Page 35 of Amaris Rejected

A pup’s wail.Is that me?

The female lies exhausted on a blood-soaked bed. Her breathing is erratic. She softly sobs, finally relieved of her travails.

I’m bundled up in a soft blanket and placed on the female's chest. "Welcome, little one," she coos shakily. "I’m your momma." I blink at her beautiful face, so much like my own. Her long, black hair is sweaty and mussed, and her soft green eyes glaze over with tears. I reach for her, and my tiny hand snags on the amulet at her throat. Someone takes me from her arms as the amulet slips beneath my blankets. "No," she pants. "Please, Garnet, let me hold her for a while longer."

"You’re weak Minette. Lay back and rest." Garnet roughly pushes my mother back onto the bed. Weakly, she obeys. Turning, Garnet tucks me into a bassinet at the foot of the bed and administers two drops from a vial to each of my eyes. The liquid burns, and I shriek.

"Shush now,” she whispers gleefully. “That will help you sleep and disguise your scent while we get rid of you, little complication." She turns back to my mother. "Now, Minette, let’s give you something to help you rest." Raising a syringe to her neck, she injects my mother with a swirling, colorful substance.

Suddenly, the scene shifts. I’m no longer a participant in the scene but an observer, standing at the foot of my mother’s bed, watching the events unfold.

As Minette weakly succumbs to the sedative mixture now in her system, Garnet turns to a very young female in the room. "She’ll sleep for hours, and when she wakes, her mind won't be the same." She laughs. "However, the effects are only temporary, so I’ll need to keep dosing her over time. Now, take that troublesome pup out to your mate, little sister. Tell him to kill it and leave no trace."

"Garnet, please. Do we really have to kill the pup?"

"Do what I say, or you and your mate will be next," Garnet threatens. "I’ll soon be Luna again and hold all the power. Follow my orders and bring back fresh water."

"Yes, Garnet." The young female trembles as she reaches into the bassinet, takes the now limp pup in her arms, and walks away.

Outside, the girl hands the pup to a male shifter. "I know Garnet said to kill her, but please don't hurt her," she pleads. "Just take her far away and save her life." He nods, kisses the female's cheek, and runs into the dead of night.

Shouting erupts from the house behind me, and I turn to face the unfolding chaos. "Where’s my pup?" a young Alpha Quinn roars at Garnet, yanking the bassinet and throwing aside the blankets.

"I don't know, Lange," she said, her face a mask of feigned concern. "She was just here a minute ago. I laid her in the bassinet and turned to care for Minette. She had such a difficult labor. I sent for fresh water to bathe her. There’s Vinia now."

Vinia walks back into the room carrying a bowl of steaming water. "Where's the pup, Vinia?" Alpha Quinn shouts.

Vinia shrinks back, eyeing Garnet. "I went to get water." She trembles as she holds out the bowlto Alpha Quinn.

"Stop yelling at her, Lange. That's not helping. Did you take your supplements today?”

“Garnet! My pup!"

“Lange, I mentioned earlier that you need to take the supplements I left for you today. With Minette’s upcoming childbirth, I provided you with a stronger dose so you can stay calm and in control.”

“Yes, I took them,” he grits out. “But I don’t like them. Can you adjust the formula? They dull my senses. I can’t even scent a simple lie after taking them. Jeni had chocolate all over her face, and when I asked if she’d been eating cookies, she told me she was eating broccoli.”

Garnet giggles and Alpha Quinn looks at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He rubs his hand over his face and exhales a deep sigh, momentarily forgetting his worries as he recalls his toddler’s antics.

“The supplements calm you so you can think. That’s what’s most important right now. Remember how you were when I gave birth to Jeni?” she says coyly. “So, stop this raging and call your guards to search." She gestures to Vinia, "Bathe the Luna, Vinia."

My vision narrows, and slipping from the scene into blackness, I hear Luna Quinn's voice echoing from my dream last night."Jeni can take care of you just like Itook care of your mother."

Dizziness overwhelms me as my vision shifts again. Still an observer, I stand this time on a cliff next to the young warrior who saved me. From the shadows, his face a mask of sorrow, he watches the babe being rescued below. Satisfied that she is safe, he returns to reassure his mate.

As the vision clears, everything suddenly clicks into place. Garnet Wolfsong was a jilted lover who didn't want to relinquish her role as Luna. Alpha Quinn admitted pushing them to be with their true mates, even after Jeni was born.

My heart pounds as I realize that everyone I care about is still in danger because Luna Quinn is the true villain behind it all. She may not have killed my mother, but she removed both of us from my bio father’s life through the schemes she and Jeni enjoy. Those are the same manipulative tactics she taught Jeni.

I need a fast plan to ensure that those I care about are protected. With Mom’s medical file in hand, I knock on Devon's office door. "Come in." He yells through the door.

Inside, I see the same group as before: Alpha Quinn, former Alpha Wright, and Devon. "Devon, I need to speak with you privately." The other men quickly stand and leave. "I know you’ve never trusted me or my visions, but I need your support now. For once, I need you to listen and choose me."

"From now on, Amaris, I promise always to choose you. I didn't realize I wasn't. Forgive me?" I feel the truth of his words. "What's this about?"

"First, I wantyourbestElite Enforcer on Zoe, now!" I demand.

"Amaris, I already have my best team monitoring her," Devon reassures me. "There hasn’t been a moment when she hasn’t been under guard."

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