Page 25 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

She shook her head, forcing those thoughts aside. Howls rang through the forest. The other demons were still hunting them, no doubt watching them. But then other howls rang out. Tess lifted her head, her ears pricking forward. Ryder bayed, and the howls answered.

Half an hour later, Hayden and the rest of the special ops team had joined them. The team formed a protective circle around the women as they escorted them back to town. By the time they got there, Tess felt like she would pass out.

The instant they were over the protective circle around town, Ryder shifted to human form. He scooped her into his arms. Tess laid her wolf head against his shoulder, too exhausted to even shift back to human form. The adrenaline of the day slowly faded, making the pain grow worse. But she was safe in Ryder’s arms.

He carried her to the medical clinic, where the doctors set about bandaging her at once. Doctor Christine shook her head at the extent of her injuries.

“It doesn’t look like anything is broken, thankfully,” Christine said, studying her X-rays. “But you have a hell of a lot of damage. I’m going to need you to stay here overnight, at least. Maybe longer. You’ve got an exposed tendon, and I want to make sure you heal properly.”

“Can’t I spend the night in my own home?” Tess asked, shifting on the uncomfortably narrow bed.

Christine shook her head. “I want to be able to check on you and make sure no infections develop. Demon-related injuries are tricky.”

Tess reluctantly agreed. At least she got stronger painkillers here. Christine left her, and she stared up at the ceiling, considering everything. Had it only been a single night that she had spent out there? So much had happened in such a short span of time, it made her head spin to think of it all. She hadn’t had time to fully process everything that happened to her.

A knock came on the door. She glanced over, and her heart fluttered as Ryder stepped in.

His expression was blank, his usual gruff demeanor in place once more. Tess resisted the urge to chew her lip as she gazed at him. They’d had sex. He had been inside of her, had given her pleasure she hadn’t realized was possible. Did he regret it?

“Mica will be stopping by soon to see you,” he said, his gaze hard. “She wanted me to check if there was anything you needed.”

Tess took a deep breath. “There is. But it’s from you, not her.”

Ryder shut the door behind him and came to her bedside. “I already asked Finn and Blayke not to bring up what they walked in on. That was between us. I won’t tell Mica. You can if you want.”

“No, that’s not it.” She shook her head. Now that they were alone, that welling of shame she’d felt with Elin dissipated. What happened was between them. It wasn’t anyone else’s business. Both had wanted it. What more did it matter? “I want you to teach me how to fight.”

Ryder’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Why?”

“So that I don’t end up like that again. I want to be able to defend myself.”And, a small part of her whispered,because fighting turns you on.

She thought he was going to say no. But instead, he nodded. “Once you’re well enough.”

“Thank you,” Tess murmured.

Ryder nodded again, then left. As she watched him go, Tess smiled. Maybe their relationship was turning a corner. Perhaps he wanted to teach her how to fight for the same reasons she wanted to learn.

Chapter 14 - Ryder

Hayden finished listening to Ryder’s report, a furrow between his brows. His arms folded over his chest, letting out a soft sigh. “A Demon Seed. That’s the last thing we need to deal with right now.”

The whole team sat around a round table in the council rooms of the Alpha’s house. Ryder rubbed his tired eyes. This debriefing was happening later than he had wanted. They had to go back to the cabin and put out the fires that the demons had started before they got down to the meeting.

Fortunately, the demons had not attacked anyone else. The fires had been smothered, too. The cabin was a loss, and Ryder suspected they would face several more destroyed safehouses over the next few days.

“We’ll have to work on expanding the protective circles around our safehouses,” Hayden rumbled. “As well as stocking them with more supplies. We’ll rebuild them out of metal and stone in the future. Forest fires are a danger that I hadn’t considered before. Kai, I want you to select a handful of the pack to brainstorm ways to counteract this.”

Kai nodded.

Ryder rubbed the scars on his throat absently. It was unfortunate that they ached when he was deeply stressed and exhausted. It was a testament to how intense the damage had been done to him. “And what are we going to do about that big wolf?”

“I don’t remember anyone in town with a wolf that fits the description of that big one you encountered,” Maverick said, scratching his facial stubble. “I’ll ask around, see if anyone knows of anyone like that in the neighboring packs. You sure that he’s even bigger than Hayden?”

“Oh, yeah,” Blayke said cheerfully. “He looks more like a bear than a wolf.”

Finn rubbed his eyes and then ran a hand through his copper hair. “Sebastian was among the demons who attacked the cabin. He was showing signs of some sort of mutation. These demons may have found ways to exploit our genetics.”

Hayden leaned back in his chair. “Ryder, you’re in charge of hunting down this big wolf. Finn, Blayke, and Derek will help you. I’ll have Mica arrange the women to create more protective talismans.”

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