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

Chapter 32 - Ryder

Tess scrambled off him, racing for the window. Hayden, Finn, and Maverick left the house quickly. Ryder’s heart thrummed. His wolf howled, but it was shaking so badly from the freezing cold that enveloped him that it had no strength left. He growled as he kicked his feet free from the hastily-tied jeans and squirmed his hands from the belt. Tess hadn’t tightened it enough—no doubt because she was afraid of hurting him.

His wolf growled, longing to go out and fight. But even as that desire washed through him, a bolt of frost echoed from his bones. It made him groan in pain as he stumbled to his feet.

Tess turned. Her eyes widened. “Ryder—"

“I can’t help them,” Ryder growled through gritted teeth. He couldn’t because it would be betraying Jace. “The only thing I can do is protect you. I can get you out of here. That’s all I can do.”

He loved her too much for even the oath to bind him from her. His limbs felt as though he was turning to ice, but he still lunged forward. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward the door. Tess protested, but her words didn’t pierce through the sound of his drumming heart. All he wanted was to get her out of there. Get her to safety.

The demons had the roadway blocked. He was certain he’d heard them talking about it before he left the cave. Which meant the only way they had out of town was over the mountain.

Outside, the sound of howling and fighting filled the town. The rain grew thicker, and thunder boomed overhead. Ryder grabbed Tess’s face in his hands, trying to be gentle despite the desperation flowing through him.

“Tess, you have to believe me,” he said.

“Ryder, you’re being influenced by the demons—”

“I know. I know, and I can’t stop it. But you have to get out of here. You have to come with me. Please. Please, it’s the only way. If we don’t get away, I’m a dead man.” It was the only way she’d agree. She wouldn’t leave for herself but for him.

Tess’s eyes were wide. She held onto his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. The spark of warmth briefly drove back the ice in his veins, but it didn’t last long. She nodded. Relief washed through Ryder. He took her hand and led her through the last few houses before they reached the forest. There, Tess stripped quickly and shifted to her wolf form.

Ryder led the way from town. Taking her away from the fighting. Away from where Jace could get his hands on her. The further they got, the lighter Ryder felt. Lightning crashed overhead, the rainfall covering up any trace of their scent.

He lead her up the mountain. They reached a sheer, rocky incline—and Ryder froze. He knew this place. There was an almost-hidden cavity in the mountainside. Tess yipped in confusion, and Ryder padded into the cave, his limbs no longer listening to him.

Jace waited for them. The Demon Seed hung around his neck, and he smiled as Tess yelped in fear. The demons dodged behind them, blocking off her escape.

“Thank you, Ryder,” Jace drawled. “I knew I could count on you.”

All at once, Ryder understood. The demon influence on him. How he was able to lead Tess away from the town, even though taking her away and circumventing Jace’s plans would be a betrayal. He’d been so stupid. There was only so much ‘demon influence’ that could explain why he didn’t think this through.

Jace had been manipulating him all this time. The oath binding him played him like a puppet on its strings, bringing Tess to the bastard. And now it held him fast, not letting him move or growl as Jace smiled down at Tess.

“You might as well take your human form, both of you,” Jace said with a shrug. “It will make this less painful. And don’t worry, demons have no interest in the sexual nature of mortals except when it helps us manipulate you further.”

Ryder shifted to human form. It wasn’t a conscious choice. What the fuck was this? He didn’t swear he’d be obedient! Why did he not have full control over his own body? Was it a possession starting after all?

“Come now, Tess,” Jace said as he gazed down at her. “The easier you make this for me, the greater your chance of surviving this.”

Tess looked up at Ryder. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. The betrayal against her cut so deep. He wanted to beg her for forgiveness—after killing Jace—but he was still. The cold seemed to freeze him in place as Tess shifted to human form. He couldn’t move as Jace pulled a knife and pressed it to Tess’s stomach.

She cried out, trying to backpedal. Several more demons grabbed her arms, holding her in place.

“Ryder, please,” Tess cried.

“There’s no point in begging him,” Jace said, carefully cutting into her skin. “He touched the Seed. He swore an oath on it. If it weren’t for that talisman, he’d be dead. Now.” Jace popped the tiny talisman from under Tess’s skin. “There we go. Oh, I’m sorry about before, when I said you might survive—I lied.”

