Page 41 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

“So what?” Finn snapped.

“Well, they came after you this time, but they’re not doing much to specifically target you,” Blayke said with a shrug. “I wonder why. We’d be fucked without you. So I wonder if there’s a reason why they avoid you. Like, maybe they’re scared of you or something.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “More likely, they don’t think I’m enough of a threat to bother with.”

Blayke pulled a shirt over his head. “I dunno. They can’t keep their clothes when they shift back and forth. So you do have something over them.”

“Har, har,” Finn grunted.

“Knock it off,” Ryder said. He led the way into the house, to where Hayden waited for them. He gave a rundown of the events, rolling his tense shoulders every so often. It pissed him off that they’d gotten so close. And they hadn’t even managed to take that fucking Demon Seed off the demons!

Hayden steepled his fingers as he finished the report. A heavy frown darkened his face.

“He’s more clever than we gave him credit for,” Hayden said. “I’m going to take over the point on this mission.”

Ryder stiffened. “What?”

“I’m taking over the hunt,” Hayden repeated.

Ryder jumped to his feet. Heat swept through his chest, a crackling ball of electricity. “You can’t do that! I’m fully capable of this job.”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed. “It’s decided.”

“I’m not letting you kick me off my own mission,” Ryder snarled. “If you think you can do this better than me—”

Hayden’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. He grabbed Ryder by the back of his neck and dragged Ryder from the room. He pulled him through the hallway to a closet up a little way. Slamming the doors behind them, Hayden turned to him.

“What the fuck was that? You can’t argue with the Alpha in front of the men,” Hayden snarled at him. He folded his massive arms. “We’ve had our share of disagreements, but you’ve never acted like an idiot before. What’s got into you?”

Ryder glared at the shelves of cleaning supplies—the whole closet stank of various chemicals.

Hayden growled, and Ryder’s wolf growled in response. He never liked being pushed around, even if his natural inclination was to submit to the Alpha. Ryder closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath, trying to clear the tight ball in his chest. Hayden was right—his behavior was idiotic. The last thing they needed was to fall apart while those fucking demons were still out there.

“I apologize for my behavior,” he grunted.

Hayden shook his head. “Not good enough. You tell me what the fuck is going on here, Ryder.”

“I… it’s personal,” Ryder grunted. He hadn’t told anyone about Tess being pregnant and her subsequent rejection.

It still burned. It was as though she’d taken a branding iron and stamped her words into his chest. Was this how it felt when he rejected her all those years ago? If it hurt even half as much as this did, he now understood why it took her so long to start civil with him.

If she’d only give him a chance to prove himself… But she’d said no.

Ryder ran a hand through his hair, nearly elbowing Hayden in the process. “I don’t know if it’s my place to share.”

Hayden squinted at him like he was trying to peer into his skull. “Whatever it is, it’s affecting your ability to do your job. So it’s your place to explain yourself.”

“Tess is pregnant.”

Hayden’s eyebrows rose. “Oh.”

Ryder grunted. “I asked her to be my mate. She rejected me.”

Hayden shifted from foot to foot, staring at the floor now. “Ah. I see. Well, that... that sucks. Did you ask her why?”

“No. She started crying and left. I haven’t talked to her since then.”

“When did it happen?” Hayden asked.

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