Page 109 of Rejected By a Wolf

At first, when the cool wind from somewhere down the tunnel brought Antonio’s voice with it, Sophia thought she was losing her mind. She couldn’t distinguish one word from the next, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it washisvoice she heard.

Sophia snapped her hands back before Casper could take them anywhere. His brows furrowed in confusion so she told him, “Wait,” and pressed a finger to her mouth, asking for silence.

He nodded and said nothing.

Antonio’s echo drifted into her ears again and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, finding comfort in that sound. “He’s here,” she whispered.

Casper’s face lit up in recognition, but when his eyes widened in fear, Sophia’s did too. “Drusilla’s here too.”

“Then we have to hurry.” Fear for Antonio coursing through her veins, she took off without a thought, sprinting through the darkness and toward the sound of Antonio’s voice. She knew Casper followed close behind, could hear his footsteps trailing hers, but didn’t risk looking back to check. She wouldn’t be able to see him, anyway. It was too dark in here.

When a dim light began illuminating their path, Sophia slowed down. The light had to be coming from outside, whichmeant they were nearing the end of this tunnel and nearing Antonio.

She walked on soft feet, careful to make as little noise as she could. She had no idea what scene she was about to walk into, and there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d allow Drusilla to get the upper hand because she heard Sophia approaching before she had the chance to reach them.

With the distance between them closing in, Sophia found she was able to comprehend what was being said at the end of the tunnel. “Though, I do find it hilarious.” Sophia’s gut twisted at the sound of Drusilla speaking. “After all those years, you didn’t once realize that poor fey, Giselle, wasn’t truly your mate.” Sophia stifled her shock and worked to control her steady steps forward. “You see, she asked us to put a spell on her, a spell that would make the very next man she crossed paths with fall in love with her. She paid us handsomely for that spell. Only, I don’t believe she expected you to be the next man she saw. She was so frightened by you and that beast of yours she asked us to reverse the spell. And we did the only way we knew how.”

“By killing her,” Antonio’s words came out in a low rumble.

“Exactly. Only, it didn’t reverse the spell. It made it worse. Your crazed beast became so deranged from that bit of magic it didn’t know up from down. We were warned to never screw with a werewolf’s beast, but we did. We paid the price though, didn’t we?” Giselle’s question was rhetorical, meant to break Antonio. Sophia knew that, deciding Giselle would suffer for that question alone.

“I’m sorry.” Despite what he said, his voice was grating.

“Tell me, how did you not know? For so long, how did you not realize shewasn’tyour mate?”

“I didn’t know any better.”

“And yet you don’t seem surprised to learn the truth. I thought you would’ve been.”

“Because now Idoknow better. I know better because of Sophia, and she didn’t have to do anything more than simply be herself to show me what better was. She doesn’t know it, but she taught me the truth.”

Sophia pressed a hand to her heart, wanting so badly to run into his arms right now. She needed to apologize to him for what she said and thank him. Gods, she had so much to thank him for. She needed to thank him for saving her in the arena, for believing in her strengths, for coming to find her despite the cruelness she showed him. Most importantly, she needed to thank him for taking a chance on her despite his past.

She needed to thank him for loving her.

As Sophia and Casper neared the end of a bend in the tunnel, the end of the tunnel came into view, along with everyone who stood there.

Sophia couldn’t hide her surprise from Casper. Everyone was there - Conall, Cauladra, and Lance. Hell, even Maya was there.

They all came. For her.

Sophia might have to hold back on her plans to tear Maya to shreds. For the time being, at least.

Casper gave her a knowing grin. “You’re more loved than you know.”

She was - wasn’t she? She loved every one of them too, hating that it took her until now to realize how much she did.

Sophia’s brief moment of happiness receded the moment Drusilla opened her mouth again. “With that being said, I’m going to assume youwillsign your soul over to save her. If so, sign on the dotted line and she’ll be free. Don’t worry, once signed I’ll have no choice but to free her. It’s written in the contract.”

Sophia’s heart raced, the thumping heavy in her chest, in her legs, in her arms, and in her head. When a contract and penappeared out of thin air, Antonio reaching for that pen without hesitation, she thought she might fall over.

There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d let Antonio sign that contract.

Screw being silent. Sophia didn’t give a shit if Drusilla got to her first. All that mattered was Antonio. He couldn’t sign that contract, Sophia refused to let that happen.

“No!” She screamed, her command firing down the tunnel, making her presence known to everyone as she raced forward.

All that mattered was Antonio.

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