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

Chapter 26 - Ryder

The full moon was bright that night. So bright that even with the dense canopy overhead, Ryder could see everything clearly. So far, there was no sight of any of the demons. He knew they were there, though, trailing after him. Every now and then, he caught their scent in the wind. It made his fur stand on end, but he kept moving forward.

He limped every time he put his weight on his back left leg. Stick blood matted his fur in place, but he’d heal soon enough. If the demons were curious enough to find out what he was doing out here.

The pack meeting had gone exactly as planned. The pregnancy reveal, Tess’s rejection, the challenge, and the fight. He and Hayden had been fierce. They needed to sell it, so Ryder had only fled after he was injured.

Hopefully, the demons wouldn’t think he was easy pickings and take him out.

The last thing he’d seen before he raced from the town was Tess’s expression. Tears streamed down her face as she leaned into Mica’s side. Their eyes had met briefly, and she called his name. For a heartbeat, he wanted to throw away all their carefully laid plans. He wanted to run to her, fall to his knees, and beg her to forgive him and at least try to make it work as mates.

A shiver ran down his spine.

***

Hayden stood at the front of the pack, his expression grim as he explained the restrictions he was putting in place for the pack’s safety. “Until we can destroy the Demon Seed, nobody is permitted to leave the protected grounds without a talisman. We will be putting down a second protective ring to keep the demons further away from town. In the meantime, we must keep hope. Are there any questions?”

Ryder kept his expression blank as he stood by his Alpha. The pack shifted uneasily. Monroe’s Beta, Spencer, scowled at the back of the room. His three daughters sat nearby; Ryder didn’t understand why they kept looking out for him, especially after he’d nearly forced his oldest, Rachel, to mate Monroe. He didn’t look at Elin, who sat near the three women.

That was until she stood up. Her expression was nervous but determined. “Alpha, why all this doom? Why can’t you share good news with us as well?”

“Good news?” Hayden repeated, arching an eyebrow.

“That your Beta has taken Tess as his mate, and they’re expecting a child,” Elin declared. Her tone was the perfect lilt of hopefulness.

Ryder hissed through his teeth, his head snapping toward Tess as though this was the first he’d heard of it. She sat rigidly next to Mica.

Hayden rumbled in his throat. “Ryder?”

Ryder didn’t answer. He could only stare at Tess, enveloped by her beauty. He knew he needed to speak, to say that they weren’t mates but that he wanted her. The words wouldn’t come. Because as soon as he did, she’d reject him again. His wolf growled. He ignored it, savoring these last few seconds when where he could pretend that Tess might love him.

***

He shook the memories off as he came to a stream. There wasn’t any point in dwelling on his own angst here. Once this whole fucking disaster was over, he and Tess would be able to talk. Making love didn’t mean that she had changed her mind. So, there wasn’t any point in trying to think of ways to give him a shot.

No use in wondering how she’d react if he told her he loved her.

Bushes rustled around him. The scent of brimstone grew stronger, and Ryder lifted his head, growling slightly. He turned to find the demon pack blocking his way back to town. They circled out, giving him a wide berth, as they cut off all points of escape.

The big wolf stepped through the bushes like the overdramatic bastard he was. He cocked his head as he started to trot around Ryder. The Demon Seed pulsed with light, casting a bloody glow over the circle of demons. Ryder braced himself, watching and waiting for the big bastard to attack.

The wolf paused, then shifted to human form. The mingled light from the moon and Demon Seed made getting a good look at his face difficult, but Ryder didn’t recognize him. He was a tall man with shoulders wide as an axe handle and as solid as a brick wall. Twin scars ran down the left side of his face. One of the scars ended at the corner of his mouth, making him look like he was smirking.

He’d kept his clothes and wore a billowing white shirt and leather pants that made Ryder think of a pirate. He let out a soft growl of surprise. Here, they’d been assuming that the wolf was a demon. But if he kept his clothes the same way Finn did, it indicated that he was a half-demon, too. That changed things.

