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The Rejected Cursed Wolf 11
A little over three hours later, just as the sun slipped below the horizon, we pulled into Lynerd’s neighborhood. Unlike last time, the pack wasn’t blocking our way, but Lynerd stood outside his house with his arms crossed and two male shifters behind him. A group of five women in long dresses also stood in the yard. They had to be witches from Sybil’s coven.I climbed out of the car, lifting my chin. I needed to address Sybil’s death first—that was what she deserved.The others followed suit, exiting their vehicles.Lynerd scanned our group, his gaze landing on Zeke. He scowled, “What is he doing here?”“We’ll get to that in a minute.” I pointed at Zeke. “But know that stab wound you see was done by my hands.”He arched a brow and observed me once more. “At least he got some sort of punishment.”Zeke had no clue what sort of punishment I was about to inflict.“Where’s Sybil?” A pale-skinned woman with long ebony hair stepped forward. The scent of herbs hit my nose, confirming they we
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“You want me to be the Oregon royal advisor?” Lynerd’s pupils dilated.“It was what my parents were going to do before their untimely death.” I glanced at Zeke, who had the intelligence to avert his eyes. “You and your pack are strong—the strongest in Oregon, from what I can tell. It makes sense to offer the position to you.”And to screw me, Theo replied, his hurt surging between us. You know I grew up expecting to step into this position. Is this your way of getting back at me for not helping you sooner?A lump formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow around it. I hadn’t meant to hurt him. Theo, it isn’t personal. Your father killed my parents, and your pack mistreated me until a few weeks ago when I was crowned queen. That history and your dad’s imprisonment won’t go over well. It’s not an insult, I swear, and I’ll find a way to make this right for you too.He didn’t say anything, but I saw the way Jasmine was looking at him. Her heart broke for him, but I needed Lynerd to say s
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I flinched. Zeke would fight this, but if I alpha-willed him to stand down, he’d use that to say I had something to hide. It wasn’t a big deal, but with Kel breathing down my neck, I needed to avoid as much turmoil as possible. The lesser of the two evils was allowing Lynerd to force Zeke to submit and hope that I wasn’t wrong in assuming he was the stronger wolf.“There’s no time like the present.” I gestured to Jack’s SUV and went to Jasmine’s passenger-side back door, not wanting to make things worse for Theo. I linked to Jasmine and Zeke, I need you two to get out of the vehicle. I opened the door and forced myself not to avoid Theo’s gaze.His eyes darkened, and he glanced away. All his life, he’d thought his dad would never step down, and here that day was, and I was taking away the future he’d always wanted. My chest ached, but I had to do what was best for my people.Are you sure this is the right call? Jasmine asked and gnawed on a fingernail. Theo—Jasmine, you know better t
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Zeke sneered, his hands shaking at his sides. “I will not lose to you or anyone.” He didn’t have to glance at me for me to know I was included in that equation.At least we had no doubt that Samuel, the other royal advisors, and I were stronger than him. I wasn’t worried about him taking over, but I feared I’d overestimated Lynerd’s strength and this move was going to crash around me. If Zeke was strong enough not to submit to Lynerd, I’d do what I had to, including making him rogue. Locking him up in the basement would prevent him from causing any more havoc. If he slowly lost his mind too, that might be satisfying after everything he’d done.If I couldn’t tell which wolf was stronger, what did that say about me and my leadership skills?“Please.” Lynerd snickered. Despite the sweat coating his forehead and the quiver in his bottom lip, he wasn’t struggling as hard as Zeke. “The only reason you’ve lasted this long is through your last-ditch effort to prove you’re strong, but there’s
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Jasmine squeezed his hand and glanced at me. “Can you give him more context?” She then linked to me, He’s really hurting, and I don’t know how to help him. Only you can do that. Imagine how Bodey would react if his title was taken from him.That wasn’t the same thing, and I was surprised she didn’t see that, but she hadn’t been around Theo long enough to know how he’d acted around Zeke. Not wanting to make an enemy out of him, I kept hold of my calm. “Theo, your attention needs to be on your pack.” I lifted my hands. “Your father allowed people to treat each other like crap, and people were afraid to bring their concerns to him the way you’re doing with me. To do this job correctly, you need to heal and transform the pack. You can’t do that if you’re focused on all of Oregon. It’s not a demotion but a way to help you be a successful and strong alpha.”His forehead lined. “I have authority over one pack and not all of them. How is that not a demotion?”“How fair would it be for me to a
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I placed one hand on the center console and the other on the door armrest. The queen was relentless, and every time I thought we had a moment to gather our wits, she attacked us again, catching us off guard.At what point would we not be taken by surprise?What do you mean, ‘unfamiliar wolves’? I couldn’t react irrationally, but then I spoke out loud to Samuel, “Go faster. Oxbow might be under attack soon.”Wolves we’ve never seen before are five miles out, she said hastily, which wasn’t like her.“What?” Theo croaked and leaned forward, placing his head between the two seats to stare into my eyes. “You can’t leave me in the dark. I’m the alpha now.”I winced. “I’m sorry. Mom linked to me. I’ll include you in the conversation.” With that, I tugged his link into the connection.Samuel pressed the gas, going faster, as I focused on Mom.The base of my skull throbbed from an oncoming headache. Everything was catching up to me, and I felt helpless and useless. I was certain any of the adv
