Page 95 of Rejected Mate's Baby for the Alpha King

My eyes ran through the names and dates, and I felt sick inside. There had to be a hundred names here. No telling where these poor girls came from. “And they’re dead now?” I whispered as I kept scanning the page.

“Bred and murdered, most likely,” Jenson said darkly. “This is not what we do here.”

“I’ve only gone through about thirty names,” Elonso admitted. “Twenty-two of them were dead. Six have managed to find some peace, in their own way. Two of them were still being held captive. From them, I’ve learned names were changed, and it’s unlikely I’ll learn the truth of all of them. All remembered where they came from, but they said it’s too late for them to return.”

My eyes stopped on an entry, and my heart skipped a beat. Gasping, my eyes flew up to Elonso’s. He knew exactly what I’d found.

“Maya?” Rhyson asked with a frown.

I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t. Not unless I was absolutely certain. “There’s no way,” I told Elonso. “You had no idea who Rhyson was.”

“Emerson had contacts outside the mountain. I’ve kept a few of them. It wasn’t hard to find out who he was,” Elonso said steadily.

“His background. His history.” I shook my head. “There is no way.”

“Again, outside contacts. Plus, he’d already given me the name of his brother,” Elonso continued. “They were shipped here in packs. Some of the women I’d made contact with remembered her. It took me two days to track her down.”

“Maya, what is going on? What are you talking about?” Rhyson demanded.

Wordlessly, I slid the journal to him and pointed to an entry. Elonso sighed. “The women said she was younger when they were taken. They did their best to protect her, and when an opportunity presented itself, they helped her escape. A few years ago, she managed to get word to them. To thank them. To let them know that she was safe. She wanted to play hero, but they told her to live her life and be happy.”

Rhyson’s hands shook. “No,” he whispered. “No, that’s not possible.”

“What is it?” London asked.

“It’s his sister. Emily.” Elonso turned to him. “She’s been living in your pack for ten years, along with the friend she was abducted with. Gemma? She was your best friend, right? Or your mate?”

52

Rhyson

“Maybe we should go for a run. Blow off some of that energy,” Maya suggested in a low tone. “If you keep pacing, you’re only going to build more agitation.”

Whirling around, I nearly snapped at her, but she didn’t shrivel up at my expression or shrink away. She’d been with me while Elonso and London figured out exactly who my sister was within his pack. She’d been there, but London told me that he would not let me see her until he spoke to her first.

She’d kept me from pulling out every wolf in this pack and forcing them to my will.

With a low moan, I sank onto the bed and cradled my head in my hands. “Rhyson,” Maya whispered, and placed her hand on my knee. “Talk to me. Let it out. It’s okay. Whatever happens, we’re going to be okay.”

“I never looked for them. Not once. I was so certain that they were dead,” I said hoarsely. “It’s been years, Maya. They must have thought Marrow and I would come for them. That we would rescue them. They must hate me.”

“No matter how they feel about you, Rhyson, and I doubt that they hate you, you did not kidnap them. You did not bring them here. This is not your fault.”

It was the first time she’d touched me since I heard the news. She must have been so fucking scared that I would snap. I was barely hanging on by a thread, but with her hand on me, my wolf felt so much steadier. I felt so much steadier. Slowly exhaling, I stretched out until I could rest my head on her lap. Quietly, she stroked my hair.

“What would you be thinking? If it were you?”

“I don’t know, Rhyson. I truly don’t. They knew love. Your parents, your brother…” Her voice broke. “You. You all loved them. All of that was taken from them. They may have seen your parents die. And we have no idea what’s happened to them since. We just have to hope that they want to see you, and then we can figure it out from there. Whatever it is they’re going through, whatever it is that has happened, you’ll help them through it.”

She said it with such confidence. Turning my head, I looked up at her. “I don’t think I could do this without you.”

“You’re the king of wolves,” she said with a sad smile. “You don’t need me.”

She had no idea how wrong she was. We sat there in silence, her stroking my head, before she spoke again. “You didn’t tell me that Emily was with…her friend. Did you know?”

Guilt washed through me again. “I didn’t. Gemma was Emily’s best friend, but we were all close. Right before they left, Gemma and I had gotten into a huge fight. I guess I just thought she didn’t want to see me anymore. I had no idea that she was with Emily that day. She didn’t have any family, so there was no one to even notice that she was missing.”

“Elonso said that they escaped. And they’re alive. It’s going to be okay.”

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