Why were the aura demons following the lead of a half-demon? Ryder narrowed his eyes, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Hello, Ryder,” the man said pleasantly. His honey-blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. “Allow me to introduce myself finally. My name is Jace. I must admit, I was surprised to hear what went down at the pack meeting tonight.”

Ryder glanced at the surrounding demons. There were two gaps in the circle, so obvious in the otherwise tightly packed barrier that they had to be tempting him on purpose.

He shifted to human form, narrowing his eyes at Jace. “What do you want?”

“You mean, why haven’t I ordered my people to kill you?” Jace chuckled. “Why would I do that? Your team has been a thorn in my side. Why would I give up a prize like you wandering around my territory so easily?”

“If you’re looking for information, you’ll be sorely disappointed,” Ryder said. His wolf urged him to attack, but he held himself back. This was the most dangerous part—he had to play the line. Don’t make it so easy that they’d be suspicious, but give crumbs, too.

Jace continued to walk around him, his hands clasped behind his back. “You want that girl as your mate, yes? I can make it happen. So long as you do as I say.”

“I don’t take orders from demons or even half-demons,” Ryder spat.

Jace lifted an eyebrow toward his hairline. “What makes you think I’m only half-demon? Oh, is it because of the little trick of keeping my clothes while shifting? It’s not a matter of being half or full or anything like that, Ryder. Funny how your little hybrid friend doesn’t even know the extent of his own power. It’s a shame I’ll have to destroy him and the rest of your special ops team. I think I know who his father is.”

Ryder paused, drawn to a halt. Finn didn’t even know who his parents were. Didn’t know if it was his mother or his father that had been the demon. He’d never spoken about it or said he wanted to know.

Would he want to find out? Would he want to meet them if his wolf parent was still alive?

He shook himself. This was just a distraction. He had to stay focused. “And just what do you think you’re going to get from me, huh?”

“I’m interested in how far pride is willing to take a disgraced Beta,” Jace said, stroking his clean-shaven chin. “So I’ll give you a choice. Surrender and follow me, or be torn to shreds.”

Ryder grinned as he met the demon’s eye. “Go to hell.”

Jace laughed. “I’ve been there, thanks. This place is much more pleasant. I think I’ll stay.”

He stepped back and snapped his fingers. As one, the gathered demons bolted for Ryder. Before the first attack, he barely had time to shift back to wolf form. Fuck! He snarled as he twisted, driving them away from him. But there were so many. Every time he managed to grab one, another was on him. They were relentless, biting and buffeting him this way and that.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Had he made a mistake by challenging Jace? Should he have done more to make it seem like he was more open to revenge? His injury hampered him, and he disappeared under a pile of fur and gnashing teeth. Their weight forced him to his belly, and he rocked his body, throwing them off. They had another thing coming if they thought he would go down that easily!

“Careful, don’t kill him,” Jace called over the sound of snarls and growls. “I still have use for him.”

Ryder was crushed to the ground. He bit hard on the nearest wolf. Blood filled his mouth, but it wasn’t enough. Within moments, he’d been immobilized. Several of the demons shifted to human form and retrieved ropes from the surrounding forest. They lashed Ryder tightly, completely binding him.

Jace crouched over Ryder, his long ponytail falling over his shoulder. “We’ll see how you take orders once you learn the rewards of following a demon.” He patted Ryder’s head like a dog and laughed again as he stood.

He shifted back to wolf form, the Demon Seed flaring brighter as he did so. Then he loped off into the forest. The demons grabbed hold of the ropes, binding Ryder and dragging him along. It felt as though they found every rock and tree root to bang him up against as they followed their leader.

Ryder growled low in his chest, holding onto the image of Tess’s lips on his, the feel of her body against him. These bastards would kill her and their baby if they had a chance.

So long as she got out unscathed, it would be worth it. He just had to play his part. For her.