Page 17 of Betrayed Mate (Rejected Fate Trilogy #1)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I had no clue what I’d done to piss him off this time, but I wouldn’t jump out of the car like Gage just because Ryker glared at me. I straightened my shoulders, ready for the inevitable argument about what I’d done wrong.

When he opened his mouth, I cringed, preparing for an insult or snide comment.

“I’m sor—” His eyes flicked down toward the floorboard.

The last bit was so muffled that even my shifter ears couldn’t pick it up, but if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought that he just apologized to me. “What?”

He closed his eyes and groaned like I’d punched him in the balls. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” He looked at me, the color of his irises vivid to the point that I could see each speck of gold hidden within the brown.

My wolf stirred even more inside me, but I ignored her, focusing on the man in front of me. “I’m honestly not sure what you said.” I must have misunderstood him.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.

A lump formed in my throat, and my stomach fluttered. “For what?” I needed to get my head out of my ass because this would be where he cut me down with his words.

“For not waking you and informing you of what we planned.” He sighed, and his shoulders dropped. “If I were you, I’d be pissed if I woke up in vampire territory.”

All the anger that had been boiling inside me cooled, which wasn’t what I wanted. But how could I stay mad at someone who’d apologized and admitted they were wrong? I still wanted to tell him where to go, but instead, something different left my mouth. “You probably didn’t even think about it since you all clearly trust them.”

My eyes widened at my words. But it was true—with everything else going on, he probably hadn’t considered how I’d feel.

“I—er— we didn’t.” He licked his lips and dropped his hand back into his lap. “But I should’ve. After we provide Queen Ambrosia with an update, if you aren’t comfortable staying here, we can leave. We did gather our supplies from the last place we stayed—where we located you in the woods—since Simon could track us down, but we can rent another location if needed.”

How long had I been out? I glanced up at the descending moon. It had to be close to two in the morning. I’d been out for at least five hours…and I still felt tired. “Did you all really stay here after…” I trailed off, unable to speak the words. I didn’t have to because, from the way his eyes darkened, he understood.

He sighed. “Yes, for about two weeks while we acclimated to our new reality and what the other shifter packs thought of us. Queen Ambrosia arrived at our lands while we were burying the d-dead.” His voice broke on the last word. “She offered us a place of safety until we could get back on our feet. We couldn’t stay there, and the wolf shifters who stopped by scorned us, so we accepted the offer, and I’m glad we did. They’ve been the only support we’ve had.”

I had no argument for that. I’d rather stay with a coven of witches I knew nothing about than with vampires. At least witches had natural magic like us, magic from the earth. Vampires’ magic came from draining life instead of fostering it. Our two magics were completely at odds. Vampires were fast but not nearly as strong as wolves. We could see them with our wolf vision; even when they moved so fast they blurred, and we had the strength they lacked. “Couldn’t you have provided an update over the phone, especially after what happened with Simon?” I didn’t doubt that the news about Simon would make the queen and the other vampires angry at us. They’d be loyal to their own species over wolves.

“If I was worried about that, then we wouldn’t be here.” He winked.

My stupid heart skipped a beat.

What the hell was wrong with me? The nice, sexy shifter who’d flirted with me didn’t faze me at all, but one second of kindness from Ryker and my heart was doing all the crazy things. Was it because my wolf knew that Ryker and I were nothing to each other and my future with my fated mate wouldn’t be impacted by him?

I needed to make myself feel something for someone I could have a future with and get over this fated-mate bond crap. Reid had betrayed me and my entire pack and might be holding my sister hostage.

I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts back on track. “Why wouldn’t you be worried about that? He’s a vampire, and we’re at the queen’s mansion. If she learns what we did—”

The hard edges returned to his expression. “I’m telling you—Simon isn’t who you think he is. It will be fine.”

“You—” I started, but Ryker opened the door and jumped out.

When Ryker extended a hand toward me, I shut my mouth and crossed my arms, tempted to refuse to get out of the vehicle.

“Rebel, I need you to trust me.” His expression softened, and there was an urgency in his stare as he continued to hold out his hand toward me, asking me to take it…to have faith in him.

Xander, Kendric, Raven, and Gage stood there, watching us, along with a group of four vampires who’d stepped out of the front door.

The last thing I wanted to do was insult the vampires. They could kill me with no repercussions if they chose. I was on their lands, after all, and had been involved in the torture of one of their species.

I forced myself to climb through the middle row. Without meaning to, I took his hand, and a buzz hummed between us. I gasped as the golden flecks of his eyes seemed to sync with the faint electricity that flowed between us.

All of a sudden, that sheen covered his irises once more, and the pleasant sensation vanished, leaving my hand in his warm, tight grasp.

My knees almost gave out, but I managed to keep moving without missing another beat. I needed to let go of his hand and fast; before something else strange happened between us. What the hell is wrong with me?

It had to be effects from the loss of my pack and being cut off from my sister. I was basically rogue.

Raven sniffled and stepped between Kendric and Xander so that she stood in front of me. A tear trailed down her cheek, but she smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I promise you’ll be safe here. You have my word. Anyone the Grimstone pack brings to the mansion is welcome at any time, per Queen Ambrosia’s orders.”

“Really, babe? It’s not because you trust us?” Kendric teased gently, hooking an arm around her waist.

The easy, romantic affection between them caused my spine to straighten, and I hated that my heart flared with jealousy over it.

