Page 14 of Amaris Rejected (Stone Mountain Shifters #2)

***Trigger Warning -Child Loss***

Devon-Present Day

After my workout at the gym, I feel rejuvenated. My blood is hot, coursing through my veins. I decide to return to my pup's grave while reflecting on the conversation I plan to have with Amaris tonight.

Upon reaching Zeke's grave, I fall to my knees. I dig my emerging claws into the soil and press my forehead to the grass he lies beneath. Bitter anguish fills my soul as sobs rack my body once again. I may never recover from this grief. How did Amaris survive it?

The truth is, I really don't have a good reason for leaving Amaris. Sure, Dad was in my head all night long, screaming at me. I had managed to block him out enough to share a wonderful experience with Amaris.My beautiful Amaris.But when Dad screamed in my mind that Jeni was pregnant, I just panicked.

Remembering the morning after my mating with Amaris...

In my frenzied flight from our room the following morning, I literally ran into Jeni just outside the door.

"Oomph!" Jumping back, I grabbed Jeni's arms to steady her. Her head turned slowly up to me, her sweet blue eyes filled with tears.

"Devon, I-I don't know what to do," she whispered, her lips trembling. "I-I don't want to be a single mom. I need you to be a father." She blinked, and tears coursed down her cheeks. With a shaking hand, she touched her flat stomach.

My eyes followed her hand as she softly caressed where my pup lay.

An overwhelming sense of protectiveness washed over me. I had to be an Alpha and accept my responsibilities. I loved Jeni deeply as my best friend, and I was about to become a father. With a quick nod and one last glance at the door I had just left through, I decided. I took Jeni's arm and walked away, not looking back once.

Rue was utterly shaken and silent. Waves of crippling despair swept over him, then through me. He slowly sank to the depths of my consciousness, losing all grip on reality.

Powerless.

Numb.

Desolate.

It wasn't until we were halfway home that Rue began to stir. I think that up until this point, he’d been in shock, as unsettled as I was. "Return to mate," he whispered, then shouted, "Something's not right! This is wrong!" He started desperately pacing in my mind.

Thankfully, Dad was driving. Jeni and I were in the car with Mom and Dad. I sat in the front passenger seat with an enforcer behind me. Rue was becoming increasingly aggressive. "RETURN TO MATE!" he shouted.

"We can't return to mate , " I told him. "We have a responsibility to Jeni and our pup."

"No! Something's wrong!" He becomes increasingly agitated and unhinged. As I struggle to keep him calm, he pushes to take control. My hands morph into claws, and I can feel my fangs descending. "She must die!" he roars, foam frothing at his mouth. I watch in horror as we leap for Jeni, who is seated behind Dad.

Thank the goddess our enforcer is quick. He wraps his arms around me from behind and immobilizes me with a leather-wrapped silver chain. The enforcers carry these to help control shifters whose wolves are combative; think handcuffs on steroids. Despite the restraint, I’m still incredibly strong. As the enforcer desperately tries to hold the chain in place, Dad jerks the vehicle to the side of the road and slams on the brakes.

"Devon, Rue!" he shouts, his full Alpha aura surging over us, temporarily halting Rue’s struggle. "Stop immediately,” he orders. “What’s wrong with you?”

"I don't know,” I gasp, breathing hard. "It's Rue. He’s crazed. He says something isn't right and demands to return to our mate," I add, trying to catch my breath in the lull.

"Regain control, Devon. That isn’t happening," he orders, his Alpha aura enveloping us once again.

His order doesn’t restrict our Alpha nature much, but it’s enough for me to compel Rue to comply.

"You have a responsibility to Jeni and the pack. That’s my final word," he commands, sealing it with his Alpha power.

At his words, I catch a smirk on Jeni’s face, accompanied by a strange glimmer in her eyes as I glance in the rearview mirror. It disappears within seconds, leaving me to wonder if I imagined it.

"You didn’t imagine it, Devon,” Rue spits disgustedly. “Jeni will NEVER be our mate. YOUwill lament this day!"he growls viciously, slinking back to the murky depths of darkness that is now my mind.

He whispers as he goes, “She doesn’t have a pup, or I would know. I’ll kill her for this.”

Poor Rue. In his distress over losing his mate, he’s lost his mind. I hope we can recover from this. Too many shifters are relying on me.