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

Chapter 28 - Ryder

The blindfold was ripped roughly off Ryder’s head. The ropes fell away from his body, and he was shoved forward. His paws prickled as the blood rushed into them. The light was surprisingly bright, and he blinked several times as his eyes adjusted. He was in a cave of some sort, with a handful of electric lights hung up on the walls.

The demons had put him in a cage. It was barely long enough for him to stand in his wolf form, but it was tall enough that he could stand in human form. He shifted to stand, peering around himself to get a better idea of what the layout was.

A wooden floor had been built over the cave floor. The walls were smooth, with cubbies carved into the rock every so often. LED lanterns sat in these cubbies, casting out light. The air was chill. A disgusting mix of brimstone, blood, and rot assaulted his nostrils. The source of the rot came quickly; a beast-demon nest lay cradled in the back of the cave. What appeared to be electric blankets lay over them, with long wires leading below the floorboards.

If Ryder strained, he could hear the hum of a generator. The demons were better set up than any of them had anticipated. A handful of the aura demons lingered nearby in their hosts.

“I was expecting more of a welcoming party,” Ryder drawled. “Considering that Sebastian talked such a big game the last time I saw him.”

Jace chuckled from where he stood next to the cage. He pushed a bundle of clothes through the bars. “Ah, yes. Sebastian. It was quite impressive, don’t you think? Unfortunately, the experiment didn’t quite… stick. But there’s still use for him.”

He gestured toward the pile of rotting corpses making up the beast-demon nest. If it weren’t for the color of the fur, Ryder wouldn’t have recognized the mess as the wolf that had once been Sebastian.

Ryder shook out the clothes and pulled on a pair of jeans. “I’m supposed to act shocked and horrified for the man whose life got cut short. But he was always a bastard.”

He shrugged as he tugged on the shirt. The jeans were covered in sequences and glitter, while the pink shirt featured a cartoon strawberry blowing a kiss. Clearly, Jace was trying to humiliate him by putting him in feminine clothes. Ryder rolled his eyes. How pathetic.

“So where did this host of yours come from?” he asked, waving a hand at Jace. “If you’re not half-demon.”

“I don’t know. The body was dead when I found it, so I just… moved in. Lost all its memories, though.” Jace inspected his hands. “It’s a fine form though, don’t you think?”

“If you’re into that sort of thing,” Ryder answered dryly. He leaned against the cage door nonchalantly. “So. You clearly aren’t after killing me. What do you want?”

Jace grinned. “That’s what I like about you wolf shifters. You’re always so blunt and to the point. And Bluebell Valley is so easy to manipulate to do what I want. Just look at how you’re all quivering inside your town. Your Alpha sending his teammates after us. Trying to catch us, as though there won’t be more to take the place of every demon that you do get rid of.”

He tapped the Demon Seed still hanging around his neck.

Ryder opened his mouth, but Jace cut him off. “You’re not here to ask questions, Ryder. You’re here to answer them.”

“You haven’t asked any questions.”

“How much salt do you have left in town?” Jace’s tone was casual, as though they were discussing the weather.

Ryder shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m not in charge of our pantry needs.”

“And the weakest parts in the protective circle?”

Ryder chuckled. “Yeah, that’s not something I’m going to tell you. Just because Hayden is a fucking asshole doesn’t mean I’m going to put the rest of the pack in danger of possession.”

“You misunderstand. I’m not looking to turn the Bluebell Valley pack into a pack of demons. If all the wolves were demons, it would be hell on Earth. The point of this is that I want to get away from hell. Unlike some others, I don’t want to have to deal with demons that will constantly be looking to stab me in the back.” Jace chuckled as he shook his head. “Wolves are loyal creatures. They are naturally inclined to submit to the strongest one among them. Which makes them perfectly suited to be servants.”

“Servants? Or slaves?” Ryder demanded.

