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Terakhir Diperbarui:
2022-11-10 00:48:23Bab terkait
REJECTED MATE Chapter 74
Sweat broke out across my brow as Malachi descended the steps with a small group of henchmen who each carried weapons. I gulped. Worms of anxiety slithered through my gut, making me want to gag. There were pistols, shotguns, crossbows… the type a person could shoot at a distance and never get hurt. I glanced up into the windows, finding them also stationed with gunmen.Shit.Malachi had come prepared.But that didn’t mean all was lost.The crowd fell silent, and a few of the people who had been cheering recessed into the throng.“Seize them,” the alpha snarled. “Griffiths will watch my wolves fuck his woman before I send him back to Hell.”Griff’s furious growl made my skin tremble. He extracted a gun from his jacket and pointed it at Malachi’s head. “The first one of you fuckers who approaches my mate will get a bullet between the eyes.”The men hesitated.My breath hitched. Threatening the henchmen would only go so far when there were sharpshooters aiming guns at us through the wind
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE 74.1
My stomach tightened. Was this a concussion, or was he simply dazed? If I rushed to his aid before the fight restarted, I couldn’t guarantee the crowd’s reaction. It was one thing for Boris to separate them—nobody knew our strategy. Healing Griff’s swollen face would be cheating.Beki whined, but the sound was mostly a reluctant agreement.Boris stood between Malachi and Griff. “We’ll start again, shall we?” he said, sounding like a ringmaster. “When you fight as men, I want you upright. If the fight continues on the ground, you both shift into wolves.”My brows pinched together. “What on earth is he saying?”Beki shook her head.I curled my hands into fists. For his sake, Malachi’s curse had better be there when he shifted.“Hold this.” Griff shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Boris.After that, he pulled off his shirt, making the crowd roar their approval. A few people wolf-whistled, making my lips tighten. This wasn’t a bloody strip show. Griff was just trying to avoid a situ
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE 74.2
My throat thickened, and I walked over to Griff before the crowd carried him away. My mate stood tall and proud, with a glow to him that I hadn’t noticed before, not when we had been alive, not on the walls of my cell, and not even during our second chance at life.Griff was whole.The magic that had been his by birthright shone through his eyes like beacons, bringing out the golden flecks in his irises. His newfound power radiated off his body and tingled across my skin. At that moment, the noise and the crowd disappeared from my awareness, and it was just Griff and me and our love.Griff cupped the side of my face. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”“This is your victory,” I murmured. “Congratulations.”He closed the distance between us and pressed a gentle kiss on my mouth. I let my eyes flutter shut as the roar of the spectators washed over us. Griff’s lips were soft, swollen, so the kiss was tentative. Even so, his touch filled my chest with warmth and love. I remained stil
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE Chapter 75
Griff lowered me onto the mattress and climbed on top of me to press kisses on my cheeks, along my jawline, and down my neck. Each press of his lips on my skin made tiny detonations of rapture across my nerves.As he reached my collarbone and sucked on it, he tore open the front of my shirt. “Cathy,” he said in a deep drawl that made my spine tingle. “You’ve made every dream I’ve had since I can remember come true.”I glanced down at Griff, meeting eyes that reflected in the moonlight. The swelling on his face had completely healed now, his features communicating the depth of his desire. My breath quickened. He was so unfeasibly beautiful and so mine. It took every effort to say, “You couldn’t have defeated Malachi if you weren’t already capable.”With a happy growl, he tore open my shirt and sports bra.“I’ll never get tired of seeing you naked,” he snarled, his gaze caressing my bare skin. “You’re the most gorgeous sight.”Heat spread across my skin, and I licked my lips.Griff slip
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE 75.1
“It’s been like that since the moment we met. I needed you so much that it burned. Now that I’ve defeated the bastard who stole my pack, I finally feel worthy of your love.”“I loved you with or without the position,” I said.He placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Even so, I finally feel like your equal. There’s only one woman for me, and that’s you, Cathwulf Aibek.”We exchanged slow kisses until our eyelids turned heavy, and I drifted off to sleep. My heart filled with warmth and joy, and I wasn’t sure if the feeling belonged to me or Beki. It was probably both. We were so close to achieving perfect happiness. All we needed to do next was return to Shifter City without attracting the attention of Hades.Out of the darkness of my mind’s eye emerged a dream of tall pine trees that stretched up to a bright sky without a trace of the sun. Pinecones and twigs cracked beneath my bare feet, and I glanced down to find myself in the body of a prepubescent boy.My heart skipped a beat. I was Grif
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE 75.2
My chest tightened as Griff stormed toward the study, his veins burning with a mix of determination and fury. I had no idea when this had happened, and he had never confided in me that my men had been so hostile. I had no idea men could be so bitchy.One of the enforcers at the door knocked before letting him in. When Griff stepped in the wood-paneled room, his gaze drifted past the bookshelves and sofa and locked straight to the huge bay at the end, where a 1970s version of myself sat behind the huge wooden desk with Gerrison.Sunlight streamed in from the tall windows behind us, hitting my voluminous blonde hair, making it glow like a buttercup in the middle of summer. It curled outward at the front, defying gravity, and fell in dramatic waves down to my red shirt.Griff’s pulse quickened. His fingers trembled. He clutched the Tiffany box and inhaled a deep breath.The only way to describe how Griff felt at that moment was fluttery. Now that I knew him better, it was easy to see why
