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Chapter 54
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REJECTED MATE Chapter 54.1
The enforcers let go of his arms, leaving Griff reeling forward. My heart leaped. I closed the distance between us, wrapped an arm around his back, and held him steady.“Cathwulf,” Griff slurred, his swollen features morphing into a smile. He paused to give me a look of longing that stretched into our bond. “I'm glad you’re unhurt, but I wished you had saved yourself.”My heart ached. So, that explained his earlier feelings of betrayal. He hadn’t wanted me to make that sacrifice. I cupped the side of his cheek. “I’m sorry.”Hades cleared his throat. “If I don’t hear from Fenrisúlfr in the next ten seconds, I will assume that these devices are a ruse. Then I’ll tear out your soul, and you’ll give me the information under torture.”My stomach lurched at the prospect of Griff hanging from some hook in that awful dungeon. I bared my teeth at Hades and hissed, “You’ve spent too much time with demons.”The Demon King raised a hand and wiggled his fingers, sending a wave of magic that made m
REJECTED MATE Chapter 54.2
He turned to me, his gaze sad. “Will you ever give me a chance to take care of you?”I reared back, my eyes widening. “I can’t throw away everything I’ve learned to fit into the role of a submissive mate.”Griff turned away from me and huffed a sharp breath.Part of me had hoped this would be a heartfelt reunion, that Griff would thank me profusely for setting him free, but it looked like I had overstepped some kind of boundary. Why did things have to be so complicated? Griff knew from the start I wasn’t a fainting fancy. He also knew I couldn’t morph into the kind of selfish cow who would allow someone she loved to suffer.Beki nuzzled against our bond and sent me a memory of Griff and me frolicking together as wolves. This one was when he had dragged over an entire doe he had hunted for Katie and sat back as I ate it.“He really wants to take care of me?” I asked.She nodded.“But if he wanted an invalid, why did Fenrir pair him with an alpha?”Beki tilted her head. The gesture wasn
REJECTED MATE Chapter 55
Griff’s screams rang through my ears, turning every drop of blood in my veins to icy sludge. The flames surrounding his body burned brighter than any fire pit, looking like they were powered by gas.I dropped to my knees, tore off my jacket and placed the fabric over his face, hoping to put out the fire. Nothing happened. There was no burn, no heat, nothing catching alight. The flames had to be some kind of light magic or an illusion that made Griff believe he was under attack.“Stop.” Griff flailed his arms and yelled, “Cathwulf, no.”“Am I hurting you?” I yanked off the jacket.Hades' maniacal laughter carried through the wards. I turned to the wretched bastard, who stood at the other side of the checkpoint, pretending he could see into Shifter City. Captain Caria had already gone, replaced by an entourage of enforcers in black armor whose vehicles blocked the road. They were a blight on the beautiful parkland that surrounded us, but none of them showed any sign of moving.I clenche
REJECTED MATE Chapter 55.1
We drove in silence punctuated by Beki’s agonized howls. I slumped in the front seat, unable to give my wolf any comfort. Curses were beyond anything we could handle, especially those administered by vengeful gods who happened to be Demon Kings. I needed a plan, perhaps an ally stronger than Hades. Preferably one with a grudge.“If you’re thinking of going after Hades, don’t,” she said.“How did you know?” I asked.“It’s exactly what I would do in your position.” She shook her head. “Hades ganged up with Queen Hel to destroy Fenrir, then he and the Supernatural Council encased him in the same trap they used to imprison Ophois. They’re a bunch of miserable bastards.”“How did you free Fenrir?” I asked.Her jaw flexed. “With great difficulty and help from some of the Council’s saner members.”“Could you introduce me to one of them?”“I’ve sort of lost touch with them, what with the stealing-souls-from-Hell initiative.” She rubbed the back of her neck and grimaced. “We’re lying low until
REJECTED MATE Chapter 55.2
She nodded.“It’s not like I’m challenging her.”Beki tilted her head to the side.I ignored my wolf’s opinion and followed Lydia through the verandah and into the house.“Thanks,” I said to her. “I appreciate anything you guys can do to help Griff.”Lydia gave me a bright smile. “Franklin is part of our inner circle, and so are you.”If I wasn’t so frantic about Griff’s situation and still raging about Hades, her words might have filled my heart with warmth. It meant a lot to me that Griff and I weren’t alone and that they were willing to help. I forced my features into what I hoped was an expression of gratitude.“What’s happened with the Hellfire pack and the souls?”Her features fell. “My mum and her team of shamans helped to move everyone to the enclosure. They’re trying to sort out which bodies are repairable and who’s going to transition.”A tight fist squeezed my heart as I remembered the bodies hanging on hooks. “Excuse me for a bit,” I muttered and turned toward the stairwel
REJECTED MATE Chapter 56
After throwing on a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a leather jacket, I put my wet hair up into a bun and stepped out into the hallway. Ophois stood beneath the mounted head of a lion and drummed his fingers on his snout.“I knew this man,” he said.“Leandro Benroy?” I tilted my head and gazed up at the preserved head.He turned to me with his furry brows raised. “Why is the leader of the Logris Pride mounted on your wall?”“That’s what happened to those who challenged my dad for leadership of Lunaris,” I said with a shrug. “Back then, it was all part of the terms and conditions.”The wolf-headed god blew out a long sigh and materialized a golden key. “And you mortals call me barbaric.”With a flash of light, he created a doorway that led to the reception area of a spacious hospital. Its walls were made of glass and curved inward, much like the throne room of the Sixth Faction of Hell. Instead of skies or roads or other buildings, all I could see through the windows were schools of fis
REJECTED MATE Chapter 56.1
She gave me a shaky nod, seeming to remember that Griff had saved his father from being indebted to the faeries by offering his first-born.“But people can ask for beauty or some other thing where the faerie has to give them the magic.” I pushed to check that Beki understood.She barked a question.“Griff is naturally beautiful, but some other people make those bargains,” I replied. “In cases like that, the faeries will use those black spikes to give them the magic to maintain their glamor.”There was a lot more to the issue, but Beki seemed happy enough with the basics. I turned to the healer and asked, “Could you show me what Hades did to my mate?”She flicked her fingers.The black spikes moved together, forming a single mass that filled the hologram’s entire chest cavity. Instead of black spikes, flames the same color licked at his body and covered it with soot.I held my head in my hands, trying to suppress a moan.“It’s a surprise your mate is able to function with his chakras o
REJECTED MATE Chapter 56.2
Healer Sakhet strolled in through the door with her hands in her pockets. “My memory enchantment rewound his soul, and the Neutral body he inhabited made the appropriate adjustments.”I nodded, wondering if Fenrir had purchased the bodies from the same place Healer Iaso had gotten hers. “Has he woken yet?”She placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “Try kissing him awake.”Beki gave me a bark of encouragement, but all it did was upset my stomach. My heels dug into the floor. “I wouldn’t have been so forward in the seventies.”“Think of the kiss as an experiment to see if your presence activates the flames,” the healer said, sounding like she wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose.“Fine.” I walked across the room on trembling legs, my stomach churning at the prospect of kissing this version of Griff. The one who had held me under his spell for two years, the one I had loved so much that I had relinquished my alpha magic.Griff’s broad chest rose and fell beneath the white sheet that cover
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