Jace shrugged. “There’s always room for people with ambition in my ranks. But there is always a need for someone to be at the bottom rung, isn’t there? So people can see what happens to them if they disobey.”

Ryder narrowed his eyes. What Jace was saying to him sounded very much like an offer and threat. “What are you after, really? To carve out the Bluebell Valley pack so you can be Alpha? Seems like an awful lot of trouble to come after a pack that knows about demons when there are others more vulnerable out there.”

“Does it?” Jace smirked.

“Yeah. I don’t believe a word you’re saying. You’re trying to get Zealuv. You want to free him. You’ve tried already to get his prison out of town.” Ryder leaned back from the cage door. “He’s what you’re after, not ruling the pack.”

Jace chuckled as he shook his head. “You’re right. I do want to get Zealuv’s prison. And that is where you come in, Ryder. If you help me get his containment out of the town, then I will help you overthrow Hayden. I’ll put you as Alpha of the Bluebell Valley pack.”

“And then get slaughtered once you free the archdemon? I don’t think so,” Ryder spat.

“You misunderstand. Zealuv took hold of Alpha Monroe because he was trapped and had no body himself. But when I’m done, he won’t need a physical body. It’s much better to have your pack lulled in complacency.” Jace shook his head again. “If I’m going to present the world with a new god for them to follow, I need to start with a group of loyal followers to start with. You will be a lieutenant, a shining example of the blessings that come with bowing to us.”

Ryder schooled his expression carefully. This was it. He sensed the lynchpin was in place. One wrong move, and it’d all come undone. He needed to use this to get Jace to think he was interested but not give away his cards. He had to play the part of loyal to the pack while innately self-serving.

“The others in the special ops team would never agree to that,” he said slowly. “And I have a responsibility to the pack. I might be fucking sick of Hayden’s ordering and the bastard acting as though he’s the only one that knows anything. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just roll over.”

“How many of those teammates of yours stepped in to defend you when you were humiliated in front of the pack?” Jace challenged. “How many of them stood up for you last year when you were lying on the brink of death? Did they even visit you on your deathbed?”

Ryder snorted. “You’re acting as though I want to be Alpha. I only challenged the bastard because I’m sick of him. Responsibility to the pack is one thing, but dealing with all their shit? I don’t want them thinking I’m there to solve all their problems.”

“Interesting.” Jace stroked his chin. “See, I’m not sure if I believe you. You wolves can be funny. Stubborn. You could simply be telling yourself that you don’t want to be the Alpha through whatever lingering misplaced loyalty you have. But even if you don’t want to be Alpha, I know what you do want.”

The grin that spread over Jace’s face sent a shiver down Ryder’s spine. He forced himself not to react as Jace leaned in close, pressing his face to the bars.

“You want Tess. You want her so badly that being denied her made that loyalty of yours snap. And before you start droning about not wanting a woman that doesn’t want you, save it.” He chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. “Because even if that’s true, then you still want her to survive. Serve me, and I’ll ensure she remains unharmed. When I’ve gotten what I want, she will be perfectly untouched.”

There was something about the way he was speaking. Ryder narrowed his eyes. “ She will be. But what’s the catch? Nothing is ever straightforward with you, demons.”

Jace shrugged and drew back. “Four people performed the ritual to trap Zealus. Tess, Mica, Echo, and Elin. So they are all necessary for the ritual I wish to perform when I regain Zealuv.”

Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest. “What ritual is that?”

“You wouldn’t understand its intricacies. But I don’t need to destroy them, you see. They now have markers in their blood that will be passed on through the generations, keeping Zealuv locked away. His prison won’t start to degenerate until after the last of their descendants die,” Jace said slowly, keeping his eyes locked on Ryder. “I just need access to that marker. Losing a few drops of blood won’t be enough to hurt anyone.”

“Don’t think that I’m that stupid,” Ryder growled. “What you’re saying is that if I serve you, you’ll spare Tess. By using her baby in your ritual rather than her.”