Page 44 of Rejected Wolf

“I’m listening,” Silas said after a tense moment, though his voice sounded garbled, as though speaking through a mouthful of fangs.

Shan cleared his throat, regaining his composure as he straightened his posture. “They’re likely going to make a move soon, before we have a chance to relocate. We want to take the fight to them before they do.”

Silas’s incredulous laugh seemed to defuse a little of the tension. “You expect us to raid this facility after you’ve told me how well armed they are? They’ll be prepared. That’s suicide.”

“I promise it’ll be a fair fight, because in case you don’t feel like our wolves are enough, we’ll be armed too.” Shan actually smiled, as if he had a secret that he was dying to share. It seemed to have the right effect.

Silas signaled for his men to back off. He dragged his tongue across his lip hungrily. “Is that so?” We almost had him. I’d just met the guy, but already I could tell this was the kind of guy who lived for the fight, and it was obvious he had a bone to pick with humans. This could be his only chance to do something this epic. “And the human… How can you convince me he’s not a spy, and we won’t be walking into a trap?”

Everyone looked to Jude. “Morgan is my fated mate. Just ask Vesta, she led me right to him.”

I saw the moment this information hit home. They clearly knew the shaman and respected her. Just like that, I was an accepted member of the Grim Wilds pack.

Shan had been prepared for this, and while I knew he didn’t want to make the offer, he wasn’t above a little good old-fashioned bribery. “And when we’re through… the weapons are yours.”

Silas’s grin widened, revealing the conniving predatory he was. “Looks like you have yourself an army.”

Chapter 19

Jude

Our preparations made, weheaded back to camp and called it an early night. We retired to our beds to spend what could be our final moments with our mates. As much as I wanted to believe everything would be fine, I had to be realistic. There was a good chance some of us wouldn’t be coming home. My wolf and I had already decided that if it came down to being captured or killed, we would rather die than go back. Now that I’d experienced what life had to offer, I refused to live out an existence without my mate. I would go crazy. I hadn’t told Morgan, but I suspected he already knew, judging by the way he kissed me like there would be no tomorrow.

Our bodies entwined, we made love until Morgan cried my name, then he fell into an exhausted sleep in my arms. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I wished I could stay just likethis forever, and I clung to this moment of perfect bliss, etching it into my mind. I watched Morgan for hours, until I finally lost the battle and drifted off into a fitful sleep filled with looming shadows and unseen horrors.

Even in my dreams, my mind kept coming back to the possibility of my dad being alive, still in their clutches, and I knew I had to risk it, no matter what. He would’ve done the same for me.

We woke before dawn and dressed in silence. We’d said all we needed to say last night. Now, we spoke with gentle caresses and lingering looks.

Hand in hand, we trudged through the snow to the kitchen, and soon, one by one, the others began to wander in. The kids were bleary-eyed, their heads resting on their parents’ shoulders; they weren’t old enough to understand what was about to happen. Everyone ate a sparse meal, but it was clear we were just going through the motions. Nobody had much of an appetite, but we needed the calories. We couldn’t predict what was coming, and we couldn’t be sure when we might get another chance to eat a warm meal.

Shortly after dawn, we heard several engines approaching. “They’re here,” Shan said, stating the obvious, but it was the cue we’d been waiting for.

We convened outside as a group, watching as headlights cut through the trees. Two trucks and an SUV pulled into our camp, their tires cutting muddy tracks through the soft snow. They seemed too large for the clearing, the noise from the engines deafening as they reverberated off the close trees. When the engines cut out, the silence felt like a living thing, a shroud descending over us.

Silas kicked open the passenger seat of the lead vehicle with a metallic creak and hopped down, grinning wide. He looked jacked up, his eyes bright with excitement for the slaughter ahead. He clapped his hands once. “Shall we get this show on the road?”

I wished I had some of his optimism, but all I felt was grief and dread. I pulled Morgan close and kissed him hard, imprinting the feel of him into my soul. I pulled back with a breathless gasp. “Morgan…” I rasped against his lips.

He frowned up at me. “Why did that feel like a goodbye kiss?”

“Because I need you to stay here.” I’d been putting off this conversation. I’d let him believe he was going to be a part of the siege because I didn’t want to spend our last hours together fighting.

He was already shaking his head. “But… I’m coming with you.” I watched the emotions play across his face, but it finally settled onstubbornness.

My eyes stung, but I refused to cry in front of him. That wouldn’t make this any easier. “I can’t put you at risk, put our child at risk.” I slid my hand inside the gap of his jacket and put my palm over his flat stomach. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, so long as you’re both okay.”

“That’s bullshit!” he shouted, grabbing at my shoulders. His face was a mask of fear, and angry tears spilled down his cheeks. “What happens to you matters tome!”

I was going to lose it. My wolf was howling about the separation, even though he agreed about the need to leave him behind. I felt like I was being torn apart. Being fated mates was supposed to mean we would be together forever, and leaving him so soon after being marked felt like I was being torn straight down the middle. Everything hurt.

He begged and pleaded, but I refused to change my mind. None of this mattered without him, and I would do whatever it took to ensure he stayed safe.

I kissed away his nos, his pleases, his I love yous. “I’m so, so sorry, Morgan.” His lips were salty with tears. “Please, forgive me.”

“Only if you promise to come back to me. Jude, I need you to come home.”

And even though I knew it could well be a lie, I nodded. “I will always come home.”

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