Page 18 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 18

Halle

G entle hands shake me. I blink back sleep as the truck cab comes into view. Cade is in front of me, his expression as morose as ever.

“What happened?” I ask, more alert.

“We’re stopping for the night,” he says.

I relax, my gaze sliding to the window. We’re parked in a motel parking lot. It is dark outside, with lights from the sign and the streetlights chasing the shadows.

A sense of unease washes through me.

Just like my memories.

More motels.

Running.

I hate that the guys won’t leave me. I don’t want their blood on my hands, but I’m also glad I’m not facing this alone. I’m not sure what being grateful for them putting their lives in danger says about me.

“Any sign of my old pack or the hunters?” I stretch, wincing at the pull on my ribs as I do.

“None.”

Yet.

I hear the unspoken word, but I’m focused only on the fact we’re safe, for now.

“Where are the others?” I ask, realizing it’s only Cade and I in the truck. Suddenly, the space feels small, intimate even.

I’m sure my skin is tinged pink as a flush works through my body.

“In the room. Come on.”

I let him help me out of the truck. My legs are shaky and my chest is sore from sitting slumped for so long. As I step onto the asphalt, Cade closes the door behind me and, to my surprise, takes my hand in his.

I’ve noticed he wants to touch me as much as possible, even if just in passing. I like it. I more than like it, even if I have to remind myself he’s not mine and he can’t be while I’m marked by another male.

He leads me over to the room, only releasing me so I can step through the door. The space is clean, tidy, and small. There are two queen-sized beds and what looks like a pull-out couch—enough space for everyone, as long as we double up.

Cade sits me on the bed furthest from the door and leaves me there while he and the others get ready to sleep. I don’t move. I’m too exhausted to do anything. My throat is hurting more than it did earlier, and my ribs send shooting pains every time I shift even a little.

I close my eyes, wondering if I can sleep sitting up.

“Halle?”

Cade’s voice has my eyes opening again. His bright blue eyes are locked on mine, and there’s concern in his expression. “You still tired?”

I nod. “Uh-huh.”

He reaches for my foot. “What are you doing?”

“Taking your sneakers off.”

My foot slips out and he reaches for the other. Is he going to undress me?

I let him swing my legs onto the bed and douse my disappointment. Probably not the best idea to get frisky with his brother and cousin in the same room.

I’m too tired to participate anyway. He helps me lie down, careful to give me time to adjust as my ribs burn before he pulls the covers over me. I get myself into a position that doesn’t hurt my chest or my throat and close my eyes.

I start to drift off, listening to the rumbling of voices as the guys talk among themselves.

When I come back to awareness, there’s light on the wall in front of me, coming from what I’m guessing is a gap in the curtains. The bed isn’t mine, and although it’s comfortable, I feel stiff.

I start to move when an arm tightens around my body, holding me in place. I freeze, even though I know who it is before I scent him.

Cade.

I knew I would be sharing the bed, and I’m not surprised it was Cade who climbed in behind me.

I keep still, just enjoying the feel of his head against my back. This is what I wanted from a mate—waking up in their arms, being taken care of, and being loved .

Cade doesn’t love me, but he cares, and I’ve had more affection from him than I ever had from Dalton.

“Go back to sleep,” he murmurs drowsily in my ear.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I say quietly, unsure if the others are still sleeping.

Cade pulls me tighter against him, and I feel his cock press against my ass. My body reacts instantly, heat and wetness flooding between my legs. There’s an ache there that I want him to fill, but he seems oblivious to my plight as he holds me against him.

“It’s okay,” he assures me. “Do you feel better? You were dead on your feet last night.”

So dead on my feet I didn’t realize he climbed into bed with me.

“I’m okay,” I assure him. “I need to pee, though, so I’m going to need you to let go of me.”

He mutters something I don’t catch and grudgingly relinquishes his hold on me. My wolf isn’t happy about this. She urges me to go back into his arms, but I force myself to sit up. My hand presses against my ribs as I do, trying to stem the pain. It’s less than it was yesterday, but it’s still there.

Slowly and carefully, so as not to wake the others, I cross the carpeted floor and slip into the bathroom. Once I’ve shut the door, I use the toilet and wash my hands.

Is this going to be our lives? Constantly running? Looking over our shoulders and suspecting everyone is an enemy?

I hate it already.

No wonder my mom was so scared in my memories. Doing this alone would be horrible, and while I wish the guys would leave me, I’m also secretly glad they haven’t. Doing this alone… I think I would give up and let them find me.

I study my reflection in the mirror over the basin. My eyes look a little less demonic today, but they are still red and bloodshot. I wash my face and brush my teeth using my finger. I’m going to need supplies if we’re going to be on the road for a while.

As I turn, my gaze locks onto the window. It opens, and I could easily slip out of it.

And go where?

I don’t have money. I don’t have transport.

Hopelessness washes over me. I close my eyes, wishing I could see my mom again, but no memories come, no images, no blasts of pain.

I look into the block in my mind, trying to push past it, but I can’t. Why is it there, and how do I break through it?

Blowing out a breath, I finger-brush my hair and make myself look as presentable as I can.

