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Chapter 44
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REJECTED MATE Chapter 44.1
The next morning, light streamed in through my eyelids, and my nostrils filled with the sweet scent of the forest. For a moment, it felt like I was back in the tent within the Hellfire pack’s enclosure. My front leg twitched, reminding me that Beki and I had swapped places. The light became warmer, brighter, more golden.My brow furrowed.Golden?Since when did the enclosure ever get bright light and since when did it seep through the bell tents?I cracked open an eye to find myself in one of the alpha’s guest rooms. At the foot of the four-poster bed stood a doorway filled with golden light.My jaw clenched. This could only be Ophois.“The sleeping Nefertiti awakens.” His deep, rumbling voice swept over me like thunder.I barked to ask what he was doing in my room.“You were supposed to return for training after eating,” he said, sounding mild for a god I’d just ditched the night before.Beki made a whining noise in the back of her throat. On the inside, I shook my head. She was bein
REJECTED MATE Chapter 44.2
“Thank you.” I stepped out of his embrace and smoothed down my denim jacket. When he wasn’t flirting or acting like a peeping wolf, he was actually quite pleasant.He wiggled his fingers and produced a golden needle. “Place this in your lapel.”“Is this for transporting the crystals?” I asked.“Precisely.” He manifested a set of keys from thin air and opened a doorway into Fenrir’s basement.The Norse god stood by an eight-foot-tall holographic model of a castle that was only half-complete. From its high towers and turrets, I could tell this was Hades’ palace. This had to be what the cartographer had cobbled together based on Coral’s recollection of her stay with Hades. I glanced at the bottom floor, which was devoid of detail.My throat spasmed. How on earth were we going to find the dungeon where they were keeping the Hellfire pack?Griff, Lydia, and a brown-haired administrator type sat at a small row of chairs. From his scent, I could already tell he was a Neutral and had no usabl
REJECTED MATE Chapter 45
Griff’s lips were soft and supple and my salvation. After the awkwardness of the night before, this kiss was exactly what I needed.Somewhere in the depths of my soul, Beki was making a congratulatory backflip. I couldn’t focus on the activities of my wolf. Not when my pulse beat so fast that it filled my ears with a drumroll. Not when my knees trembled so much that I could barely hold up my own weight.I stumbled, but Griff’s strong arm around my back held me in place.“Congratulations,” he murmured into the kiss. “I knew you would succeed.”Fenrir cleared his throat, making Griff pull back.“Save the celebration for later,” he said, his words gruff. “We still have a lot to do before the Strawberry Moon. Cathwulf, what are your findings?”Whatever I was about to say evaporated under the heat of Griff’s gaze. He had never looked at me with both love and admiration—not even when he thought I was Katie.“Give her a minute,” Lydia said with a chuckle.Fenrir huffed a breath and turned to
REJECTED MATE Chapter 45.1
She rose from her seat. “Are you sure you don’t need my help? I could travel over with Cathwulf and fly—”“They need you now more than ever with the Trials,” Fenrir said, sounding like he’d had this discussion before with his mate.I tried not to wonder what on earth could go wrong with a bunch of girls battling it out in the forest to win the heart of a wolf. There were too many things at stake to lose focus.The Neutral sitting on my right rose and gazed down at me with a warm smile. “Allow me to show you a selection of devices.”“Can we go there via the armory?” I asked.Philip the Neutral turned out to be a friend of Gerrison and said he had served as the Shifter King’s administrator when my former beta took control of the pack. He had been kind enough not to mention my crime or my execution, even though he had resided in Logris in the 1970s and would have remembered the scandal.He took me to the office beside the alpha’s study and showed me an array of mobile phones. Since I had
REJECTED MATE Chapter 45.2
They both mentioned that Griff had been in contact and agreed to meet me at the alpha’s mansion in a few hours. While I was waiting for them, I ran the bath and ordered a grilled steak sandwich from the Hatch.A huge cheer sounded from outside, and I rushed to the window to see what was happening. The lawn that stretched between the mansion and the guesthouse was crammed with people, staring up at a blond-haired man.“That’s probably Dolph,” I murmured.She gave me a questioning bark.“The young wolf who wants a mate.” I placed my hands on the windowsill and leaned forward. “Weren’t you there when Hades told us about the Shifter Trials?”She raised her paw in a shrug, indicating that she hadn’t been paying much attention.“He’s going to help Fenrir lead the Norse pack. I have no idea why they’re not in Shifter City.” My mind drifted across everything I had learned in the academy about Norse mythology. “Maybe the land is sacred?”The Hatch pinged. I tore myself away from the spectacle
REJECTED MATE Chapter 46
All plans of using Juniper and the other women as a buffer between Ophois and me tumbled sideways. I had absolutely no idea there was another side to the Egyptian god, although I should have known his head wasn’t permanently that of a wolf. If I could shift my eyes for better vision or transform my fingernails into claws, it made sense that a god could change the shape of his head.My gaze swept down his muscular body. Ophois wore a black blazer with gold buttons, but it looked classier and more expensive than the one Griff had worn today. His shirt was a silver fabric that was so dark that the color bordered on black. I gulped. If I didn’t know any better, he was trying to outshine my mate.It was working.His magic rumbled over me like a desert storm, making every nerve ending shiver. Beki pushed herself to the back of our bond and cringed. I guess she was also feeling overwhelmed.“Shall we?” Ophois offered me his arm.I glanced down at his huge bicep and gulped. “But my friends—”
REJECTED MATE Chapter 46.1
“I’m so glad you noticed,” he replied with a broad grin.The older woman settled beside Ophois, who offered us all champagne.Normally, I wouldn’t imbibe alcohol, but the purpose of our girls’ night out was to get Calla to spill all of Hades’ secrets, so I agreed to a glass. With a flick of his wrist, Ophois filled the flutes and floated them over to us.Calla fluttered her lashes. “I just love to see a man performing such high-level magic.”“And what brand do you practice, my dear?” he drawled.“I’m a fire mage.” She clicked her fingers and produced a flame.“Did they execute you?” I asked.I cringed the moment I said those words. She hadn’t divulged her status as a spirit, and she didn’t need a reminder that she was dead. Besides, Logris had changed now, and the Supernatural Council even had a Fire Queen. Calla and Coral didn’t need to be reminded that they’d spent their lives being persecuted.Coral turned to me with a smile. “We lived together in a secret enclosure, far from the e
REJECTED MATE Chapter 46.2
“People fall in love with illusions all the time.” He floated over the platter of sliced meat. “Some falsehoods are so tightly woven that we believe them to be real. The results of learning the truth are deadly.”Unease settled in my belly, and every butterfly in my stomach tried to crawl through its lining. What kind of person was this to make these sweeping statements based on my life in an attempt to get laid? Maybe that’s why he kept insisting on that dinner. He had a way of burrowing under the skin and pulling out a person’s deepest insecurities.Sitting straighter in my seat, I picked up the serving fork and placed a few slices of pork on my plate. I was about to serve him some but had to ask, “Do you eat food?”“On occasion,” he replied, his voice light with amusement.“That man who visited you before we arrived. What did you do to him?”“Gregory Beaks?” Ophois asked.“I think so.”“He’s somewhere in my digestive tract,” Ophois said with a shrug.My stomach dropped and I placed
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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