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE Chapter 76
I sat on the edge of the bed, gaping up at Griff, who couldn’t even look in my direction. What on earth had the bond shown him? Just the part where I had cracked, or the lead up, where he had shattered my heart and humiliated me in front of all those women?He turned his back on me, but the muscles around his shoulders remained taut, as though he was readying himself for another physical altercation.“Griff,” I whispered. “You can’t believe what you saw in that vision. It wasn’t even the whole story.”“Which was why I did my research,” he said, his head nearly turning toward where I sat. “Mating bonds don’t lie, Cathwulf. You enjoyed my destruction.”My heart sank into my roiling stomach, and I clutched the edge of the mattress, trying to cling onto something solid before I toppled forward. “But it was a moment of madness—”“Several minutes,” Griff hissed. “I stood in your body, unable to escape it as you tortured me with every manner of violence. It lasted longer than last night’s ch
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10REJECTED MATE 76.1
I called for Griff through our bond, but he’d found a way to block the mental link. I tried looking for him, but all the staff I encountered repeated the same message. Word had spread that I was their alpha’s murderer, and everybody wanted me out, including Griff. That, and the fact that he had told me to get out of his sight, told me it was time to leave the island.Hours later, I returned to London in a haze. The part of me that should have fought for Griff was crushed beneath a barrage of blame. Even if I could push through the guilt, I’d had no words to convince him to forgive my brutality.The sun had already set by the time the Shuttle pulled into Embankment Pier. I trudged out of my room down the black-and-white hallway and toward the exit, where a stream of passengers had already formed a line.The doors opened up to a glass walkway that offered an enhanced view of our surroundings. Further up along the river, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben loomed from one side of Westmi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2022-11-10
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REJECTED MATE Epilogue
Hades was a persistent bastard who continued to attack Shifter City. He sent assassins, spies, and other Trojan horses, but Fenrir was always prepared. With the help of Loki, Ophois, and a few other lupine gods we had encountered during the past fifteen years, Midgard remained the afterlife of choice for all wolves.Our system was simple: the berserkers in the Hellfire Pack would collect the souls of those who died within Shifter City or within the Norse pack’s protected wards. Griff and I would venture out to reap any wolves who died within the Supernatural World.We didn’t even need to hide in the trunk of an Überwald to exit Shifter City. The Hellhounds we rode moved us faster than any speeding vehicle, and the magic protecting our physical forms was powerful enough to shield us from Hades and his enforcers.Griff and I stood within a white room in the Shifter Ward of Atlantis Hospital, waiting for an old she-wolf to take her last breath. We could barely see her through the crowd o
REJECTED MATE 78.3
Guests filled white seats in a large reception hall decorated to resemble a Greek temple. At its very end, Hades stood beneath an archway of mauve calla lilies and pomegranate flowers. He wore an ostentatious oxblood red frock coat with plum-colored embroidery.To his right stood a dark-haired male in a morning suit of the same color, wearing a five o’clock stubble that he probably thought made him look cool.Griff gave me a nudge. “His best man is Lucifer, King of the Seventh Faction.”My brows rose, and I scanned the groom’s side of the room. The entire Supernatural Council sat in the front seats with Captain Caria, who wore a dress for a change and sat beside a dark-haired woman whose features were equally as stern. Azriel perched on his seat behind them, looking like he’d been blackmailed into attending.Among the powerful VIPs, I recognized a dark-skinned couple in Egyptian attire who had to be Isis and Osiris, the aunt and uncle of Ophois and the rulers of the First Faction. Lok
REJECTED MATE 78.2
Several days ago, Fenrir had suggested we raid the Fifth Faction on the night of the Strawberry Moon. Now we had retrieved the wolf souls, we no longer needed to perform the heist, but my idea would be the perfect revenge.Fenrir sat behind his desk and folded his arms across his chest. He glanced from me to Griff and said, “This is completely unnecessary. After everything you’ve endured, there’s no need for you to face Hades.”Griff spoke first. “This is the least that bastard deserves. He has to learn that striking at Midgard has consequences.”“Agreed,” Fenrir said. “But I don’t want to put either of you at risk.”“It’ll be worth it to teach him not to embed curses in people’s souls,” I said. “And I also can’t wait to melt the smirk off his face when I interrupt him with his mate.”Griff snarled, remembering how Hades had infiltrated our hotel room just as we had planned to become intimate. It was time to return his gesture with one of our own.Fenrir snickered. “Fine, but doing th
REJECTED MATE 78.1
