Page 51 of Rejected Wolf

“I’m okay,” I assured him. Before I could have a chance to explain what happened, he gripped the back of my neck and kissed me, laying fresh claim to my lips.

When he pulled back, he remained close, our foreheads touching, breathing the same air. “We got back as quickly as we could. I was so scared that something had happened to you. I can’t live without you, Morgan. I just can’t.”

“You won’t have to. I’m not going anywhere.” Unfortunately, not everyone had been so lucky.

Behind Jude, I noticed as Silas and the others got back in their vehicles to leave, since it was obvious they were no longer needed. Maybe I was mistaken, but I swore I saw Silas hesitate, as though reluctant to leave. His gaze lingered on the reunions, a look of longing on his face. Finally, his Beta nudged him, and they hopped back into their truck and pulled a five-point turn, before heading back the way they’d come.

The camp grew quiet once more. I was so cold I’d gone numb, but it was still not enough to dull the grief I felt inside. “Come on.” I took Jude’s hand and led him to one of the smaller cabins. There was flickering orange firelight from within, and it was where the others had converged.

Sasha was lying unconscious in the bed, face haggard and too pale, and his twin curled up on her side beside him. Dawn seemed afraid to touch him, but she eventually hooked her pinkie through his. That seemed to be enough to settle her wolf.

Tara went about doing whatever she could to make him comfortable, rearranging the blanket, setting snacks and water on the bedside table. “Vesta, do you have anything for pain, for when he wakes up?” she asked.

Brody had found Vesta when he’d arrived at the pond, and when he saw Sasha and I weren’t behind him, he left Wynn with the shaman and came back for us—but he was too late. Mary’s fate was sealed as she sacrificed herself to save Malachi.

The elderly woman nodded briefly. “I have some willow bark, but… it won’t be enough.”

“He can handle it,” Dawn said, wiping her palm over her eyes. “Sasha’s tough. He can get through it.”

I looked around the faces gathered, confirming that everyone had come home from the mission to take out the lab. My eyes snagged on a new face, though, his features both foreign and somehow familiar at the same time. When he saw me looking, he smiled shyly and made his way over.

Jude’s arm tightened around my waist. “Dad, this is my mate, Morgan. Morgan, this is my dad, Jesse.”

“Oh!” I gasped. I could see some of Jude’s features in the omega’s face. I held a hand out to shake his. “It’s an honor.”

Jesse shook his head, laughing. “You’re my son now too. We don’t shake hands.” He gripped me by the shoulder and dragged me in for a hug, but because Jude refused to let go, I ended up in a warm, firm, shifter sandwich. I would be happy to stay here forever. Back when I was camped out on my couch watching survival shows, I never imagined it would lead to me finding a new family, a whole new life, a future. It was more than I’d ever hoped to dream for.

The armed guards stayed the rest of the night, watching over as everyone slept, and the next day, we prepared Mary’s body for cremation. After dark, we lit a funeral pyre, and even though I hadn’t known her well, the bond I shared with my mate sang with his grief. I took what burden I could from him, sharing in mourning her loss.

Sasha had wanted to be there, even though he was too weak to get out of bed, so Tara offered to help carry him. His pain must’ve been immense, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t make a peep in complaint.

The pack stood together as one, celebrating the life of their fallen friend as her ashes were returned to the Grim Wilds soil, where it would strengthen their connection to the earth. As the night got late and the fire eventually grew cold, we spoke in soft voices about life and love.

As Jude and I crawled into bed, we found solace in each other. Jude rested his head on my stomach, listening to our child quietly grow. I combed my fingers through his hair until his breathing evened out, but no matter how tired I was, I couldn’t shake the worry that had set down roots inside me.

Could this truly be the last we’d seen of the doctors and soldiers from the lab?

Chapter 21

Jude

Winter turned to spring,and spring to summer. It was, in fact, the hottest summer we’d had in a decade, which wasn’t doing Morgan any favors. As the months wore on, he just kept getting bigger and bigger, and the heat was really getting to him. He looked about ready to burst at this point, his belly button poking out under the extreme pressure, but we had no way of knowing for sure when he was due. His pregnancy had gone on far longer than any shifter, but Vesta insisted this was a normal length for a human.

“I don’t know how you humans do it,” I said, shaking my head. “Nine months? That’s three quarters of a whole year!”

Morgan laughed, tilting his head back on the soft edge of the inflatable kiddie pool he was currently sitting in, hisround abdomen sticking out of the water. “I promise, it’s nothing new. We’ve been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years. I’ll get through it.”

I huffed, grabbing the sunscreen and squirting it into my palm. “I wish you would at least agree to go see a human baby doctor,” I grumbled, rubbing the lotion on his exposed belly. “Too many things could go wrong. Breach birth, placental abruption, lack of oxygen, excessive bleeding, infection—” I started counting off on my fingers.

“Someone’s been reading too many baby books before bed,” he teased, cutting me off. “I already told you, I’m not going to go to a human doctor who might see something weird on an ultrasound, like pointy ears or a tail. Forget it, I won’t be the reason for any overly nosy doctors to start asking questions. Besides, it’ll be fine. Vesta told me so.”

“Vesta? Seriously?” My eyes flicked over to where the shaman was sitting in the center of the clearing with Pax. “You want to put your total trust in her like that?”

Morgan shrugged, totally unbothered. “Sure, why not? She’s never steered anyone wrong yet.”

“Yetbeing the key word,” I mumbled, pouting.

Vesta was all too aware of her mind beginning to let go, and though she’d made her peace with it, she wasn’t ready to die just yet. She said she still had time left, but I’d noticedthat she’d picked up the pace of her lessons with Pax, as if there was a sense of urgency.

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