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Miles, Lucas, and I are getting out here, I linked with everyone as I opened my door. Time was of the essence, and I was going to save my family.I hopped out and slammed the door as Miles and Lucas followed suit. I ran off the gravel road toward the trees, and my wolf brushed my mind. She didn’t hesitate, surging forward as my skin tingled, and I ran between two firs and up the incline that would take me toward the river.Light-blonde fur sprouted across my body, the same shade as my hair, and my clothes ripped away and my spine cracked, causing me to drop to all fours. I ran awkwardly for a few steps until I was completely in wolf form.With my senses heightened, my vision was crisper in the darkness and my sense of smell was so much better. I could hear the sound of a goat running two miles away in the canyon. I ran fast—but a little slower than I normally would so Lucas and Miles could keep up with me. They didn’t know the area as well as I did.They flanked me, and the three of u
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Snarling, the graphite wolf steadied himself and faced me, chest heaving. Dad’s blood covered his snout.There aren’t any witches, Samuel answered.Hot rage blasted through me, and something inside me snapped. Power rolled through my body, my magic sizzled, and I moved faster than ever before. I slammed into the enemy wolf, who flew backward into the nearest larch tree. His body thudded into it, his head cracking against the trunk, and he crumpled to the ground. I waited to make sure he didn’t get up.When he didn’t move, I hurried to Dad, making sure to face the fighting so no one could attack my back.Blood poured from Dad’s neck, and his eyes were wide. He tried to use his paws to put pressure on his neck, but they weren’t like hands. Hell, even if they had been hands, they wouldn’t have done any good.How bad is it? Dad linked as he kept trying to apply pressure to the wound.This would have been a good fucking time to be able to lie, but the stench would give me away. Not good. I
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The Rejected Cursed Wolf 65
Four months laterI wiped my palms against my jeans for the thousandth time. Bodey took my hand as he drove the Jeep, a huge U-Haul trailer attached to the trailer hitch.Everything is going to be fine. He squeezed my hand lovingly. You took down a queen and got all the wolf territories to share resources and work together, and you’re just nervous about us moving into our new house.I didn’t do any of it alone. I arched a brow. We involved everyone.Just like we are now. He tilted his head behind us, where the royal advisors followed us in Jack’s and Lynerd’s cars, along with Samuel, Katelin, Theo, Jasmine, Stevie, Stella, and Mom.Pearl had decided to stay in Oxbow with Charles. Surprisingly, he’d stopped being as much of a dick, but the bridge between Pearl and me was too large to bridge.Bodey was right. We weren’t doing this alone either, but renovating my parents’ mansion so Bodey and I could move back into it had my nerves on edge. All my memories of my parents had happened ther
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That was what I’d been missing during my time as queen. I’d relied on the judgment of human Callie more than my wolf. Maybe if I started listening to her and not fighting her, we’d make a great team.I relaxed and allowed her to take over.Our consciousnesses merged.Attack on my command, I linked to the former advisors. I couldn’t relay the message to Dina, but I counted on her to spring into action as soon as we made our move.I had to pretend to consider submitting to get close enough for the attack.Taking a deep breath, I prepared to argue with my wolf, keeping my head lowered slightly, but the merge we’d done had stopped her from fighting me, both sides now working together.Kel laughed. “That’s what I thought.”“No,” Bodey growled. He tried to jerk away from Lynerd, and the blade cut deeper into his skin. More blood trickled down his neck. Don’t do this. You have to protect our people. I need you to be safe.You matter more. The words were simple and true, and he felt the same
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Bodey appeared at my side as the royal advisors launched their attacks. I gripped the hilt of my dagger, ignoring the way my hand still screamed from my injury.I leaned toward the guard fisting my hair, sending him off balance since I wasn’t fighting him anymore. Bodey punched him in the face, and his grip loosened. The guard’s head snapped to the side as Bodey swiped his blade across his throat. Blood squirted from the cut, hitting Bodey in the face, but my mate didn’t flinch.An arm clenched around my waist and pulled me back against a hard chest. A guard with a mustache ran through the middle of the fighters, heading toward me with handcuffs. Kel still wanted to take me prisoner, but I’d rather die than allow that to happen.I snapped myself forward, and the guard behind me grunted as I flipped him over my body into Mustache Guard.Bodey fought two guards beside me while the others were engaged in their own battles. One smaller guard crept around the circle, and my wolf surged for
