Page 22 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

It was what she agreed to. At the time, she hadn’t cared. But now, with Elin’s silent judgment hanging in the air, Tess couldn’t help but wonder if she had made a terrible mistake. Her stomach tightened as shame started to rise in her chest. She’d given her virginity to someone who wasn’t her mate. Someone who had no intention of taking her as his mate.

Her mother’s voice came to her mind, calling her all sorts of nasty names. The times she’d heard her parents talking about the ‘fallen women’ of the pack—the insults they threw at Echo for having a baby without a mate—echoed in her mind. She-wolves weren’t meant to do this. They were meant to save themselves for their mates.

No man wanted a used woman. Like she was a piece of chewing gum that Ryder had sucked the flavor out and spat out.

No,she told herself firmly.No, I’m not listening to them. I’m a person. I’m not worth less just because I’m not a virgin anymore.

She didn’t want to regret her time with Ryder. It had been a wonderful experience, and she wanted to cling to it. No man wanted her anyway. Why should she deny herself because of some hypothetical man she might never meet? Why should she deny herself pleasure just because her abusive parents would call her a slut?

Tears came unbidden to her eyes. More than anything, she wished Mica was here to talk to.

No. Actually, that wasn’t true. What she wished for more than anything was for Ryder to be here, and they were still alone with nothing but desire between them. She closed her eyes, listening to the catcalls that the demons had picked up again.

Ryder, where are you?

Chapter 12 - Ryder

Ryder paused as the heavy scent of brimstone ended. He circled the area, growling. Had the demons doubled back to lay a false trail? Finn sniffed the ground. His reddish-brown fur, a more muted shade than his copper hair, glistened in the pale green light of the forest. Blayke fanned out over the other side. He was an impressive wolf, Blayke, with silver-tinged fur that was otherwise pure black. He was bigger than the rest of the special ops in wolf form except Hayden. The two snuffled around as they searched for the trail. For as close as the demons had been lingering, they were awfully good at evading them.

Finn let out a soft bark, indicating that he’d picked up the scent again. Ryder trotted over, and the three of them started out again. What made it worse was Ryder’s wolf kept wanting him to turn around. He didn’t want to be out here, chasing down demons. He wanted to take Tess back to town and explore more of her fantasies.

The memory of how she looked at him while he was inside of her made his heart race. Nobody had ever looked at him like that. The sounds of her pleasure, the way she had come for him over and over again… it was better than anything he could have imagined. His gaze unfocused as he imagined the light smattering of hair that trailed down to her sex. He wanted to trace that line with his tongue. Wanted to kiss along the stretch marks on her stomach and sides of her breasts.

Goddess, but he wanted to get to know her in ways he’d never known a woman before.

Finn bumped him with his shoulder. He jerked his head back the way they’d come and snorted. On his other side, Blayke wagged his tail and licked the air.

In answer, Ryder growled and continued on. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. As much as he wished they could have had more time together, they’d never have the chance again if he didn’t take out these demons.

After some time, the scent of rotted meat reached his nose. The three slowed, and Ryder sent Finn to the left and Blayke to the left. They slunk through the thick forest, ready for anything. Soon, the scent of brimstone mingled with the rot. It led him to a deep thicket of bramble.

A beast-demon nest. It had been some time since they had last encountered the monstrous beasts. A half-dozen eggs lay nestled in the remains of what had once been a bear. Ryder tested the area. The brimstone was strong but didn’t have the tones of the beast demons themselves. Either this was an old nest that the demons were nurturing, or it was their attempts to reintroduce beasts into the forest.

Ryder shifted to human form and picked up the first egg. He slammed it into a rock. It burst open, sparks erupting from the impact. The demon embryo inside had just developed horns. It squirmed in the bloody liquid from its egg until Blayke pounced on it and ripped it in two.

The three of them made short work of the nest. When they were done, Finn wiped the sweat off his forehead and poked around the rotted remains, checking for any hidden eggs.

Blayke shifted to human form and wiped eggy fluid off his mouth. “They must have realized we’d come after them. I say we go back to the cabin and get the women back to town.”

Ryder ran a hand through his dark hair. He didn’t like the idea of moving Tess and Elin from the safety of the cabin before the demons were dealt with. Perhaps they should go back to town for the rest of the team and then come back for them?

He dismissed that thought immediately. That would take too long, and knowing Tess, she was probably considering making a break for it already. No. Blayke was right. It was the only course of action. He nodded.

A sharp cry rang out in the forest, making his head whip around. He snarled and started to shift back to wolf form. Finn caught his arm.

“Rabbit,” he said. A frown furrowed his forehead. “You’re jumpy. That’s not like you. Have things… changed between you and Tess?”

Ryder glared at him. “What do you mean?”

“He means it’s obvious you two fucked,” Blayke said, laughing. “And we all know that she begged you to be her mate—”

“Shut up,” Ryder snapped.

Finn pursed his lips. “She asked you to be her mate?”

“Years ago.”

“It was when we were headed off to the military,” Blayke said, ignoring the threatening glance from Ryder. “We were loading up in the van when Tess came running out of the crowd. She’s sobbing, looking like the heroine out of a tragic romance. She begs Ryder to stay and be her mate as though he was going on a suicide mission. He told her no.”

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