickly darted forward and put on my most winning smile. “Hi. My name is Maya, and I am apparently going to be the voice of reason here.”

“Maya,” Rhyson growled, his hand circling my arm.

I didn’t push him off, but I didn’t move either. I wasn’t in any danger. “From what I gather, I get the feeling that you were hoping to see Lunessa. We’ve spent quite a bit of time with her. She’s an amazing witch, and we owe our lives to her.”

London’s face softened. “How is she?”

I thought of how I felt when I connected with her. “She’s in so much pain, I’m surprised she’s still standing,” I told him in a low voice. “If there’s anything that you’ve done to contribute to that pain, and I’m not saying that there is, I’m just saying if, then she most definitely needs more time. Don’t be angry with her.”

With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Did you tell Alpha Elonso that you wanted him off your land in twenty-four hours?”

“I did.”

“What was his response?”

His eyes narrowed. “He said that unless I was truly heartless, I would walk that back and give you some more time.”

Rhyson growled behind me. “What the fuck did he mean by that?”

“No idea. I guess you’ll have to follow me and find out.”

Snake River Valley was a little colder and dryer than the other parts of the mountain. It included the peak of the mountain, and while it should have felt like a harsher environment, it was built up. The buildings, jutting out from the side of the mountain, reminded me of medieval architecture. It was quaint and lovely. Several creeks branched out along the property and met at the very edge in a wide river. Jenson had explained over here that Snake River had an excellent distribution center and made their own beer, which they imported all through the mountain and even to the human settlement. The river helped them do that.

We were shown to the guest rooms and even though Rhyson was practically vibrating with anticipation, he gave us a chance to shower, our first in four days, and change our clothes. Then, we were escorted from the guest suites deeper into the large house and down the steps to a large conference room.

London and one other man sat at the table. I recognized him from the video chats.

Elonso.

Both men stood, and we filed into the room. “King Rhyson,” Elonso said with a crooked smile. “So nice to finally meet you.”

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