Page 127 of Rejecting his Mate

“I would never have stayed. I hate you.”

He moves like lightning, and I reach inside my mind, conjuring my magic and blasting it out at him before he can reach me. He’ll never put his hands on me again.

This time, his little friend doesn’t move to help him, and he catapults back, hitting the ground hard.

Asshole.

I can’t stop sniggering at him as he struggles to get up off the grass, all those times I felt helpless and afraid because of him playing on repeat in my mind.

Who is helpless now, you son of a bitch?

“Incapacitate her!” Dalton orders the female with him.

I feel her power surge, and I raise my hand, ready to deflect it. Before I can, I am slammed onto the grass, my arms are pulled over my head by an unseen force, and my legs are spread wide enough to make me feel vulnerable.

I try to move, but I can’t. It is as if there are tethers attaching me to the ground. I reach for my magic, trying to force it out of me, but I have lost control. My mind is a ball of panic as Dalton comes closer.

I struggle against my invisible bonds as he straddles my hips, putting his weight on me. I reach for my magic again, sticky fear clogging my veins. “Get off me!” I hiss at him like a feral cat.

“It’s not nice, is it, feeling out of control? That’s exactly how I felt when I realized how damaged you were. But then I started thinking.” He trails his fingers over my cheek, and I turn my head to the side, disgusted. “How powerful my legacy would be if our child was tau.”

My stomach turns, twisting and knotting at his words.

“I will never let you touch me.”

“Once we get you back to our facility, you won’t have a choice. Your heat should start soon. And when it does, I’ll be there to make sure you are—Satisfied.”

His words scare me more than any beating he has ever given me. Taking control of my body like that horrifies me. I would die before I let him put a pupinside me. I thrash against my bindings, trying to free myself, but they don’t move.

I sense Cade before I see the flash of dark fur come out of the darkness. He hits Dalton like a truck at full speed.

I can smell the blood on my mate, and I hope it is not his. In his vargr form, he is enormous, not to mention terrifying. His jaws snap at Dalton, who tries to shove him back with his hands, but Cade gives him no space to shift.

All I can do is watch as my mate tears into him, and while Dalton fights hard, he is no match for Cade’s wolf.

I can’t see the blood on Dalton, but I know he is bleeding, and I can tell it is hurting because he is screaming. I try to block out the sound, keeping my focus on the stars above my head as the savage fight goes on.

Then the screaming stops and all I can hear are the growls and snaps of Cade’s wolf.

The bindings holding me release, and I’m free. I scrabble up to my knees, but the girl who was with him is gone.

I don’t want to look, but I slide my gaze toward Cade. Even in the light from the pretty lamps lining the path, it is hard to see what remains of Dalton. The coppery scent of his blood is heavy in the air, and I have to choke back the bile sitting in the back of my throat.

Cade swings his head toward me, dropping it lower and letting out a dangerous-sounding growl. I blink frantically, trying to clear my eyes as the tears come. I’m not crying for Dalton. I couldn’t care less he’s gone, but Ihate that Cade had to do it. He shouldn’t have his blood on his hands.

His wolf stalks toward me, blood matting the fur around his snout. He’s still growling, but I’m not afraid. He is mine as much as I am his.

I reach out, raking my fingers through the fur on the side of his neck, ignoring the sticky blood there. Cade’s wolf nuzzles against my shoulder.

Safe. That word comes through the bond, and I’m not sure if he wants me safe or if he thinks we are safe.

I glance over him at the burning trees, feeling pain in my gut. Such wanton destruction, such violence, and for what?

Up.

The order barks through my mind. I stumble upright, unsure who I need to help. There is fighting happening at the house—I can feel the power and magic being used, and I know the guys are still engaged in a fight behind the cabins.

You need to run,Cade says in my head.

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