My breath turned quick and shallow, and my gaze remained fixed on what was looking to be a terrible earthquake. “Were the others too late to save the wards?”“It’s Fenrir.” Griff slung an arm around my shoulder and tucked me into his side.The distant hill split into several pieces, and the ground that comprised it tumbled away in an avalanche, revealing a mass of white that took up the landscape. My pulse quickened, but Beki made excited barks as though she was meeting an old friend.“Don’t tell me Fenrir’s the size of a blue whale,” I whispered.Griff rubbed his chin. “He once told me he couldn’t shift without destroying the village, but I didn’t completely understand what he meant until now.”Chunks of land rolled off the massive wolf as it rose onto four legs and raised his head toward the pale sky. Despite having remained underground for goodness knows how long, his fur was as pristine as Beki’s. The only difference between them apart from size was that Fenrir’s wolf had turquois
REJECTED MATE Chapter 78
Flying scorpions hovered above us, breathing plumes of fire over our heads whilst trying to re-form. The other wolf shifters tossed wet stones at the swarm, making them break into further pieces. Roars of triumph mingled with the skin-tightening clicks of armored wings, but none of that mattered. Not while Griff was standing before me and declaring he’d made a mistake.The cacophony of sounds faded into the background, and I gazed into his amber eyes. Amber eyes that shone with love and sorrow and regret. Amber eyes that I could have lost myself in for an eternity. Beki pushed herself against our bond and swooned with joy.I wasn’t quite so hopeful.How many times had I gone through this before? I needed to know that the bond wouldn’t bring up something else that would turn Griff away.“Why?” I asked. “Why did you return if it wasn’t for Fenrir?”The muscles in his handsome face tightened, and his gaze jerked to the side. “I didn’t want you to leave the island,” he said, his voice tig
REJECTED MATE 77.2
Mum rushed to our side with a bucket of water and set it on the floor. “I’ll get more.”Some of the other wolves had gathered a pile of rocks around the clearing, only to disappear and fetch more, while a few of them remained to hurl them at Snorri. Each stone that landed dented his huge scorpion body, but it did nothing to break him apart.An idea hit me upside the head. “Dad.” I gave him a nudge in the side. “Let’s try getting these stones wet.”Without another word, he walked to the pile of rocks, gathered up a pair, and dipped them in the water. I left the attackers to join him and took one from his hand.I was no expert on arthropods or any other type of shelled creature, but Dad had once told me on a hunting trip that the protective coverings around their bellies were softer than the ones at their backs.“This way.” I flicked my head toward the obelisk.The other wolf shifters continued their attacks on Snorri, making him lash out at them with his tail, but more importantly, the
REJECTED MATE 77.1
By now, the air was thick with smoke, but it was nothing compared to the brimstone of Hell. I’d lost track of the flying scorpions and continued through the trees toward the clearing.The swarm had formed the shape of a centaur-like creature, but with a scorpion body replacing that of an equine. Ten feet tall, it stood on six clawed legs with a tail as long as its spine. Hellfire glowed from its bulbous stinger, forming a line of crimson flames down its back.Its back was turned to me, but the same black carapace covered its human side, ending with a round head peppered with bristles. The creature placed a hand on the surface of the obelisk and drummed its fingers.“Urus, teimas, mannaz, othala,” said the voice of an old man. “What a clever combination. Especially when crossed with wunjo and era. Yes... yes… Fine work.”My lips tightened, and I stormed around to look the scorpion man full in the face. It was the only part of his body not covered in the black shell, and he had the sall
REJECTED MATE Chapter 77
Cold shock barreled through my system, even as my chest exploded with streams of burning scorpions. The last week flashed across my mind, filling me with a painful realization. Hades had attached the curse to the bargain Griff had made with the faeries. He’d given us days five before it took control of Griff’s body and destroyed Shifter City.We’d spent the last five days scrambling around trying to break the curse and transfer it to someone else. We had spent all that time worrying about what was inside Griff and hadn’t given a thought to what Hades might have placed in me.Fuck. Griff and I were mates. Rumpel Kracknuts had even hinted that curses could go deeper than the soul of the afflicted. I’d been too concerned with his murder of the healer to even think that he was hinting that I carried the curse.Bloody Hades had turned me into his Trojan horse, and if I couldn’t find a way to stop the swarm, it wouldn’t just mean the destruction of Midgard. It could mean the end of Shifter
REJECTED MATE 76.2
The chief enforcer snorted. “I was a few years younger, but I remember you from the academy. Even back then, I knew you were destined for greatness.”My lips formed a tight line. I didn’t need to read his mind to catch his meaning. Randel couldn’t believe that a man like Griff was capable of achieving all those things without my intervention. As a member of Fenrir’s inner circle, he would have heard about our progress, but I couldn’t let him walk away believing I had done all the work.“Franklin Griffiths is more capable than any wolf. It was his knowledge and strength that got us through our trials, not just mine.”Randel nodded and continued toward the driveway.With a sigh, I pushed open the door and walked through the empty hallway. At this time of the night everyone had gone to bed, and my footsteps echoed in the silence. Damp air filled my nostrils as I descended the darkened stairwell that led to the basement, and I pushed the door open to find Fenrir standing beside the fighti
