Page 52 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

Ryder shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m not in charge of our pantry needs.”

“And the weakest parts in the protective circle?”

Ryder chuckled. “Yeah, that’s not something I’m going to tell you. Just because Hayden is a fucking asshole doesn’t mean I’m going to put the rest of the pack in danger of possession.”

“You misunderstand. I’m not looking to turn the Bluebell Valley pack into a pack of demons. If all the wolves were demons, it would be hell on Earth. The point of this is that I want to get away from hell. Unlike some others, I don’t want to have to deal with demons that will constantly be looking to stab me in the back.” Jace chuckled as he shook his head. “Wolves are loyal creatures. They are naturally inclined to submit to the strongest one among them. Which makes them perfectly suited to be servants.”

“Servants? Or slaves?” Ryder demanded.

Jace shrugged. “There’s always room for people with ambition in my ranks. But there is always a need for someone to be at the bottom rung, isn’t there? So people can see what happens to them if they disobey.”

Ryder narrowed his eyes. What Jace was saying to him sounded very much like an offer and threat. “What are you after, really? To carve out the Bluebell Valley pack so you can be Alpha? Seems like an awful lot of trouble to come after a pack that knows about demons when there are others more vulnerable out there.”

“Does it?” Jace smirked.

“Yeah. I don’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re trying to get Zealuv. You want to free him. You’ve tried already to get his prison out of town.” Ryder leaned back from the cage door. “He’s what you’re after, not ruling the pack.”

Jace chuckled as he shook his head. “You’re right. I do want to get Zealuv’s prison. And that is where you come in, Ryder. If you help me get his containment out of the town, then I will help you overthrow Hayden. I’ll put you as Alpha of the Bluebell Valley pack.”

“And then get slaughtered once you free the archdemon? I don’t think so,” Ryder spat.

“You misunderstand. Zealuv took hold of Alpha Monroe because he was trapped and had no body himself. But when I’m done, he won’t need a physical body. It’s much better to have your pack lulled in complacency.” Jace shook his head again. “If I’m going to present the world with a new god for them to follow, I need to start with a group of loyal followers to start with. You will be a lieutenant, a shining example of the blessings that come with bowing to us.”

Ryder schooled his expression carefully. This was it. He sensed the lynchpin was in place. One wrong move, and it’d all come undone. He needed to use this to get Jace to think he was interested but not give away his cards. He had to play the part of loyal to the pack while innately self-serving.

“The others in the special ops team would never agree to that,” he said slowly. “And I have a responsibility to the pack. I might be fucking sick of Hayden’s ordering and the bastard acting as though he’s the only one that knows anything. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just roll over.”

“How many of those teammates of yours stepped in to defend you when you were humiliated in front of the pack?” Jace challenged. “How many of them stood up for you last year when you were lying on the brink of death? Did they even visit you on your deathbed?”

Ryder snorted. “You’re acting as though I want to be Alpha. I only challenged the bastard because I’m sick of him. Responsibility to the pack is one thing, but dealing with all their shit? I don’t want them thinking I’m there to solve all their problems.”

“Interesting.” Jace stroked his chin. “See, I’m not sure if I believe you. You wolves can be funny. Stubborn. You could simply be telling yourself that you don’t want to be the Alpha through whatever lingering misplaced loyalty you have. But even if you don’t want to be Alpha, I know what you do want.”

The grin that spread over Jace’s face sent a shiver down Ryder’s spine. He forced himself not to react as Jace leaned in close, pressing his face to the bars.

“You want Tess. You want her so badly that being denied her made that loyalty of yours snap. And before you start droning about not wanting a woman that doesn’t want you, save it.” He chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. “Because even if that’s true, then you still want her to survive. Serve me, and I’ll ensure she remains unharmed. When I’ve gotten what I want, she will be perfectly untouched.”

There was something about the way he was speaking. Ryder narrowed his eyes. “Shewill be. But what’s the catch? Nothing is ever straightforward with you, demons.”

Jace shrugged and drew back. “Four people performed the ritual to trap Zealus. Tess, Mica, Echo, and Elin. So they are all necessary for the ritual I wish to perform when I regain Zealuv.”

Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest. “What ritual is that?”

“You wouldn’t understand its intricacies. But I don’t need to destroy them, you see. They now have markers in their blood that will be passed on through the generations, keeping Zealuv locked away. His prison won’t start to degenerate until after the last of their descendants die,” Jace said slowly, keeping his eyes locked on Ryder. “I just need access to that marker. Losing a few drops of blood won’t be enough to hurt anyone.”

“Don’t think that I’m that stupid,” Ryder growled. “What you’re saying is that if I serve you, you’ll spare Tess. By using her baby in your ritual rather than her.”

Chapter 29 - Tess

Bait.

Tess felt like a worm wriggling on a hook as she and Elin carefully picked their way through the forest. Everything was still and calm around them, with no sign of demons or the special ops. This made her stomach churn in a way that had nothing to do with morning sickness.

“What’s that?” Elin gasped, grabbing her arm.

Tess jumped and turned, searching the forest. Nothing seemed to have changed, but the faintest scent of brimstone wafted toward her. It was there for only half a second before it disappeared once more. She swallowed hard, shaking her head.

“There’s nothing there, Elin. Remember, there was another salt circle laid down,” she said. She projected confidence. “Mica told me that it would be done this morning. If you’re going to learn how to fight, you need to stop being so twitchy.”

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