LOGINShare
22
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 23
Three hours later, we were honoring the five fallen in the graveyard a mile away from the pack neighborhood. The witches had spelled the perimeter and healed Jack while Theo, Miles, Lucas, Samuel, and I, along with the families of the dead, had dug the graves. The former advisors had offered to help, but I’d sent them to check on everyone, hoping our assistance would help eliminate the distrust between this pack and the rest of the advisors.Stella had driven Stevie here, and once they arrived, it was time to bury the dead.Tears fell down Pearl’s cheeks while Mom completely broke down, and Stevie clung to Jack. I was damn thankful that Stevie had found her mate, even if they hadn’t completed their bond.When Zeke had tried to lead the memorial, Theo had shut him down. I’d thought I might have to intervene, but when Zeke saw me step toward him, he backed off. I assumed he didn’t want everyone to see me alpha-will him.I stayed strong until it came time to cover the dead, and then some
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 24
A deep groan came through the phone, the sound completely Bodey. “Like hell she will!”The queen laughed maniacally, and Jasmine winced beside me.“Aw, love. It’s so stupid.” The queen huffed. “I tried to warn you, Callie—er, Caroline.” She snickered at her mistake. “I told you it’s best if you cut your losses with your mate. Loving people is a weakness. Even against my better judgment, I tried to help you prepare for this day… but you didn’t listen.”Jack’s nostrils flared, and he took a few steps toward me. Miles and Lucas grabbed his shoulders, holding him back.What the fuck? Jack linked.Losing your cool won’t help. Miles squeezed his hand tighter. Let Callie handle it.Lucas nodded. Queen Kel doesn’t give a shit about you and your threats. You’ll only make things worse for Callie and Bodey.We were all on edge, which I assumed was the point.Pain blasted again, and my breath caught as Bodey whimpered. A sob lodged in my throat, and I tried to swallow it, but a faint yelp escaped
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 25
Lynerd broke through the group and came to my side. He glanced at me. Hey, we’re going to get Bodey back. I promise.I almost missed a step, but my wolf surged forward, helping me to catch my balance. I’m not sure you can promise that.He winked. It’s going to happen, and I want you to remember you owe me.I snorted, the sound surprising me. His confidence made it seem as if he knew something I didn’t. If you can get Bodey back to me, I’ll have no problem remembering that.The hairs stood on my neck. Were we being watched? We had to be getting close. If she’d brought ten men and one of them was watching me, he wouldn’t stray far.Just know it means a lot to me that you gave me this position. Lynerd rubbed his hands. Not many people would’ve done that. It would have been easier to hand things over to Theo, but you’re clearly like your father and don’t mind taking the hard road. I always respected him for that, even when it worked against me. I strive to be the same type of leader he wa
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 26
What are you doing? I linked, prying my hand from Kel’s grasp and spinning around.Lynerd’s jaw was set. I’m doing what’s necessary for my people and not taking the easy way out. His eyes remained on Kel as he continued, “It’s not Callie’s wolves. The wolves are from the Midwest pack.”The freezing water sloshed all over my shoes and the bottom of my jeans, soaking them as I marched toward Lynerd. I was going to kick his ass. He better hope nothing more happened to my mate.My wolf surged forward, ready to alpha-will his ass, and Lynerd snarled. His wolf surged forward too, his eyes glowing, reading my intent. Suddenly, his warm spot was gone.Two thousand others vanished too.He’d left my pack and taken all of Oregon with him.Cold fear and hot rage swirled inside me, the two emotions at war. He’d betrayed me and left us at Kel’s mercy.Lynerd just left the Northwest Territory, I linked with everyone. I was still trying to understand the repercussions. Don’t trust him.Fuck him, Jack
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 27
“Shit,” he groaned and threw his right elbow back.The taste of copper filled my mouth, and I gagged.Tell the former advisors to step back, Samuel linked.Unable to see what was going on, I obliged. Then gunfire went off behind me. My heart pounded. Miles and Samuel were well enough to use their guns. I wouldn’t be upset about that.My enemy bent forward and tried to flip me over his head, but I tightened my legs around him, hanging on for dear life.Vomit crept up my throat, and I hurled all over the enemy.“Get off me,” he snarled.More than happily, I rolled off him, and as I did, three wolves jumped on him.But Kel’s wolves had arrived too. I spun around and saw close to thirty racing toward us.Shit. My people were too weak to keep fighting.The former advisors grabbed guns from the dead guards, and our group turned toward the incoming threat.You’ve got to get out of here, Samuel linked.I must have misunderstood him. Not happening.I ran to the guard I’d vomited on—who was now
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 28
I’d almost believed I would never touch him again. A tear dripped off my chin before I realized I was crying.“He’ll be okay, right?” Jasmine’s voice broke. “He hasn’t stirred. Not even when the wolves almost knocked us over.”A lump lodged in my throat, and I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I said the only thing I could. “He’s a fighter. He’ll hang on, but we need to get him and several others to a healer. We’re all pretty bad off.”I looked out the back window. Carl and Samuel were racing toward Jack just as Michael hurried to the front passenger door and opened it. He pulled Jasmine into his arms and glanced into the back seat to examine his son, then frowned, which almost broke me.He normally emanated a sense of calm, but worry was written all over his face, and it rattled me. Fear coiled tightly in my chest.“Jasmine, can you drive?” Michael asked.“Uh…” She pulled back and glanced at me. “I can, but Bodey doesn’t like me driving his car.”I snorted. That sounded like my mate, an
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 29
Heart lurching into my throat, I was almost sick. Russell stood at the door, a few fading scratch marks on his neck and bare chest and a shirt tied around his waist. His skin was pale, and he was clutching his side.Between that and the fact I didn’t see any other wolves with him, my every limb shook, and I thought I might crumple under the pressure.My wolf surged forward, keeping me standing. Even though she couldn’t speak, the message was clear—we would not look weak.“Dad,” Katelin gasped as she stumbled over to him. “What’s going on?”If Katelin didn’t know, that was a bad sign.When she reached for him, he brushed her off. Her expression twisted into hurt, but he held up a hand.That was when I noticed the blood on his right side. It dripped from the shirt onto the wooden floor. He was hurt, and he’d been in wolf form. He’d shifted from one form to the other while it hadn’t been safe.“Please tell me you got the bullet out before you shifted.” If the bullet remained inside, it c
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 30
A warm jolt caressed my cheek, and I opened my eyes. The most gorgeous set of indigo irises stared back at me, and my breath caught. The color was back to normal, like the night sky, even though there were still dark circles under his eyes.I straightened, the world righting for the first time in days. I hadn’t realized how out of sync I’d been without him, and every cell in my body buzzed as if I’d been in a slumber with him away.“Hey,” he rasped, sounding as if he needed water. “Now this right here is exactly what I needed.” His hand brushed my cheek, which ached from how big I was smiling again.Releasing his hand, I started to stand to get him some water, but his hand tightened on mine. He linked, Where do you think you’re going?To get you something to drink. I didn’t want to think about how long he’d gone without sustenance.No. He grasped my hand. Don’t leave.My heart raced. I didn’t want to separate from him for a second, but I also wanted him to heal. It’ll only take a minu
Latest chapter
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 64
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 63
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 62
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 61
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.”“
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 61
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.
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 60
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 59
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
The Rejected Cursed Wolf 58
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
