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Chapter 31
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REJECTED MATE Chapter 31.1
“He’s smuggling us out of Shifter City.” Griff pulled me tighter to his body and shifted. “Demon enforcers always get a little jumpy after our runs and search vehicles going in and out of the wards.”I huffed a laugh. “Do they think anyone would transport souls in a car?”“It’s their way of saying they know Fenrir’s behind the raids,” he growled. “Now shut up.”The engine rumbled beneath us, and Griff scooted backward, pulling me with him. With each movement, my ass bounced against his hardening bulge, and the trunk became too hot, too cramped, too intimate.His cedar and woodsmoke scent curled around my senses, awakening parts of me that should have lain dead. Even though I hated Griff with every fiber of my psyche, my body hadn’t gotten the message and longed for his hands to wander.My nostrils flared. “What do you think you’re doing?”“There’s a second compartment in Beowulf’s trunk,” Griff said, as he continued shifting, his body lighting up my pleasure centers like a New Year’s
REJECTED MATE Chapter 31.2
“Let go of me, you dick.” I snatched my hand away. Why did he even give a shit?He rang the doorbell, but it made the kind of ominous sound I’d only heard in Hammer House of Horror movies. “That thing arranged Lydia’s murder and the sacrifice of her wolf.”I glanced over my shoulder at the dark-haired figure sitting in the front of the cab. “Why on earth would he have done something so cruel?”“The details are murky, but if you know what’s good for you, stay away from Beowulf Kenneally.”There had to be more to this story. For starters, Lydia looked alive and happy and in love with Fenrir. I was pretty sure that the shamaness up on the stage had been Gerrison’s wife, Aunt Sybil. But just because someone was in the living world didn’t mean they weren’t dead.“If Wulfie was that bad, then why would Fenrir call him to transport us?” I asked.“He wouldn’t risk any self-respecting shifter on such a dangerous task.”I was about to remind Griff that Fenrir had sent us out while the demons we
REJECTED MATE Chapter 32
I turned to where Griff stood by the tree and swings, my brows raised. Why wasn’t he using his charm on the old crone to get her to find an alternative solution? It was as through the mention of faeries had put him into a state of shock.Perhaps he was thinking about the awful bargain he’d made with them to spare his father. Perhaps he was reliving what the faeries had made him do when they discovered he would never have a first-born to pay off his debts.Clearing my throat, I turned to meet Demeter’s cornflower-blue eyes. Within those irises were a multitude of colors—golds, greens, and glimpses of white that made them look like a washed-out globe of the world. Perhaps once she had been an earth goddess, but whatever had happened to her had left her devoid of magic.“How did you build the tunnels in the first place?” I asked.She exhaled a long breath, her shoulders sagging. “Back when I had my powers, I only needed to look at a seed, and it would grow.”“All right,” I said with a no
REJECTED MATE Chapter 32.1
“Do you see this?” She raised a gnarled finger and ran it from my chest to the door.“No,” I said.She plucked an invisible string, making my heart twang.I clutched a hand over my chest. “What did you just do?”Demeter threw her head back and laughed. “I’m not just the goddess of the harvest, I also govern fertility.”“Well, there’s no chance of me being pregnant.”She tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “But there was some recent activity. The strings connecting you are taut with sexual tension.”“They’re not.” I glowered into my lap.“You desire him as much as he desires you.”My head snapped up, and I stared into her wrinkled face. What was she, the goddess of false hope? There was no way in Hell Griff and I felt any sort of mutual attraction.“That’s not true,” I said, my words clipped.“Why? Because he’s a pretty boy and you’re…” she wriggled her fingers.My throat tightened, as did my fists. What would she say next? That I was too large for a woman, too tough, too
REJECTED MATE Chapter 32.2
Wulfie bent over double with his hands braced on his thighs, looking like he’d expended every ounce of energy on the work.“Where’s the font?” I asked.Griff scowled. “Where else do you want us to dig?”“Follow me.” She jogged out of the room.Griff and I followed her down a darkened hallway, and through a kitchen of wooden units that had seen better days. One of the cupboards was a door that led to a storeroom filled with supplies covered in a thin layer of dust. Then we stepped through a door that opened up into a stairwell illuminated by a bare lightbulb.“Where are you taking us?” I growled.“Do you wish to employ my services as a plant specialist or not?” she snapped from the bottom of the stairs.Griff leaned into my side and whispered, “How did she get so much energy?”“Don’t ask,” I whispered back.She flung open the door, activating a set of fluorescent lights. Griff and I remained at the top of the stairs, and I curled my hands into fists. None of this made any sense. What w
REJECTED MATE Chapter 33
The sun had set by the time we returned to Wulfie’s car, and neither of us were in the mood to huddle together in the trunk. Not only had Demeter been a complete and utter waste of time, but she had drained us of a significant amount of power.Spots appeared before my eyes, largely because the magic had interpreted my protecting her from Griff’s wrath as an act of worship. Only Wulfie was in fairly reasonable spirits, and that was because he’d only dug up the paving stones.Our driver tapped a few commands into his phone. “Ophois… would that be the key maker or the wolf shifter who makes the enchanted safes?”I slumped forward in my seat and grabbed a bottle of Dragonade. The cool, citrusy liquid slid down my throat, infusing me with a little of the energy I’d lost to the wretched old crone.“It’s probably the one who makes the keys,” Griff said. “If that Ophois doesn’t know what we’re talking about, we can try the next one.”Wulfie twisted around in his seat and cleared his throat.“
REJECTED MATE Chapter 34
Beki barked something, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen to her voice of reason. Not when Griff was trying to rewrite history and make it look like I was obsessed with him.She barked again.“If I was fixated with Griff, it was because of his betrayal,” I said into our bond.If she had brows, they would have risen.“It’s true,” I snapped. “He’s the most aggravating man I’ve ever met. We have nothing in common except for our wolves.”Beki pushed against the bond, seeming to reach for Griff… or rather the part of his soul that was her mate. I shuffled a little closer to the annoying creature at my side, just as he did the same.“My wolf won’t stop pestering me about yours,” he said, as though that explained anything.“Keep telling yourself that,” I said, even though I was moving toward him until our bodies touched.Griff’s hand brushed against mine, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine. He turned his head toward me, his gaze boring into the side of my face.I licked my lips.
REJECTED MATE Chapter 34.1
I rose off my seat and glanced at the door, looking for his pale companion. When Benny continued to the door with no sign of the other man, I followed after him.“What happened?” I asked.Benny turned to me, his dark eyes not meeting mine. “Ophois said he would make us a key.” His voice trembled. “But his price was Greg.”“Wait.” I held out a palm. “What does that mean?”The small man’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I paid for the key with my best friend.”“His life?”“His life, his soul, his past, his future.” Benny’s face crumpled. “As soon as I step out of this place, Greg will have ceased to exist.”“What?” Griff rushed past me and grabbed the smaller man by the collar.Benny’s body collapsed like a broken marionette. “I didn’t even say yes.”“Yes to what?”The woman from behind the desk rushed between us and loosened Griff’s fingers from around Benny’s neck. “Please wait your turn to see Ophois.”“So he can consume one of us?” Griff said.I shook my head. Right now, selling m
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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
