Page 77 of Rejecting his Mate

“How the hell did they find us so fast?” Sawyer demands, his question aimed at no one in particular.

Wyatt grabs his jacket and ushers us toward the counter. The server looks up as we approach, his smile fading as he realizes none of us are doing the same.

“Is everything okay for you guys?”

Cade doesn’t give him pleasantries. “Is there a back way out?”

The server blinks, surprise registering on his face. “Um, there’s a staff entrance, but it’s for staff only.”

“Show me.” This man might not be wolf, but he reacts to the alpha vibes in Cade’s voice.

“I really shouldn’t...” He says this even as he leads us through the door. “I could lose my job.”

“You don’t show us a way out of here,” Jackson mutters, “you’re going to have a bloodbath on your hands.”

The server blanches, all color fading from his face. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Not if you do exactly as you’re told,” Sawyer says, glancing behind us as we hurry through the back of the building.

My heart is hammering, and my gut is rolling. I know my body is shaking with fear. I have only seen snapshots of hunters in play, but I remember how scared I was and how scared my mom was. I wish I could remember more, like how to fight them. I try to push through the block in my mind, hoping I can save myself and the others using magic, but I feel nothing. There is no warmth, no buzz of power.

I am just little Halle, the wolf who is not really a wolf, and the witch who is not really a witch. I am nothing, just baggage to everybody around me.

I stumble over my feet, and Wyatt steadies me, pushing me to keep me moving. The hallway stops in front of a metal loading bay door. It is on a chain, and he starts to tug it. The door rises, but it is not fast enough for Cade, who shoves the man aside and pulls it himself. As soon it is high enough, Wyatt bends and ducks under it. Jackson goes next, and Sawyer pushes me.

“You next,” he says.

I glance at the two brothers, both of whom I have come to care for dearly. “We’re right behind you,” Cade tells me.

It’s enough to get me moving. I duck under the door too, and take a quick appraisal of where we are. There is a large area presumably for trucks and vans to deliver goods to the restaurant. There is a car parked against the wall, and a couple of big overflowing dumpsters. Beyond that is a gate, the iron railings spaced apart enough that we can see the street beyond.

Cade takes my hand as he reaches me, and I check to make sure Sawyer is with us as we rush toward the gate.

I stumble alongside Cade, trying to keep up with his long strides. I don’t give the server a second glance, though I hope he doesn’t lose his job for helping us.

Wyatt already has the gate pushed back enough for us to slip through. As we step into the street, Cade grips my hand tighter and turns around, making sure no one is on our tail.

“We need to get the truck,” he says.

“There’s one huge fucking problem with that, Cade,” Wyatt says.

He doesn’t specify what the problem is because he doesn’t have to. We all know. The truck is parked in front of the restaurant, where the hunters were gathered.

His face scrunches up, and I can sense his frustration. I feel it too. Without a car, we are not going to get far. I close my eyes, wishing I was anywhere else but here.

I try to push against the block in my mind, needing my magic to help us. I have no idea what it can do, but as I reach for it, I feel that brush against my mind again.

I try to focus on it, ignoring the conversation happening around me between the others. It takes me a moment to latch onto it, but when I do, I realize I am not alone in my mind. My wolf whines and paws at the ground, urging me to make contact with whoever it is.

I hope this is safe.

I open my mind a little, and get the impression of something, no, someone.

“Halle!” I’m shaken and I blink as a Cade comes back into view. “We need to run.”

I let him drag me down the street, even as I push through the barrier between me and whoever is trying to infiltrate my mind. Please don’t be a hunter. I have no idea what they are capable of, but at the urging of my wolf, I put my trust in whoever’s on the other side of this link.

This time, when I shove through the barrier, the image of a dark-haired woman with white streaks in herhair flashes in front of my eyes. She seems as shocked as I am to be looking at me.

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