Ryder’s wolf howled. One arm jerked, and the cold pain burned through him, locking him in place. Jace held the Demon Seed aloft. Tess shrank back, screaming—a bolt of light shot from the orb, bursting toward Tess’s heart.

The light shattered like a mirror on concrete. The shards flickered and died.

“What?” Jace yelled.

Tess snarled. “You’re a fucking idiot if you think I wouldn’t have more of those talismans in me.”

Hope swept through Ryder. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Jace howled and struck at Tess. The blow sent her sprawling on the floor. The demons released her—a mistake. She shifted to wolve form at once and lunged at Jace’s throat. He snarled and sidestepped, but she was too quick. Her jaws clamped around his calf, and she shook her body hard, tearing the muscle.

One of the other demons leaped at her, and Ryder intervened at once, punching the demon in the face. His eyes widened. When another one came forward, he kicked it in the stomach.

He couldn’t fight Jace directly—but whatever the Oath had done, it still allowed him to take on the other demons. He could keep them off Tess’s back as she fought.

The knowledge swept through him, freeing his limbs from this awful cold. He shifted to his wolf form, tearing into his foes. Fur and blood spurted into the air. Jace roared in fury, and Tess yelped in pain. Ryder’s hackles rose, but he could only keep his body as a blockade. The pain from his previous beating made him slow. Teeth and claws tore into him from all sides.

“You bitch!” Jace howled. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were never born!”

Tess howled in pain.

The crack of a gun echoed in the cave. A whistle flew overhead, and everything went still. Ryder’s eyes lifted over the heads of his attackers. Elin, holding a handgun in both hands, stood near the cave entrance. She fired the gun rapidly, the echoing booms deafening Ryder. A bolt of red light laced the air. Static electric made his fur stand on end. And then it was over.

Ryder looked over his shoulder. Jace stood, the knife in hand. Blood dripped from it onto Tess’s body as she lay panting at his feet. But the Demon Seed was gone. Shards of glass lay scattered around as Jace stared down at himself. Blood soaked through his abdomen and shoulder.

The frosty tendrils winding their way around Ryder’s body disappeared. Warmth flooded back into him. His lungs expanded, feeling like he was breathing for the first time. His mind cleared. The demons started to circle, whining and twitching. A few of them sat on their haunches and stared straight ahead, heads jerking from side to side like some sort of sick mannequin.

Ryder didn’t stop to process all of this information. With a howl, he launched himself at Jace. The demon howled, slicing at him with the knife. He dodged the attack. Tess rolled to her feet and jumped into the air, her teeth snapping around Jace’s wrist.

Elin dropped the gun and shifted to her wolf form. She howled as she charged in, joining them. Jace shifted to his wolf form. He batted Tess away and slammed Ryder into the cave wall. Elin scooted under him and grabbed hold of his tail. As he twisted to grab at her, Ryder jumped on his back. He tore at Jace’s neck. Tess grabbed Jace’s leg and yanked him off his feet.

Together, the three of them tore into the big wolf until he stopped moving. With his last breath, the possessed wolves dropped like puppets. The red gleam in their eyes disappeared. A few of them pulled in a breath or two, but the rest sagged like a deflated balloon.

Ryder nosed Tess, worried about the blood staining her white fur. She licked his face.

But it wasn’t over yet. Ryder limped deeper into the cave to where the beast-demon nest was. Methodically, he crushed every egg. Once it was done, he returned to the women. They were just outside the cave now, in human form, using the rain to wash the grime of battle off their skin.

Ryder shifted to human form and stumbled to Tess’s arms. He pulled her tight into his chest, his heart hammering wildly. He looked over her shoulder to Elin, who sagged against the sheer cliffside.

“Thank you,” he said roughly.

Elin nodded, her eyes shut. “When I saw you taking her away, I knew something was wrong. So I followed.”

“And a good thing,” Ryder said. He gazed down at Tess, his heart nearly stopping when he thought of how close he’d come to losing her. “I’m sorry,” he croaked. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t think—”

“Shhh.” Tess kissed him wearily. “It’s over. There’s no space for regrets.”

Ryder smoothed her black hair from her face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I want to be your mate, Ryder. I’m sorry for not listening. I’m sorry for—”

Ryder cut her off with a kiss. “No space for regrets,” he murmured. “Let’s go home.”