The Wolf’s Pregnant Rejected Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #2)

Chapter 3 - Tess

Tess’s heart thrummed, a painful beat echoing in her injuries. Adrenaline searched through her as the striped wolf turned toward her. He was easily three times as big as she was! All her muscles trembled, wanting to run. But there was nowhere to run to. Ryder stood bristling beside her. She wanted to tell him to run, to save himself.

He burst forward in a flurry of speed, going straight for the big wolf. Tess yelped, stumbling after him. She could help, provide a distraction to help him get away. There were too many of them, but he wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for her—

The big wolf leaped aside. He let out a rolling growl, sounding like laughter. Ryder went for him again, and he wheeled about and dashed away. The rest of the wolves turned tail, disappearing as quickly as they had arrived. Tess stumbled over her own feet, relief, confusion, and exhaustion all warring through her. Her legs trembled, and she sank to the ground.

Her sides heaved, and her muscles remained tense. But all her strength seemed to have fled with the demon-possessed wolves. Why had they run? Maybe the rest of the special ops were coming. She’d been so concentrated on the situation she hadn’t noticed any howls.

Ryder stood over her, his ears twitching as he scanned the trees. Several silent minutes ticked by before he took his human form. His tall, muscular body loomed over her. Utterly naked. Tess averted her eyes, fighting the insane interest her wolf showed. How could she think about things like that when they had just narrowly avoided being torn to shreds?

“What do you think you’re doing, going this deep into the forest by yourself?” Ryder scolded.

Tess’s head snapped up. She took her human form, kneeling and crossing her arms over her chest. It put her right at eye-level to his… she thrust the thought away and glared at him. “I didn’t! They chased me out here. I wasn’t that far from town when they—”

Ryder stooped. With one solid motion, he grabbed her around the waist. Heat flared beneath her skin as his shoulder drove into her stomach. He picked her up, her naked body draped over his shoulder. Tess yelped. She expected him to stumble, to drop her, and grabbed hold of his waist to steady herself.

He began striding through the trees, grumbling. “Demons all around, and you have to go wandering out in the forest by yourself. No doubt everyone will blame me.”

Tess couldn’t think to protest. She clung to him, her body on fire. She’d never had this much skin pressed to another body. Despite the situation that brought her here, she stared at Ryder’s toned ass, watching the muscles work in wonder. Her stomach tightened as her breasts pressed against his back.

Goddess! Here she was, being carried through the forest like a sack of potatoes. He was still scolding her. And all she could think was how wonderful his naked ass looked.

Nope. Not today. Those hormones weren’t going to win!

“Put me down,” she demanded, her voice strangely breathless. “I can get back to town in my wolf form.”

“We’re not going to town,” he grunted.

Tess pressed her hands against his lower back— not too far, goddammit! —and tried to push herself up. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a safehouse nearby that’s warded against the demons,” Ryder said in his rough voice. “We’re going there to take care of your injuries and assess the situation before you get yourself even more beat up.”

From anyone else, that might sound like concern. Tess knew better than to think Ryder was worried about her, though. His tone said it all. He was annoyed with her and didn’t want to be left defending her if the possessed wolves came back.

She squirmed on his shoulder, trying to maneuver herself off. His arm was tight around her waist, holding her in place. The feeling of her skin sliding against his, the friction between them, only made her even more embarrassed. If she could feel the hard planes of his muscles, that meant he could feel the squish of her rolls.

“Put me down,” she insisted, holding her feet in the air. She thought about bracing them against his hip to push off, but what if she got a little too far down and to the side?

The last thing she needed right now was to give Ryder an accidental foot job.

To her relief, Ryder heaved her off his shoulder. He put her on her feet. But before she could steady herself, one of his hands was on her hip, the other on her shoulder. He pressed her back, pushing her against a tree—the rough bark bit into her skin. Tess yelped, covering herself automatically. She lifted a knee, keeping it between them.

Ryder didn’t try to close the distance, though. His eyes flashed as he glared into her face. “Just do as I say.”

His voice was layered with authority and dominance. Tess’s heartbeat pounded, and her wolf howled in delight. This was exactly what she wanted. To be pushed up against a tree, his strong, hot body so close to hers. She wanted someone to desire her so much that they couldn’t hold themselves back. Her knees went weak. The leg she’d lifted to keep his from her lowered to the ground. Now she wanted him closer. Wanted him to touch her in ways she had never been touched.

