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Chapter 39

Author: Edima Wealth
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

I squeezed my eyes shut and rested my forehead on the door. The thought of spending the night with Griff as myself made my insides twist into agonizing knots.

Beki’s sharp barks told me I was being pathetic. The worst part was that I couldn’t disagree. It turned out that I could withstand all that time in Hell—the torture, the pain, the humiliation—yet my insides quivered at the thought of being rejected once again by my mate.

My wolf pushed against our bond, making my skin itch. This was her way of telling me that if I wasn’t woman enough to walk through that door and claim my mate, she would do it for me.

“Give me a minute,” I murmured.

The porter cleared his throat. “Miss,” he said with barely concealed impatience. “You have already contravened section twelve, subsection forty-two, article five of the Supernatural Secrecy Act, which states—”

“Stop.” I cracked open an eye. “The door just got jammed.”

He placed a gloved hand on the wooden surface and unlocked it with a pulse of magic
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  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 39.1

    Griff’s gaze dropped to my breasts. “What are you doing?”“We didn’t get any sleep last night.” I shouldered off the garment and kicked off my boots.“Get naked if you want but you’re sleeping on the floor. I’m not getting into bed with you.”“My wolf and I already made arrangements to shift for the night,” I said, keeping my voice flat.Griff’s features tightened, but he didn’t turn his head as I slid my leggings down my hips and let them fall down my shins. I stepped out of the pool of fabric and tried to ignore the furious wolf.His breathing became faster, heavier, and the temperature rose several degrees, even though the cabin had air conditioning. As I slid my hands beneath the hem of my tank top, Griff leaned forward and panted.“Do you mind?” I snapped.“I didn’t complain when you were salivating over my body,” he said with a smirk and folded his arms across his chest. “Right now, I’m enjoying the sight of Cathwulf Aibek undressing. For me.”My nostrils flared. “Take a good lo

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 40

    I stared into the furious amber eyes of my mate, my mind still struggling to pull itself out of its drowsiness. For the briefest of moments, my hand wouldn’t cooperate. My fingers spasmed around his erection, squeezing it tighter around the top.Griff’s snarl reverberated across my entire body, making my traitorous nipples tighten. “Cathwulf Aibek,” he said in a voice that curled around my neck like a garrote. “If you don’t release my cock this instant—”My fingers snapped open, and I rolled to the furthest side of the bed with my back pressed against the window. It turned out that the red I had been seeing throughout the dream had come from light streaming in through a lowered blind.Not that any of this mattered because I’d just molested Griff in his sleep.He rose from his spot and glowered, his lips curled with contempt. “First, you disguised yourself as someone else to scam a fuck, and now this.” He spread his arms wide, revealing his erection, which hadn’t so much as wilted sinc

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 40.1

    “How is that being selfish?” I snapped. Before she could launch into an explanation, I added, “Don’t tell me he’s made me climax twice, and I’ve left him with blue balls.”My wolf raised her snout in the air and sniffed in a gesture that said I was being an asshole. I bit down on a chunk of sausage and resolved to deal with her later.“Did you ever love me?” Griff asked.The words hit me like a glove-slap, and I raised my head to meet his penetrating gaze.“I beg your pardon?”He flashed his eyes. “You heard me the first time.”“Well, I already know how you felt about me,” I said, trying to stay calm. “Cathwulf was difficult to love.”“Answer my question.” He clenched his hand around a piece of toast, reducing it to crumbs.“It’s hard to love someone you never knew,” I said with a bit of bite.His chest heaved as he inhaled a long, deep breath. “What about when you were Katie?”I shook my head and tried not to roll my eyes. “You fed me two different sets of stories, proving that you’r