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On instinct, I threw a punch with my right hand. I hit the wolf in the side of its head, and pain exploded in my hand again. The reprieve the aloe had given me disappeared, and a fresh wave of sharp, stabbing soreness stole my breath.The wolf landed on the cement floor and swiped at my legs. I jumped, and its claws hit the rubber soles of my boots. When I landed, Bodey flashed past me and stabbed the wolf through the back of its head with his dagger.There was no holding back the vomit now. I turned to my left and emptied my stomach. That was a death like I’d never seen before, and I was certain it would haunt me.Something behind me clicked, and I knew the moment Bodey retrieved the dagger because the suctioning sound had my tummy roiling again.I’m sorry, but I couldn’t reach its heart or throat, he linked, his concern flowing through to me. I should’ve gotten to you faster.He’d just saved me, and he was apologizing because I’d vomited. Add ungrateful to my ever-growing list. You
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The smell of piss and feces hit my nose, and vomit lodged in my throat. It burned like hell, but I swallowed, not wanting to add to the horrendous stench.The garage had cement walls, and two barred cells stood across from us with a solid wall between them. One was vacant, but the other one held someone. A figure crouched in the corner, hiding its face. The only evidence that it was human was the clothes I could see and the lack of hair on the arms.Bodey gasped and gagged. “This is where they held me.”The cells’ floors were covered in straw, but it was soiled and, from what I could tell, had been for a while.White-hot rage boiled in my veins. This was where she’d kept Bodey the entire time he was away from me. I had a hard time believing Kel ever set foot in this place. I’m going to kill her.Dina straightened and stepped back outside as she placed a shaky hand over her nose as if that would filter the air. “Witches spelled this place so tightly that no one could’ve breached it.”“
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The nine of us moved efficiently. To Dina’s credit, she kept up.The woods opened up, revealing a small garden.Bodey stopped, lifting his hand, and pointed to the left, where the mansion peeked through the thinning trees. Let’s head straight there.Dina shook her head and pointed at the garden. She murmured, barely louder than a breath, “That’s all herbs, so it likely belongs to the coven. I can see an aloe plant, which would help your wounds. I’ll get some while you all scope out the house.”The garden was fifty feet away, but there was no one close by. All sounds of movement indicated that people were outside the house or heading toward the wolves we’d left behind.Why weren’t any wolves looking for us here?“Hurry,” Bodey muttered. We need to watch for a minute to see if we can figure out who’s here.I moved to the edge of the tree line and hunkered down behind some brush. Queen Kel’s mansion was huge and gorgeous, fronted by a rolling green lawn and a pond with stones around it.
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At my feet, the darker wolf shook its head like it was trying to kill my boot or take it off. It growled, reminding me of a puppy with a stuffed animal, but this was not cute. This was my foot, and I was damn lucky he hadn’t pierced through the shoe.With my free foot, I kicked the darker wolf in the snout, and a dark-beige wolf bounded toward me. The dark wolf jerked back, releasing the boot and dodging my second blow at his nose.Something had to give. We hadn’t even made it to Kel’s mansion, and Bodey and I were already injured.More wolves are coming, Reggie linked. Behind us.I tensed. Reinforcements were here. We should’ve known Kel was paranoid as fuck. Do you need us? I sure hoped they didn’t, but I refused to let my people and King Sutton’s be slaughtered.We’re fine, Reggie replied. Just wanted to let you know to watch your back.Another time, his choice of words might have been funny, but not with the dark-beige wolf breathing down my neck.Holstering my gun, I tried to rem
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The world moved in slow motion, and my wolf howled as I launched into action. I crashed into Bodey. As we went down, a sharp sting pierced the back of my shoulder.I’d been shot.Bodey’s panic flooded through me, his intensity dulling the pain.Gunfire from our group went off behind me, and Bodey rolled me over, his body covering mine.Dammit, Callie, he whimpered as he tried to cover every inch of my body. That was meant for me, not you.Snarls sounded as yet another fight broke out, but between my chest constricting in fear and Bodey, who lay on top of me, oxygen couldn’t fill my lungs.I need you to move, I grunted, trying to push him off me.He didn’t budge. No way in hell are you taking another bullet. You’re staying right where you are.Pain sliced through Bodey, strangling me as more weight pressed on my body as if a wolf was standing on top of my mate. Bodey tensed, and he groaned faintly, but he remained on top.Bodey! A scream strangled me, but I couldn’t release it since my
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Come on, Bodey linked, placing my dagger back into my hand and taking my other hand in his. We need to catch up.Your shoulder. I reached out to look at it, noting the blood coating his sleeve.I’ll heal. We need to focus. He cupped my cheek and kissed my lips.Miles appeared beside me. Let’s hurry before they get into trouble. Or we do.He was right. We were separated from everyone else.Tapping into my wolf, I took off, following the scent of our friends. A breeze picked up as we raced through the woods, the sounds of fighting echoing around us. We soon caught up with our group since they’d been running slower for the witches, and we settled back into a rhythm with them.We were getting worried, Samuel linked. Jack and Lucas were about to turn around.We’re fine, I assured him, not wanting to talk long. We dealt with the three wolves chasing us.Something cold tingled down my spine, and I turned to the right. The edge of a black dress caught my attention before it vanished behind a