And Tess hated how much she wanted it. This was the man who rejected her. She should be over him already! She shouldn’t want him so badly. And yet, if he kissed her right now, she’d let him do whatever he wanted with her body.

Focus , she told herself. Her hormones were getting in the way, but she was a grown woman, dammit! She wasn’t going to let him get under her skin. She let out a shaky breath and forced herself to think about the situation. She wasn’t sure how far they were from town; the possessed wolves had chased her for some time before they cornered her. And who knew when they planned to come back.

Realistically, she didn’t have a choice. She had to go with him.

“All right,” she said reluctantly.

She lifted her chin, calling on her inner reserves of strength. Just because it was an impossible situation didn’t mean she had to be cowed by it. “I want my clothes, though. I’m not running around the forest with you naked like this.”

Annoyance flashed in Ryder’s eyes, but he stepped back. “There are clothes at the cabin. We can continue in our human form for the time being. We’ll have to climb over some large stones that are difficult to traverse in wolf form.”

Tess nodded silently. She didn’t like the idea and would prefer to be in wolf form where her fur and tail could cover her, but there wasn’t much point in arguing.

They got to the rocks soon enough. Tess’s eyes widened when she saw the construction. A smallish cabin sat atop a hill, which had been covered in closely packed and uneven boulders. It looked treacherous, even more so by the sheer incline. Ryder was right, no wolf would be able to scale that.

“I can’t climb up that,” she protested. She was already out of breath from the chase to getting here.

Ryder grunted. “I’ll boost you.”

“Give me a minute.” She sat on a rock, grimacing at the cold feel beneath her. She crossed her legs and arranged her arms to cover herself as best as she could. “Why did those demons come after me?”

Ryder stood with his back to her, watching the forest. “They were probably trying to possess you. It’d be a blow to Mica to lose you, and anything that hurts the Luna hurts the pack.”

He was so flippant about it. Tess’s stomach tightened. That’s what she thought. They had been herding her, and there had been a few times when they could have done more damage than they did. She stared at the bleeding bite marks on her legs and felt others pull on her back and shoulders. They’d been trying to weaken her, not kill her.

A shudder ran down her spine, and she jumped to her feet. Despite her exhaustion, all she wanted was to get into the cabin and be safe from the demons.

Ryder was quiet as he laced his fingers together, giving her a place to step. He boosted her up, but it was still difficult for Tess to drag herself up each layer of rock. When they reached the top, her heart pounded, and her lungs ached.

The cabin was smaller than it had seemed from below. It had one bedroom, little more than a roof, and four walls. A few bundles were tucked away in the rafters.

Ryder pulled down one of the bundles. “Extra clothes.”

He tossed them at her. Tess gratefully shook out the bundle. But her relief quickly died away. As she sorted through the pants and shirts, one thing became very, very clear. None of these were going to fit her. She bit back on the bitter taste in her mouth and chose the largest pair of jeans.

They came to mid-thigh and wouldn’t go any further. The biggest T-shirt made a ripping noise as she tried to push her arms through. There was nothing stretchy, nothing that she could try to make work.

“Is there anything else?” she tried, fighting to keep her voice even. How was it that the special ops, with their huge muscles and powerfully built bodies, were all smaller than she was?

“No.” Ryder had already dressed and was looking over a handful of what appeared to be electronics. He didn’t so much as glance at her. “Sorry, there isn’t anything more girly for you.”

The gruff, sarcastic remark cut deep. Tess clutched the T-shirt to her chest, the pants laying across her lap in an attempt to give her some modesty. How could he stand there and be so cruel? This wasn’t a shopping trip where she could only find muumuus or giant, gaudy floral patterns to cover her body with.

There was nothing. It was either to tie these clothes around herself or be naked.

Her hands shook as she started trying to make something work. But everything crashed down on her at once. He rejected her even when she’d been young, thin, and beautiful. So why would he give a single flying fuck now?

Before she knew it, tears were leaking down her face. Sobs ran through her body, no matter how hard she fought them.

“Are you crying?” Ryder demanded.

Tess turned away. Great. Now, he was going to yell at her again.