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 41

    As the red vehicle approached the stranded carriage and officers in black uniforms piled out, Griff snarled through the phone he clenched between his jaws to run.He didn’t need to tell me twice.The moment the enforcers, or whoever those people were, pulled the crowd of irate customers off of the porter, they would notice that the occupants of two of the cabins were missing. I turned around and bolted down the winding path.Leaves and low branches tangled in my fur as I passed, but the minor irritation was nothing compared to what would happen if we were caught. Griff followed a few paces behind me, either slowing because of the mobile phone he had to carry or out of a sense of protecting his mate. It was hard to tell which side of his soul was in charge, but I didn’t dwell on it too long.Our claws scraped across stony ground, and a cool breeze meandered through the trees and low shrubs. We continued down a winding slope leading to a fast-running stream that looked narrow enough to

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 41.1

    The door at the other end opened, and Lydia jogged in, wearing a pair of leather pants and a fitted blazer that made her look like she was both business-like and ready to kick ass. Her blue hair was arranged in a messy bun, with strands that looked purple in the basement’s peculiar light.“Cathwulf, do you want to come with me?” she asked with a smile.I gave both gods what I hoped was a deferent nod of thanks for the rescue before bounding across the room toward Fenrir’s mate.Lydia held the door open for me, and I rushed out into a concrete hallway that led to a stairwell of a similar material. Nostalgia overwhelmed my senses, and memories flooded my mind of Dad and me opening the door to the upper basement and staring down at the floodwater.He used to tell me that this was a problem I would have to fix when I became the alpha. Whenever I asked if we could solve it now, he would pat my head and laugh.I shook off the memories and continued up the stairs to the ground floor, and thr

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 41.2

    “How are they going?” I asked.Her smile faded. “There have been a few unexpected developments, but don’t mention anything to Fenrir, or he’ll take charge. He needs to focus on this mission.”I nodded and walked through a room overlooking the front lawn, where a metal stage took up the middle of the space that looked like it had once held a statue. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the bed’s carved headboard of a winged wolf flying through an inferno of demons. It almost reminded me of my journey from the Punishment Pit to Hades’ palace.After the first shower since escaping the Fifth Faction of Hell, I felt refreshed enough to face two wolf gods and my furious mate. I dressed in the outfit Lydia had ordered for me and gazed into the mirror. The leather pants I chose made my legs look even longer than ever, and the tank top pinched a little at the waist, accentuating my too-large boobs.I pulled up the neckline and scowled. “Why didn’t I order something more modes

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 42

    I glanced from a grinning Ophois to Fenrir, who gazed back as though the entire heist depended on my ability to ride an Egyptian wolf god through a void between realms. My throat spasmed. Was I supposed to jump on his back while the atmosphere of that place sucked all the air and moisture from my lungs, or would he transport me in a bag of sand?My gaze darted to Griff, whose features were as tense as the tight band of alarm wrapping around my lungs.“I don’t understand,” I murmured. “Why me?”“Ideally it would be a large team, but Ophois needs someone to help him detonate the smoke bombs, gather the prisoners, and collect the crystals.”The band of alarm tightened around my throat. “It sounds like there needs to be at least twelve of us.”“You know what happens when people who don’t belong to Hell try to enter it,” Ophois said in that booming voice.I rubbed the back of my neck. It wasn’t like I was chickening out, but I wasn’t sure if I could do everything they wanted. But they woul

  • REJECTED MATE    Chapter 42.1

    I gave him what I hoped was a confident smile. Ophois and I would just go training. It wasn’t like he would consume me like he did that wizard. At least not until the heist was complete.Griff pursed his lips, his brows creasing with concern.“After you.” Ophois swept an arm toward the doorway.Griff nodded and drew back.I stepped through the opening and into the darkened enclosure of tents and Viking-style buildings, my lungs filling with the scent of the forest. Ophois followed after me and closed the door with a flash of golden light.The lining of my stomach trembled with trepidation. How on earth did he think he would get me ready to traverse that void?I gazed up into his golden eyes and asked, “What would you like me to do?”“Fenrir tells me that the layers between the two wards were based on the space between dimensions. How did you cope with that particular void?”“By holding my breath,” I murmured. “But that dark patch felt nothing like sticking my hand through the door.”“

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

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