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

Chapter 22 - Ryder

Ryder veered to the left while Finn went right, and Blayke continued straight on. The brimstone scent of the fucking demons was strong on the wind. They were getting closer. They’d finally had a trap that injured the big bastard. Ryder’s lips pulled back over his teeth, a growl rumbling in his throat. They’d catch him once and for all.

He burst through a raspberry bush, losing tuffs of fur to the thorns. The scent of blood hit his nose as the big wolf came into sight. A deep gash ran down his side, matting his fur with blood. Ryder put on a burst of speed, leaping at the big bastard.

Fury pulsed through him as he landed on the big wolf’s back. His jaws clamped down around his neck, and he shook his body. His teeth snagged on the leather strap, and it snapped. The big wolf threw him off and whirled, snarling as he snapped at his throat. Finn came in from the other side as Blayke dashed from the trees.

But even as the three surrounded the big wolf, a handful of possessed wolves burst through the trees. They all focused on Finn, chomping and clawing at him. Ryder had to abandon the fight with the big wolf to shove the demons away from Finn. Blayke snapped at the throat of one of the wolves and reared to his hind feet, clawing across another’s throat.

The big wolf dashed away, disappearing into the trees. Ryder howled his frustration as he focused on the attacking demons. He used the weight of his body to slam one into a tree, and it went down, whimpering before it lay still. Finn shifted rapidly from human to wolf form, dodging and ducking through them. He grabbed a rock and smashed it over the head of one before leaping onto the back of another and snapping its neck with his jaws.

A howl burst through the trees, and the demons scattered. One of them stooped to grab the Demon Seed that had fallen to the ground. Ryder went after it and grabbed hold of its hindquarters. The demon tossed the Seed; another demon caught it and took off into the woods. Then it turned and bit into Ryder’s face, teeth narrowly missing his eye.

Blayke attacked the last demon. They took it down quickly, but the other demons were gone. The big wolf was out of reach. Ryder growled, considering going after him. But they’d been running enough already, and when he glanced at his men, he saw both were heavily bleeding. The battle had been short but fierce.

If they pushed through now, they’d only be fighting increasing odds.

He hated turning back when they were so close, but it was the only intelligent thing to do. He snarled low in his throat as he turned back. They’d killed three of the demons, but two were still only unconscious. He nodded toward them and jerked his head toward town. These ones didn’t have the tell-tale red eyes. Maybe they were still able to be saved.

Finn shifted to human form again and used the ropes he’d brought to tie up the demons. Ryder’s tail cricked in annoyance. It would be useful if they could all bring things with them when they shifted.

The three of them dragged the two wolves back to town and threw them into the holding cells for the exorcism to be performed later.

At the Alpha’s house, they stopped in the mud room so Blayke and Ryder could dress before reporting. Blayke poked at one of his injuries and grimaced.

“You know, something occurred to me today,” he said in a conversational tone.

Ryder rolled his eyes. “And what’s that?”

“The demons know Finn here is our secret weapon, yeah?” Blayke awkwardly slapped a piece of gauze over his bite wound. Finn knocked away his hand and taped it into place.

“So what?” Finn snapped.

“Well, they came after you this time, but they’re not doing much to specifically target you,” Blayke said with a shrug. “I wonder why. We’d be fucked without you. So I wonder if there’s a reason why they avoid you. Like, maybe they’re scared of you or something.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “More likely, they don’t think I’m enough of a threat to bother with.”

Blayke pulled a shirt over his head. “I dunno. They can’t keep their clothes when they shift back and forth. So you do have something over them.”

“Har, har,” Finn grunted.

“Knock it off,” Ryder said. He led the way into the house, to where Hayden waited for them. He gave a rundown of the events, rolling his tense shoulders every so often. It pissed him off that they’d gotten so close. And they hadn’t even managed to take that fucking Demon Seed off the demons!

Hayden steepled his fingers as he finished the report. A heavy frown darkened his face.

“He’s more clever than we gave him credit for,” Hayden said. “I’m going to take over the point on this mission.”

Ryder stiffened. “What?”

“I’m taking over the hunt,” Hayden repeated.

Ryder jumped to his feet. Heat swept through his chest, a crackling ball of electricity. “You can’t do that! I’m fully capable of this job.”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed. “It’s decided.”

“I’m not letting you kick me off my own mission,” Ryder snarled. “If you think you can do this better than me—”

Hayden’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. He grabbed Ryder by the back of his neck and dragged Ryder from the room. He pulled him through the hallway to a closet up a little way. Slamming the doors behind them, Hayden turned to him.

“What the fuck was that? You can’t argue with the Alpha in front of the men,” Hayden snarled at him. He folded his massive arms. “We’ve had our share of disagreements, but you’ve never acted like an idiot before. What’s got into you?”

Ryder glared at the shelves of cleaning supplies—the whole closet stank of various chemicals.

Hayden growled, and Ryder’s wolf growled in response. He never liked being pushed around, even if his natural inclination was to submit to the Alpha. Ryder closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath, trying to clear the tight ball in his chest. Hayden was right—his behavior was idiotic. The last thing they needed was to fall apart while those fucking demons were still out there.

“I apologize for my behavior,” he grunted.

Hayden shook his head. “Not good enough. You tell me what the fuck is going on here, Ryder.”

“I… it’s personal,” Ryder grunted. He hadn’t told anyone about Tess being pregnant and her subsequent rejection.

It still burned. It was as though she’d taken a branding iron and stamped her words into his chest. Was this how it felt when he rejected her all those years ago? If it hurt even half as much as this did, he now understood why it took her so long to start civil with him.

If she’d only give him a chance to prove himself… But she’d said no.

Ryder ran a hand through his hair, nearly elbowing Hayden in the process. “I don’t know if it’s my place to share.”

Hayden squinted at him like he was trying to peer into his skull. “Whatever it is, it’s affecting your ability to do your job. So it’s your place to explain yourself.”

“Tess is pregnant.”

Hayden’s eyebrows rose. “Oh.”

Ryder grunted. “I asked her to be my mate. She rejected me.”

Hayden shifted from foot to foot, staring at the floor now. “Ah. I see. Well, that... that sucks. Did you ask her why?”

“No. She started crying and left. I haven’t talked to her since then.”

“When did it happen?” Hayden asked.

Ryder winced. “Two days ago. I honestly thought you’d know already. Thought Tess would tell Mica, and Mica would tell you.”

“We don’t share other people’s secrets without their permission,” Hayden rumbled. He awkwardly patted Ryder’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that you’re having to go through that. I hate to say it, but this might be for the best.”

“The best?” Ryder repeated. He lifted his head. “She’s my true mate, Hayden. I don’t know why I’ve been so blind all these years. There’s nobody else. There’s only her.”

“And did you tell her that?”

Ryder opened his mouth and closed it again. Wasn’t it obvious?

Before he could figure out his own thoughts, Hayden shook his head. “What I mean is that this might give us an edge in our battle against the demons.”

“How?”

Hayden rubbed the back of his neck. “Because it’s going to give you an excuse to run off and play the vengeful jilted lover. If there’s one thing that the demons will believe, it’s that a man wants revenge on the woman who rejected him.”

Ryden studied his Alpha, his mind whirling. “I don’t understand.”

“We need inside information. We need to know exactly what the demons want,” Hayden said. “I have a plan for how to get you integrated into them, but I won’t force you to accept the mission. If it goes awry, it will cost you your life.”

Ryder straightened. It wasn’t unusual to risk his life day in and out fighting the demons. If this was a plan that would get them the answers they needed… “Tell me the plan. I’ll do it.”