Page 139 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

I no longer have to worry about being shunned or hurt every time I dare to enter town. There isn’t anything in the world that I’d trade this for.

Rose finds the path to the creek easily, veering us west instead of east this time. The sounds of running water pick up through the trees, along with the scent of something else drifting faintly along the breeze.

Grabbing Rose’s arm, I stop short, taking in a large lungful of air.

She turns to look at me. “What?”

“You smell that?”

She turns her nose up toward the trees overhead, breathing in too. “No—”

Something darts through the tree line, startling us both. My body crouches down toward the ground, readying myself to shift if it turns out to be more than just a prey animal passing through.

Outside of my eyes catching it for a second, there is no other sound that I hear moving through the brush surrounding us. Then, the scent grows stronger.

More familiar.

Rose lets out a growl, crouching too just as the figure steps into view.

“Delilah,” I breathe out, recognizing her instantly.

She sags in relief, her eyes pinning on me. “There you are.”

I run for her, completely ignoring Rose as she lets out a confused sound. Delilah darts forward, throwing her arms out to me and catching me when I all but launch myself at her. She laughs, stumbling back, her agile reflexes the only thing that keeps us both from tumbling into the dirt.

“I can’t believe it,” she says, squeezing me.

Tears roll down my eyes. This all feels like a dream—it can’t be real. There’s no way I’m hugging my best friend right now. In the flesh!

She pulls me back to look at me, laughing with her own watery eyes. “I knew it. I knew if I snuck over here, I’d find you.”

“What the hell are you doing here? Does Daniel know you’re here?”

She shakes her head. “No one knows.”

She traveled all this way to find me. How the hell she managed that all by herself, I’ll never know. Delilah’s always been scrappyand resourceful. If ever stranded on a deserted island, I’d choose her as my teammate any time.

“Uh…what the hell is going on?” Rose says from behind me.

“Shit,” I mutter and then turn to her. “Sorry. Delilah, Rose. Rose, this is my best friend Delilah, who I was telling you about.”

Rose nods slowly, still half in her stance while confusion is etched across her features. “How…did you get across the border?”

Delilah shakes her head and then focuses back on me. “Come on, we have to go.”

She tugs me forward, toward the trees.

“Wait, what?” My heels dig into the dirt. “I can’t go.”

“Raine, come on. We have to go before we’re caught.” She tugs on my arm again, a little harder this time.

But I’m shaking my head, still remaining planted in my spot. “I can’t.”

“It’s okay.” Her smile is kind, reassuring. Her hands come up to rub along my arms in that soothing manner she always uses when she needs to calm me down. “Everything will get figured out after we bring you home.”

“We?” Who the hell iswe?

Oh gods, is Daniel here with her? Did he put her up to this? My stomach clenches in fear.

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