Page 114 of Rejected By the Alpha

A roar ripped through the darkness, and before the wolf could attack me, someone slammed into his side, sending him at least thirty feet in the distance. The wolf stood in front of me, his eyes glowing red and his muscles rippling.

The wolf from last night. The man with the red eyes.

My eyes widened, and I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding. “You …”

He turned around, teeth still bared at his packmate.

“You did this,” I whispered, tears burning my eyes. “I told you that Cade didn’t …”

I wanted to continue, but I … but I knew he wouldn’t listen. I had told him this last night, pleaded with him to leave Cade alone, and now Cade was gone from Black Hollows because this wolf didn’t care.

Why did I ever think he would?!

Chest tightening, I turned on my heel and ran, just like Cade had instructed. I wouldn’t be able to escape him, but if he had wanted to capture me, then he would’ve done it last night. No, he wanted his packmate back, and if he had to start a war, then he would.

My issue was with … Cade’s pack.

They might’ve protected this forest, but they sure as hell would do anything to protect themselves, too, and if they caught me in the middle of this battle, then they might mistake me as an enemy. So, I pumped my legs as hard as they would go.

On the entire run back home because I didn’t know where else I could go that wasn’t plagued with battle right now, I passed dead bodies, corpses still spewing blood, wolves with entire limbs ripped off. My throat tightened, but I continued on.

Davix’s pack was probably swarmed with wolves from Braveclaw, hoping to find their leader and the wolf from the Crimson Order, to end this war right here and right now. I couldn’t go there. Besides, he wouldn’t want me.

He had told me this was over, and I wanted to finally believe⁠—

A whimper, too small to be from a wolf, stopped me in my tracks. I scanned the forest and saw Daisy standing over Pumpkin, who had been slashed through the stomach. A shriek left my mouth, and I sprinted over to them, scooping Pumpkin’s lifeless body into my arms.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Ember

“No!” I cried, my shrieks echoing through the woods. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!”

Cade had disappeared. Pavel was gone. A war plagued Black Hollows.

And one of my friends wasn’t breathing.

After stumbling to my feet with Pumpkin in my arms, I ran through the woods, heading in the direction of Davix’s pack. I didn’t know if I would—or could—make it there safely without anyone attacking me, but I had to try.

I didn’t know the first thing about healing someone with wounds like this, but Hazel did.

Could Hazel even save her? Or was she too far gone?

Daisy ran after me, sprinting quickly just to keep up. Blood rolled down my arms and onto the forest floor. Wolves howled in the distance. I pumped my legs faster and harder, desperate to make it there as soon as humanly possible.

To my surprise, Davix’s property was the quietest in the entire Black Hollows that I had been to tonight, the howls deep in the distance. I ran past one of the guards who tried to stop me and headed straight for the packhouse.

I only made it halfway before I spotted Davix storming toward me.

“Ember, what are you doing here?” he snarled.

“Please,” I sobbed, tears running down my cheeks. I dropped to my knees and held out Pumpkin toward him so he could see her injuries. “I know you hate me. I know you never want to see me or mate me or love me, but please, help me.”

I couldn’t look him in the eye, couldn’t even look up toward him. I didn’t want to see the disgust on his face, couldn’t bear to see him tell me no, to tell me to get out of here and to never come back, to reject me.

My chest tightened, and my stomach folded in the center, my arms trembling. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. Pumpkin can’t die before I do. She’s … she’s one of the only friends I have left. Please, Davix. I’ll do anything.”

Before I knew it, Davix grabbed Pumpkin from me, placing her in one arm and me in the other. Then he hurried toward the packhouse, his pace swift. My body was shaking uncontrollably, sobs escaping my mouth.