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Book 2: chapter 20

Author: Uriel Kings
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-13 06:07:41

Maya

We shifted and moved quietly up the mountain. The group surrounded me, including a small gray wolf who continued to look at me sideways but didn’t say anything. I didn’t think Rhyson would have it in him to actually put a chain around my neck, but I also knew the danger that we were in. Staying with him, and obeying him, was my best bet for now.

And the safest bet, since it meant I would have more time to plan my escape before he tried to haul me to my father.

It was several hours after the dark had settled when we found a nice cave to rest in. It was a small space, barely big enough for all of us, but it connected to a small tunnel and another entrance. It looked, and smelled, abandoned, and we made camp. Several went out to hunt, and after dragging back two deer, we had dinner. Most of us shifted back to human, although one of the females and one of the males kept their wolves out to stand guard.

I was not invited to guard patrol, but that was fine. I was exhausted after the fi
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  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 2: chapter 21

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  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 2: chapter 22

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    Rhyson“And here I thought my father and Larson told you everything you needed to know about me,” she said tonelessly. “You only care now because someone thought you did it. Don’t pretend to care otherwise.”“I do care. I am your…” I cut off before I said king. “I do care.”“No. You don’t.”Hofter returned before I could press the issue. I paid close attention to the instructions on both the salve and the morning sickness medication. Watching him rub the stuff on her knee made my wolf howl with fury inside, but I just clenched my fists and stood still. He was a healer. She was hurt.And she wasn’t mine.Afterward, Maya looked relieved, making the guilt wedge even further inside me. How long would it have taken her to admit something was wrong? When her knee gave out in the middle of an attack?We were going to have to talk about that.But not now. Not in front of strangers.I thanked him stiffly, and he smirked my way, as if he knew what the effect of him touching her had done to me.

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    “What do you mean?”“As a healer, Hofter struggles to handle others’ pain. He internalizes it, but it wears on him. Because of this, he’s been working on some magical charms that alter a patient’s perception of time. Hours of pain will only seem like one to them. I am so sorry. I’m going to go speak to him right now. If you’d like to come with me, you’re more than welcome. I promise that we are not trying to play any tricks on you.”“Maya is not in intense pain. There was no reason for us to be there for hours,” I growled.Tessa cleared her throat delicately. “Forgive me for interrupting, but based on these ingredients, I would say that Maya has been hiding a great deal of pain. It has a building effect, but if you’re already feeling relief, then it probably has been several hours with at least two or three applications.”Furious, I turned to her. “You do not hide pain here, do you understand?” I snarled. “Any weakness at all that I don’t know about could get us killed.”“You were the

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    Maya“You so much as touch me, I will scream so loud…”“Settle down, princess,” Rhyson sighed. “I’m not here to fuck you. We need to talk.”Was he really so pissed about my knee? It was all that I could do not to roll my eyes. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my knee, but let’s be honest. You didn’t ask a lot of questions, and you certainly didn’t invite a conversation. I believe your words were ‘speak only when spoken to.’ My knee has hurt for years. It hurt when you bent me over the bed and fucked me from behind. I’ve learned to live with it.”His eyes turned gold, and I had a feeling I was skating on thin ice, but I wasn’t done. “You want to know about my other injuries? You’ve seen my scars. They’re not battle scars, but they don’t hurt anymore. My ankle was fucked up for a while, but it really only hurts when I run on it as a human. The knee bothers me as a human and a wolf, so it’s a little more difficult to navigate. It’s better now. I won’t slow you down.”“Who. Did. I

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    Monroe laughed. “Spoken like a true female. Completely wrong.”Spencer and the rest of his people burst into laughter as well. They all stalked away, taking their torches with them. A flash of lightning flickered soundlessly in the distance. Hayden turned to his pack. They watched with uncertain gazes.“Two days,” he said loudly. “And then you will know you put your faith in the right Alpha. We will have Bluebell Valley, and things will get better.”He smiled at them reassuringly. As they dispersed, Finn and Blayke sidled over to him. Finn spoke in a low voice.“Spencer is the only one not showing signs of possession,” he said under his voice. “Everyone else is either claimed or at least influenced. It’s spreading.”Hayden nodded once. Finn would prefer they take more decisive, more immediate action. Hayden couldn’t blame him, knowing his history. He had a particular reason to hate demons, seeing how they robbed him of any chance he might have had to have a normal family, a normal lif

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    Hayden“Stay here. I’ll be back shortly,” Hayden ordered as he stalked back to the bedroom. As he threw on his clothes, he frowned. Mica was dressing as well. “I said—”“I’m your mate. I’ll stand with you,” she said shortly.Hayden shook his head. “You’ll stay within the property bounds.”Mica huffed at him but didn’t respond. The two of them were ready quickly. Mica swept her hair into a bun as they headed downstairs. Torches lit the night, dozens of Monroe’s pack carrying them as the flames flickered and glowed. Hayden’s wolf snarled at the sight of Monroe, standing with his toes against the PCP piping at the gate.“Ah, decided to join us, did you?” Monroe drawled. “I was starting to think that your little challenge was all talk and no action.”His people laughed. Hayden ignored the low-hanging fruit and stopped just inside the protective barrier. “Are you finally going to accept my challenge, or will you continue to be a coward?”Monroe smirked. “What do you think I’m here for? It’