Reid and I were supposed to have something like they did.

She rolled her eyes and wiped the stray tear away. “Of course I do, but the queen’s decision has a bigger impact than my own.”

Even though I could tell she was trying to tease, her eyes looked haunted, and I suspected it had nothing to do with her being a vampire. “I’m sorry for your loss.” I felt something tugging at me, making me want to comfort her.

She pressed her crimson lips together and squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. “Thank you. One of the vampires there was a close friend of mine, so forgive me for being overly emotional. From what I hear, I should be saying the same to you as well. All of us here have lost so many people important to us.”

The lack of sulfur and the way her bottom lip trembled made me realize that she did, in fact, understand my pain. Adira must have been the friend and why Kendric had been so upset to tell her the details. A sob built in my chest, but I’d be damned if I cried now. Not in front of Ryker and a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires.

She dropped her hand and took a step back like she could sense my turmoil. “Come inside; the queen has been waiting for an official update. You can give it to her chief guard.” She spun around, taking Kendric’s hand in hers, and the two of them headed to the door where the four vampires were waiting.

Ryker stepped to my side while Gage flanked the other, and when my gaze drifted to the left and right of the house where the oak trees thickened, I realized why. About ten guards were watching us from afar, five on each side.

I swallowed and muttered so softly that only the two of them and Xander could hear me, “I thought you said we were safe here.” With the way they’d surrounded me, I wasn’t quite sure anymore.

“We are, but we need to make sure you don’t do anything rash and change their minds about allowing you to stay here with us,” Ryker replied as he took my hand and looped it through his arm.

Thankfully, there were no strange sensations this time, but I still resented the way my hand naturally curved into his arm like I wasn’t revolted by him. He wasn’t someone I’d ever like; he’d tormented an innocent vampire, alpha-willed his pack members into submission, and Fate knew what else.

The way the vampires stared at me made my skin crawl—granted, that was likely their intention. Instead of cowering, I lifted my head and looked straight ahead, pretending their attention didn’t affect me.

Strangely, Ryker’s touch seemed to calm my turmoil enough that I could pull my act together.

Three men and a young woman stood by the door. They all had similar brown skin, eyes of varying shades of green, and dark, tight, curly hair that many people would die for. The young woman was about five foot two, about half a foot shorter than me. The other men were like stairsteps, with the youngest-looking being the tallest of the three.

The woman lowered her head at our approach and lifted the edge of her long dress to curtsey. “I didn’t realize we had an extra visitor—the four of us will prepare another room for her.”

My stomach dropped, thinking about being alone in a room with a house full of vampires. The words sounded like the punchline to a joke at a shifter bar.

“No need.” Ryker slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. “She’ll be sharing a room with us.”

Even though the last thing I wanted was my body pressed against his, I despised that I didn’t hate the feel of it. In fact, my heartbeat quickened a little too much. I took a deep breath, trying to control my reaction. If this was what it took to stay with the four of them, so be it. I’d feel safer with them than anywhere else here, a fact which spoke volumes.

“As you wish.” The woman clasped her hands together. “We’ll have cooked meat ready for you after the meeting.”

The four of them spun around and hurried into the house, leaving the door wide open.

We entered a gigantic foyer with a staircase that twisted to the second floor and a massive window showcasing the mountains behind the mansion. A table to the left was decorated with four lamps and a Gothic black cross that towered in the middle.

Raven turned right and led us through an archway into a massive office almost the size of my entire house.

The interior walls were made of stone, and there was a huge television in the center of the wall directly across from the entrance. A colossal dark cherry table sat in the center in front of it, and three vampires stood at the other end, each holding a cup filled with a dark-red liquid.

The coppery smell of blood hit my nose, informing me exactly what the liquid was.

My stomach rumbled, and Gage stepped closer to me, probably sensing my discomfort. I tried to keep my legs steady as Raven nodded to the two women and the man, who wore an all-black suit.

The taller woman’s russet-brown eyes focused on me, and her forehead creased. The shorter blonde woman tilted her head. The man pursed his lips and said, “Why is there another wolf shifter here?”

The hairs on the back of my neck rose in warning as my wolf eased forward.

“She came with us,” Ryker rasped.

Xander and Kendric angled themselves in front of me as if the vampires were preparing to attack us.

“The queen didn’t mention another shifter being allowed here.” The brown-eyed woman wrinkled her nose and removed a dagger from a sheath at her side. “Only the Grimstone pack is allowed here, and she isn’t part of it.”

“Calm down.” Raven laughed a little too loudly. “I informed the guards at the gate that they could let her through.”

The blonde, who appeared to be in her thirties, snarled, “You may have more power than most, but not even you have that authority, Raven. She needs to leave, or we’ll make her. She doesn’t have permission to be here. If we’d been alerted—”

“If she leaves, so do we.” Ryker laced his voice with alpha will, though it wouldn’t make the vampires submit to him. Still, their heads jerked back, proving they could feel the power he possessed. “And we won’t give your queen an update.”

Animosity hung thick in the room, making it hard to breathe. Clearly, not all the vampires liked us being here.

“Are you sure you want to make an enemy of Queen Ambrosia?” the blonde woman spat, setting her glass on the table. “Because I’ve been dying to sink my fangs into you and rip out your throat.”

Letting me go, Ryker inched in front of me in a protective stance. “Just make the first move so I can defend myself.”

“Gladly.” The blonde laughed then blurred toward us.