Page 20 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

Elin chewed her lip, looking like she wanted to protest. Ryder ignored her. She could help or stay here; he didn’t care much. He turned toward Blayke and Finn.

“Let’s get going. The sooner we get one of the demons, the sooner this will be over.” He stripped off his shirt and jeans, not looking at Tess. He didn’t say goodbye; there was no point.

He’d be back soon enough.

Chapter 11 - Tess

It was only after the men that Tess, feeling the stickiness between her legs, realized they had a more pressing problem than food: water. There were no emergency rations here. It was assumed that whoever took refuge would be able to get away quickly again. Now, the parched dryness of her throat suddenly flared to life. She ate the last few berries in the bundle, but they provided little moisture.

“I think there was a stream that way,” she said aloud, pointing. “We’ll be able to drink and… wash up.”

It was impossible to convince herself that Elin didn’t know exactly what had happened between her and Ryder. But she could ignore it.

“Ryder told us to forage. He didn’t say to get water,” Elin answered immediately.

Tess repressed a wince. He’d only said that much because he felt sorry for her. A tight, spiky ball formed in the center of her chest. She should have spoken up for herself more. She should have insisted. Maybe she and Elin weren’t exactly grand warriors, but that didn’t mean they’d be liabilities. Ryder didn’t even want to discuss the plan with them. He was cutting them out. They could have at least brainstormed, even if he didn’t want to risk using them as bait.

She shook herself, determined not to let herself fall into a self-pity spiral. “They’re going to need water when they get back,” she told Elin. “Now help me search this place to find something we can use to collect it.”

Elin gave her a doubtful look, but they pulled everything down from the rafters and sorted it out. It was mostly clothes, a couple more blankets, and first-aid supplies. Tess picked up one of the plastic boxes, checking it from every angle.

“We can bring some water back in this,” she said doubtfully. It’d be difficult to climb back up the rocks without spilling.

“We could soak some of the cloth,” Elin suggested. “It’s not ideal, but it might work.”

Tess nodded her approval. “We’ll soak these two blankets and keep them over these things back in the cabin.” She waved the first-aid box. “That’ll collect the dripping water rather than letting it spread all over the floor.”

Decided, she left her blanket behind and carried the other two outside. She hesitated just inside the protective salt circle, watching carefully. Elin stuck to her like a shadow, watching every shadow. Her eyes were wide, the smell of her fear thick in the air as they clambered down the rocks and hurried through the forest. Tess was relieved to find the little stream exactly where she thought it was. She left Elin to soak the blankets and went downstream to submerge herself. She washed herself off, then drank as much as her stomach would accept.

The two took the dripping blankets back to the cabin and set them up for the water to collect in the plastic containers. Then, on Tess’s prompting, they went back to the forest right around the clearing. Elin craned her neck, snapping toward any sound, any movement.

It made Tess freeze every few seconds, searching for the threat as well. Every time, it turned out to be a false alarm. After an hour, they had only collected a couple handfuls of berries.

“Elin, you need to concentrate on gathering food,” Tess complained. “You’re not doing anything.”

“I am, too. I’m the one that told you that willow bark is good for pain.”

This was taking too long. Tess shifted to her wolf form and attacked the base of the berry bush. If she could gnaw through the trunk, then they could just bring the whole bush back to the cabin. She set to work, stripping the bark with her teeth.

Elin suddenly screamed. Tess jumped, her head whipping up. Elin raced for the lower rocks, her bundle of food spilling as she ran. She glanced back once, her eyes wild.

“Tess! Hurry!”

Tess abandoned her forage and raced back with her. She shifted to human form, and the two of them helped each other up the terraces. It was only after they were both at the cabin, standing close to the wooden walls, that Tess looked back. She searched the forest. Movement caught her eye, and her heart stopped.

A deer stepped from the treeline. Its large ears swiveled before it bent its graceful neck and nibbled the berries they’d left behind.

Tess whirled on Elin. “Is that what you saw?”

Elin clutched her chest, her eyes wide. “I saw something in the trees.”

“What was it?” Tess demanded.

Elin didn’t answer. Instead, she hurried into the cabin. Tess followed her, fighting back a welling of anger. They’d lost all their work because she had panicked.

“I’m going to go back and collect those berries,” Tess said. “And with any luck, I can catch the deer, too.”

“No, don’t!” Elin grabbed her wrist. “Please don’t leave me alone.”

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