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    “Brother coming through,” Ryder called from outside, then he stepped into the entrance. He grabbed a pair of shorts and yanked them on, carefully not watching Mica and Hayden. Mica kissed Hayden’s cheek. “I’ll be up in a bit.” He nodded, and Mica slipped back outside. It was utterly dark now, and she had to use a flashlight to navigate the camp. Everyone else could simply see in the dark but with her weak human eyes… But nobody brought it up, not like they wouldhave in other circumstances. She headed upstairs once she was satisfied everyone was set for the night. Hayden waited for her in bed, scrolling through the most recent demon research on the laptop. He closed it and set the laptop on the nightstand as he grinned at her. His hair was damp from the shower, the smell of soap mingling with his manly scent. Mica grabbed a nightgown from her dresser and changed. “I don’t like that nightgown,” Hayden told her. “It’s old and worn.” “And comfortable,” Mica snarked. “Yes. Whi

  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 3: chapter 38

    MicaThe beast-demon stalked along the boundary's edge, snorting as it tested the protections. With Hayden and the rest of the special ops in the forest, Mica had ordered that they let the demon wander and not engage. Hayden had taken all the best fighters with him, meaning her order was gladly obeyed. Nobody wanted to tangle with the beast.Unfortunately, such a sight was getting more common. Even the children who used to scream and hide now ignored it, snuffling around the edges of the property. Its twisted horns glowed in the rapidly oncoming darkness. Clouds shrouded the sky, making it even darker.“Hayden will be back soon,” Mica told Tess as she nervously looked at the beast.“I know.” She shook her head. “Let’s go back into the house. I don’t trust the sources that say the beast-demons are dumb. I don’t want it to report back to Monroe about what we talk about.”Mica nodded. That was the smarter idea. The two headed into the house and went up to Mica and Hayden’s room. With all

  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 3: chapter 37

    HaydenThe scent of tilled earth met Hayden’s nostrils as he drove through the town. The team was spread through a handful of vehicles, each one keeping watch. They had just escorted the cargo van to and from the city for the latest shopping trip. Last time, Spencer had attempted to stop them from leaving.This time, they had barely seen a sign of any other wolf in the town. It seemed as though Monroe was keeping them busy elsewhere. This was why, along with food, Hayden bought a handful of camera drones from the city. Patience was a virtue, but sitting idly by without finding any additional information was a flaw that could easily prove fatal.He pulled to a stop in front of Monroe’s house and got out of the car, leaving the engine idling. The team all hopped out of their vehicles and gathered in formation around him.“Monroe,” Hayden bellowed. “Quit hiding and face me!”The door slammed open, but it wasn’t the possessed Alpha who came out. Instead, it was Spencer. He walked with a s

  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 3: chapter 36

    Mica didn’t want this to end. She never wanted it to end. And if that meant holding her questions inside and refusing to let any of them out? That’s just what it would have to be.She wasn’t going to give Hayden up. Now that she had him, she wanted to keep him. So she held him tighter, fighting against the pressure building through her. Instead, she kissed him, the way he wanted. And their eyes remained locked open on each other as they continued the dance as old as time.***Chirping birds just outside of the window woke Mica in the early morning. She sleepily buried her face into Hayden’s chest, unwilling to get up just yet. Their naked bodies pressed together, soft and warm in the cool morning. Being in Hayden’s arms always made her feel safe and secure. His strength seemed to seep into her, giving her everything she needed to face their situation.The previous night’s activities had kept them up quite late. Mica hoped she wouldn’t be too tired to perform her duties today. Not that

  • The Alpha King's Rejected Mate   Book 3: chapter 35

    MicaThe pack took the news of Monroe's possession by a demon reasonably well. At least, none of them went running around flailing their hands in the air, proclaiming they were all doomed. What they whispered to each other was another thing altogether, but Mica didn’t spare the worry about that possibility. For the time being, she focused on taking care of injuries.Once she was done, Mica sought Hayden out. He was with his team, plotting out their next course of action. Mica found a spot at the side of the room to sit and wait until they were done.Maverick shot her an uneasy glance but focused back on Hayden. It seemed to Mica he didn’t want her there, but until his Alpha was going to say something, he’d accept it. Hayden hadn’t paid much attention to her entrance into the room except to briefly glance at her. “That’s enough for tonight,” he said finally. “Tomorrow, we’ll start training the pack on how to fight the beast-demons. Until they’re ready to fight, we’ll have to keep the

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