LOGINShare
Chapter 26
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
REJECTED MATE Chapter 26.1
Beki sent me images from every Disney movie or cartoon that involved a curse breaking with true love’s kiss.“No, it’s not because we had sex or connected our souls.” I gave my head a vigorous shake and packed both deflated beds into a spare saddlebag. “Hades was expecting us to seduce Griff for information. I should have told Marianna that the pack was planning a raid, and I didn’t. That’s why he pulled the magic.”She growled.“Well, he never once lied about not being a bastard,” I said with a shrug. “Demon King is pretty self-explanatory.”After stepping outside, I folded up the shelter and sent Dad a silent word of thanks for making me set up camp all those times we went out on big hunts. He’d told me it was important for learning independence, even though I’d thought he was just being lazy. Turned out that all that knowledge he’d given me had prepared me for the moment I would be stranded in Hell.By the time I stuffed the huge tent in the saddlebag, there was no space for the se
REJECTED MATE Chapter 26.2
Her ears pricked.“You and Griff’s wolf just want to be together, and we keep messing things up for you both.”She raised her front paw in a wolfy shrug. It seemed that she was used to me wrecking her love life, and this was one more setback. Beneath the resignation was a shard of hope that she would see her mate again or that maybe Griff might come back for us once his temper had cooled.As the roar of a mammoth-sized drake made Glinda slow down and allow it to pass, I swallowed hard. What if Griff returned to us so that Fenrir could bind my tongue? If Captain Caria or one of the other demon enforcers picked me up outside the gates of Shifter City, it would be me on the torture rack being impaled with hot pokers.I stared at the wingless dragon, finding a blue-skinned demon riding on its back. They were heading toward a small lake of lava up ahead where a bunch of demons had huddled together in a tight crowd.Beki’s heart plummeted, and pain lanced through her chest. I glanced around
REJECTED MATE Chapter 27
Everything happened in slow motion. The bullets exploded from the gun and raced toward their targets. I sprinted to the left as the back of the general’s head exploded. The demon who had tried to drag Griff dropped him to the floor and clutched at his neck.I’d missed.Shit.“Behind the rocks,” bellowed a red-skinned imp with horns like a ram.Another javelin flew through the air and lodged itself into the rock where I had been hiding. Its wielder was a demon with skin like a prune and eyes a vivid shade of turquoise. This had to be the one who had hurt Griff. While the others were glancing around or tending to the fallen general, this one was aiming another javelin in my general direction.I crouched low and shot him between the eyes. He reeled backward and fell onto Griff’s legs.My stomach clenched. I hoped for Griff’s sake he was completely unconscious and hadn’t felt the impact.“Gerba,” snarled one of the imps. “Fill a quarter-mile perimeter with fire.”A six-and-a-half-foot tal
REJECTED MATE Chapter 27.1
She paused for a moment, her entire body trembling.“The demons won’t find us. This time, if he tries to leave, I’ll knock him unconscious until they’re gone.”Beki nodded her approval.Swallowing hard, I glanced behind us to find only a network of barren rocks. There were too many of them between us and the carnage I had left behind, but the demons would soon concentrate their search to this area. I had to set up a hiding spot before they did.A ten-foot-tall wall of stones surrounded the village up ahead, but it had crumbled in places, and there wasn’t a single sign of life. Brown and shriveled stalks the size of tree trunks protruded from some of the straw roofs. They curled around the settlement’s exterior, looking like it had once been overrun by a giant vine.I shuddered at what kind of plant might have caused such damage. It either took place very quickly or the village had been long deserted. Nobody would allow vegetation of any kind to run riot.Glinda took a running jump ove
REJECTED MATE Chapter 27.2
His eyes narrowed, and the muscles of his face tightened.“When you stole my pack, cheated on me with a crowd of naked women, and then banished me and everyone I cared about, my emotions got the better of me, and I overreacted.” I raised my palms.He spluttered. “That’s all?”“And I’m sorry.”Griff shook his head. “Sorry doesn’t begin to cover it.”“If you want me to grovel—”“Get out of my sight,” he roared, the muscles of his neck cording.I picked up a saddlebag, walked around Glinda, and settled on her other side. “Is that better?”“Out of the tent,” he snarled.“That’s not going to happen.” I lay beside the huge hellhound and rested my head on her side. “Someone has to save you from your stupidity and deliver you to the Living World. If the demons capture me, then it will only be a matter of time before you get caught.”“Don’t test me,” he said in a low growl.I squeezed my eyes shut. “A search party even larger than the six who captured you is probably on their way to this villa
REJECTED MATE Chapter 28
I sucked in a deep breath, my entire body going still. I shrank against Glinda’s warm, soft body, trying to disappear into her fur, but Griff closed the distance between us, making the air crackle with the force of his suspicion.Beki whimpered. She knew this moment would happen eventually, which was why she had wanted me to be honest with Griff. The tiny shred of me that believed in good luck had hoped I might escape before anyone worked out I was a spy.“I’m waiting for an answer,” Griff snarled.My lips trembled, so I forced them into a tight line. What was wrong with this wolf? Why of all times was he asking such questions?“You’re feverish,” I said, my words clipped. “In case you’ve forgotten, your body is trying to recover from being impaled by a demon’s javelin.”“Cathwulf.” He said my name with the kind of hatred one would reserve for their worst enemy. Considering everything I had done to him, I guessed that he counted me as his nemesis.“Go back to bed.” I gave him a shove.
REJECTED MATE Chapter 28.1
“It was a faerie curse,” he snarled.“That’s what you’re saying now,” I spat. “But you weren’t under their influence when you stole my alpha power.”Griff turned to me, his eyes burning with hatred. “Nothing I ever did to you could ever justify that execution. You could have challenged me to become the alpha again, but you came in with guns. ”“I’m not saying it does,” I hissed from between clenched teeth. “But don’t act like you’re one-hundred percent innocent.”“If I’m such a villain, why did you save me?”“I shouldn’t have bloody bothered.”His lips tightened, and he jerked his head away. “Go back to your side of the shelter.”“With pleasure.”I turned on my heel and walked around Glinda, my insides loosening with relief. Nothing I had told him had been a lie, but I had distracted him a little from his question. I settled beside the Hellhound and leaned against her flank. Hopefully, Griff wouldn’t ask this question again… at least not until we’d reached the Living World and I had a
REJECTED MATE Chapter 28.2
“You never answered my question,” he said in a low voice.It took every ounce of willpower not to huff an annoyed breath. “If we ever make it out of Hell alive, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”A dragon swooped down from one of the clouds, gliding in a circle above us before making a 180-degree turn.My heart plummeted into my stomach. I whispered to Griff, “Do you think he spotted us?”“It’s safe to assume that he has just left to report the presence of a suspicious Hellhound to his superiors.”“Glinda,” I whispered. “Can you go any faster?”She picked up her pace, but it was nothing like the rapid stream of movement she made when it was just her and me and the soul crystal. Part of me wanted to suggest that we hide the crystal so Glinda could move faster, but I couldn’t sacrifice thousands of souls to save my life.Beki barked a rebuke, making my insides clench.“Can you honestly say that we should risk all those people just so we can make Glinda run faster?” I asked her.
Latest chapter
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
