Page 81 of Rejecting his Mate

“Holy shit, Halle,” Sawyer exclaims, “I can’t believe you did that!”

I force a smile, but my heart still feels lodged in mythroat. I’m not quite ready to pat myself on the back for a job well done yet.

“Did they notice you?” Cade demands.

I shake my head, seemingly unable to form words at the moment.

“Where are we heading?” Wyatt splits his gaze between the road and the rearview mirror.

“Anywhere. Just get the fuck out of here.” Cade pulls me against his side, holding me tight. I didn’t realize I needed his comfort, but the moment I’m in his arms, everything feels easier.

As we leave town, I feel a sense of relief that we escaped, but I know that will be short-lived. I don’t know much about tracking, but that operation isn’t low-budget. They have resources and the ability to find us. There’s nothing we can do to outrun them.

It is only a matter of time before they catch us, and I think every wolf in this truck knows that on some level.

How do you outrun an organization that has dedicated itself to the eradication of certain wolves?

Cade strokes my hair, sensing my turmoil. My brain is going a mile a minute, and I have no idea how to slow it down. Everyone who comes into contact with me is in danger, and that's even more obvious right now. I didn’t understand the severity of what was hunting us, but now that I’ve seen the Order, I know why Wyatt was so afraid.

“Did you see the hunters?” Cade’s voice is so soft that makes me feel sleepy.

“Yes. Had to walk right past them.” I don’t tell him about the wolf hunter that stopped in front of the truck.I already sense his guilt about letting me go alone. It doesn’t matter that he has nothing to feel guilty for; I see now that it’s just how Cade’s brain is wired.

“Did you see how many there were?”

“I’m not sure.” I’d been too scared to stop and take a headcount. I don’t mention that, though, knowing it will just rile Cade more.

“Now that they’re onto us, we need to put as much distance as we can between us and that town,” Jackson says.

I feel something brush over my mind, the same awareness I felt when I saw the woman. I open up, giving her access to me. It’s probably not sensible to trust someone who has infiltrated my mind this way, but I get the sense she doesn’t want to hurt me. Maybe that’s strange to say, but it is just a feeling I have.

“Oh, thank the gods you’re alive!” she says, and I hear her as clearly as if she’s next to me.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Tessa. I think you’re one of us.”

“A witch-wolf hybrid?”

She nods. “Tau wolf.” I was already half-sure that’s what I am, but hearing someone else confirm it makes me feel better.

“One of us? There are more of us?”

Her face wavers before coming back into focus. “A few. I hope you will get to meet them. We take care of our own, and we’ll take care of you too. Where are you now?”

I hesitate. I don’t know this person, and it seems dangerous to give her our position.

“I can sense your doubt,” Tessa says. “I know it is hard to trust anyone, considering what you are going through, but I was like you. Hunters came to my pack to kill me. I only got away because I was helped by another tau wolf. A few of us have come together to protect our kind from those monsters who are determined to eradicate us. It’s a big ask, I know that, but I want to help you, Halle.”

I narrow my eyes. “How do you know my name?” I’m pretty certain I never gave that to her, so where did she pull it from?

“You have magic, right? So do I. My power is vision walking. I see things before they happen, and I saw you. You were running from hunters. Somehow while you were running, our minds connected. I saw you, and I heard your name.”

It sounds feasible, considering I can heal with just my touch, but I’m still not sure I trust her. “How do I know this isn’t a trick to capture us?”

“I don’t know how to convince you of that, all I can hope is that you will trust us. We just crossed the state line into Idaho. We are about an hour from you. Follow the I-15. There’s a little place along it called Spencer. If you choose to trust us, we will be waiting there.” Her image wavers again. “I’m sorry, but it's hard to keep a long-distance connection. Please stay safe.”

I feel her slip out of my mind, and I come back to the truck. Cade is close to me, practically suffocating me with his big frame. Sawyer is looking out of the window, his expression pensive. Seems like no one noticed what just happened.

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