Page 26 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

“Only four of us?” Ryder asked, his eyebrows knitting.

“While you were gone, we had a couple of the pack attempt to steal the steel bottle Zealuv was trapped in. They admitted to being bribed by the demons.” Hayden’s jaw clenched. “We need to keep security tight.”

“Zealuv might still be leading them, then,” Ryder said. He wanted to thud his head against the table. Fucking demons. It would be nice to have one week without those bastards causing trouble. “If they get their hands on that bottle and destroy it, he’ll have free reign once more.”

He ran a hand through his hair and tried to clear his mind. Running on almost two days without sleep, combined with the exertion he’d been through… he sighed. He needed sleep. He needed to recharge. And his wolf paced impatiently, wanting to go to Tess.

“We’re working on ways to strengthen the binding around him,” Hayden said. “Mica and I have been going through the ancient texts again, but we don’t have much to work on.”

Ryder leaned on the table, the weight of those words weighing on him. Over the past year, they’d learned more about the demons than anyone knew before. But it wasn’t enough.

Hayden’s eyes swept over his team. Pride shone in his gaze. “We have come a long way already. We’ve been through hell, and we’re not out, but the Bluebell Valley pack is safer for our actions. We need more intel. I’m going to contact headquarters and see if there are more caches of ancient texts. Maverick, I want you to devise a few traps to capture the lower-ranked aura demons. I want to know if they’re able to mutate their host's DNA. We can’t keep reacting to these problems.”

“What if we dug a pit, filled it with cement, dropped the bottle in, then filled it the rest of the way? They would never be able to steal it then,” Blayke suggested.

Finn shook his head. “I’d advise against that. It’ll make it much more difficult to transfer Zealuv to something more permanent.”

Hayden stood, indicating that the meeting was over. “We all have our assignments. Those of you who need rest, get it. We’ll reconvene tomorrow at the same time to go over whatever progress has been made.”

“Before we leave, I’d like to make a suggestion,” Kai said.

Hayden nodded to him.

“I’d like to try using tattoos as a protective measure against the demons. My talisman implant is giving me trouble,” he added, rubbing his abdomen.

“Come up with a plan and bring it to the next meeting,” Hayden said. “Tattoos would be much more accessible than the talismans.”

Ryder scraped his chair against the floor as he stood. “In the meantime, I propose that Tess, Elin, Mica, and my mother all receive talismans in case Zealuv goes after them for revenge.”

Hayden nodded his consent. The team left the room. Blayke, Finn, and Derek filed after Ryder. His wolf’s head drooped, whining once to tell him to get back to Tess. It was as much as it could do.

“I’ll see about the talismans,” Derek volunteered. “The three of you look like shit.”

“Thanks,” Blayke muttered.

Ryder nodded. “We’ll meet tomorrow early. Get some sleep.”

He headed toward his house, his limbs heavy and aching. Though he wanted to see Tess again, he resisted. She’d read too much into it. They’d be spending a lot of time together. And he would need all his self-control during their sparring sessions. She wanted to learn how to fight, not to keep fucking. And so he wouldn’t push. He’d be respectful, like a gentleman.

It was the least he could do.

***

Ryder met the others early the next morning and discussed the situation. Derek presented two talismans, one for Tess and the other for Echo. Hayden had collected the two for Mica and Elin. It seemed to Ryder that both Finn and Blayke seemed disappointed by this. What was going on between them and Elin? Whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.

It was close to noon before they broke their meeting. They had a solid plan for tracking down the big wolf, and Ryder sent the others to get the supplies they’d need while he took the talismans to the women. The first stop he made was to Tess. He found her dressed, using a pair of crutches as she made her way down the ramp to the clinic.

“You’re being released?” His voice was cold. Why was it so cold? His wolf bounced around in excitement, happy to see her on her feet again.

“Yeah. I healed up quite a bit overnight. Guess they didn’t have the poison when they attacked me,” she added with a shrug.

Ryder held out the talisman. It was half the size of his thumb, a round piece of jade carved with intricate designs. “You need to keep this on your person at all times. It’ll be best to have it surgically implanted.”

Tess took the talisman quietly.

“I’ll walk you home.” He fell in step beside her. His wolf growled, wanting him to pick her up in his arms.

But they were in town. People would see and make assumptions. So walking next to her was the next best thing. What was Christine thinking about letting Tess walk home by herself? The least she should do was get a car pulled up to drive her. She’d had an exposed tendon last night, for fuck’s sake!

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