Page 57 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

But he’s not as strong as me.

I pin him to the ground, my claws digging into his shoulders as he snarls up at me. For a moment, I hesitate, my wolf growling for me to finish it. But then he smirks, his teeth bared in defiance.

“You’ll regret this,” he says, his voice a low rasp.

Before I can react, he shifts slightly, slipping from my grip with a speed that catches me off guard. He bolts for the door, throwing it open and disappearing into the hall.

I’m on my feet in an instant, my wolf howling in fury as I chase after him. He knows the ins and outs of the estate and Moonfang territory, and with each second, I regret every moment I had him as my Beta. Every moment we spent memorizing escape routes helps him now.

But by the time I reach the estate gates, there are some warriors and guards turned on each other, trying to keep us from chasing down Damon. I growl through the chaos, and they start to retreat.

“Give chase! Don't let them escape!” I bark my orders as they run to the Moonfang borders.

But all of a sudden, I don't catch Damon's scent. I break away from the pack in chase and look for Damon's scent. But he’s gone, probably vanished through one of the underground hatches or tunnels we built. He might still be close, but there are too many options for a mind as conniving as his. The warriors are around me, sensing the danger. I order them to search the perimeter and scout the boundaries.

“Catch any of those traitors that you see.”

He must not escape.

I think of Hazel. I hope she is safe. She cannot see me like this, covered in blood. Not after the night I attacked the intruder. I send a guard to make sure she is safe.

As I run the patrols to secure the estate, her scent reaches me, soft and spicy, earthy and fresh. I remember burying my face in her neck as I was buried inside her. I crave the softness of her skin. And I remember the hate in her eyes before she disappeared into the bathroom.

If I don't kill Damon myself, my wolf will never rest. He must pay for all he's done to us.

The warriors return the next day. Their report is not good.

“We tracked them to the outskirts of our territory,” Ian says, his face pale. “They crossed the border before we could intercept them. They are with Eldon now.”

The words settle like a stone in my chest. Damon has thrown his lot in with the enemy. And the depth of his betrayal runs deeper than I imagined.

“Eldon’s camp?” I ask, my voice tight.

Ian nods. “It’s fortified. They’ve been preparing for something big.”

He not only took my warriors with him, they had all been working with Eldon this entire time. They are the scum of the earth and the rage that builds within me erupts like lava. I must eradicate them all.

My wolf growls, his fury mirrored in the pit of my stomach. Thisisn’t just about Damon or Eldon anymore. This is about my pack, my people, and the war that’s been brewing on our borders. Hazel was a distraction that Eldon counted on for getting Damon in on the plan. And when I didn’t react the way that they expected, they probably moved on to the next stage.

Everything Damon has ever told me, has all been lies.

“Double the patrols,” I order, my voice sharp. “And prepare the warriors. If Eldon thinks he can strike and catch me unprepared, then he’s sorely mistaken.”

Ian hesitates, his gaze flicking to me. “And Hazel?”

The mention of her name sends a pang through me, but I push it aside. “She stays under my protection. No one gets near her.”

He nods, leaving the room as I turn back to the desk.

My wolf snarls softly, his anger simmering beneath the surface. But beneath that anger is something else—resolve.

I may have been blind before, but now? Now I see everything clearly.

I thought my father’s death saved my pack from experiencing threats like this. Being under the authority of a wolf that didn’t care in the least about his pack, it cost me my mother and my sisters. It cost our pack the safety that it needed to rise above the other packs on this mountain. I spent years, my blood, my sweat, building this pack, brick by brick. And if Damon thinks I am incapable of protecting my own, then he never deserved my protection to begin with.

And I won’t let my pack fall to pieces because of one man’s treachery. Not on my life. He and all that have plotted against my pack will nourish our soil with their blood

And in the midst of this chaos, all I can think about is Hazel. I need to tell her all that’s going on. I need to fix what I broke under the influence of a man who couldn’t care less about me or my pack. I have to see her.

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