When I step back into the room, Cade is waiting outside the door. “I can pee without an escort.”

“I was worried.”

“About?”

“You making a swift exit out the bathroom window.”

My irritation softens. “I’m not going to run, Cade,” I assure him.

“I hope not, because I’d just come and find you.”

My belly flutters at his words. “I know.”

I step around him and into the room fully. Sawyer is sitting up in bed, though Jackson is out for the count next to him.

Wyatt is awake but hasn’t moved out of the covers yet.

“Morning sunshine,” Sawyer says. I don’t know how he’s still so cheerful.

We’re being hunted by two factions, both of which want me dead, probably Cade too, for what he did to my old pack members.

“Morning.”

“Once everyone is showered, we’ll find somewhere to have breakfast and then hit the road again,”Cade says.

“Any idea where we’re heading?” I ask.

“I reached out to some friends. There’s a cabin about two days from here that we can use for the next week or so.”

“Good thing,” Sawyer tells him. “We’ll run out of money if we keep motel hopping.”

I didn’t even consider that. I hate that they’re shouldering everything. I should be able to contribute to my escape.

Jackson grunts and his eyes fly open as he lets out a strangled groan.

“Good dream?” Sawyer smirks.

“No,” Jackson mutters, but doesn’t elaborate, and no one pushes him for information.

“Come on. We need to get our asses out of here,” Cade says.

After each of us shower and change, we check out and drive into the nearest town .

It’s a quaint little mountain town, and I love it immediately. The main street is wide, with parking spaces on either side. There are flags outside a cafe and a bookstore, and I can sense the community spirit here.

“We eat and leave,” Cade says, coming around to my side of the car. “We’re already drawing attention.”

I look around and see he’s right. People are staring at us, and I understand why. The guys are huge, and I still look like I went ten rounds with a block of cement, even though the bruises are fading.

“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” I say. My skin prickles with warning, and my wolf wants me to run. I wonder if the guys are getting the same vibe from their animals.

Cade takes my hand in his, and the five of us walk into the building. Sawyer holds the door for Cade and me while Jackson watches our backs.

I’m so on edge as we sit that when our server brings the menu, I can hardly focus on what it says. The words all bunch together, and my brain can’t compute them.

Jiggling my leg, I glance around the restaurant.

“Anyone else feeling on edge?” I ask.

“Don’t imagine they get many outsiders here,” Wyatt says, his eyes not leaving the menu.

I shrug, trying to get rid of the feeling. This feels like more than curiosity. My skin is tingling and my instincts are warning me something is coming.

“I think we should leave,” I tell Cade.

He stares at me, as if trying to understand what is wrong with me. I don’t blame him if he thinks I’m losing it because I’m pretty sure I am. Finally, he nods. “We’ll find somewhere to eat on the road.”

The relief I feel, knowing I’m being listened to, is indescribable. Dalton would never have taken my word that something was wrong. His arrogance would have made him believe himself capable of defending me from whatever was coming. Cade believes me and trusts my judgment. That means everything to me.

As we stand, I feel a strange sensation wash through me. It’s as if something is touching my mind, a gentle brush of fingers over my thoughts and feelings. It is so invasive it makes my skin crawl.

Stopping in my tracks, I try to figure out where it's coming from, but nobody is looking at us, not anymore.

As I peer through the window, I see a group of people standing on the other side of the street. They are dressed in combat pants and tight-fitting jackets. There is something about the way they are huddled together that makes my stomach clench.

I have only seen hunters in wolf form and my fragmented memories, but as I stare at them, I know exactly what they are.

They are here for me.

They don’t look like monsters capable of killing children, but I know what I saw. They came for me and my mom, intending to kill us. As far as I know, they got my mom and I have no idea how I survived.

“Fuck,” Cade hisses. I follow his line of sight. He has noticed the hunters too.

“How the hell did they find us so fast?” Sawyer demands, his question aimed at no one in particular .

Wyatt grabs his jacket and ushers us toward the counter. The server looks up as we approach, his smile fading as he realizes none of us are doing the same.

“Is everything okay for you guys?”

Cade doesn’t give him pleasantries. “Is there a back way out?”

The server blinks, surprise registering on his face. “Um, there’s a staff entrance, but it’s for staff only.”

“Show me.” This man might not be wolf, but he reacts to the alpha vibes in Cade’s voice.

“I really shouldn’t...” He says this even as he leads us through the door. “I could lose my job.”

“You don’t show us a way out of here,” Jackson mutters, “you’re going to have a bloodbath on your hands.”

The server blanches, all color fading from his face. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“Not if you do exactly as you’re told,” Sawyer says, glancing behind us as we hurry through the back of the building.

My heart is hammering, and my gut is rolling. I know my body is shaking with fear. I have only seen snapshots of hunters in play, but I remember how scared I was and how scared my mom was. I wish I could remember more, like how to fight them. I try to push through the block in my mind, hoping I can save myself and the others using magic, but I feel nothing. There is no warmth, no buzz of power.

I am just little Halle, the wolf who is not really a wolf, and the witch who is not really a witch. I am nothing, just baggage to everybody around me .

I stumble over my feet, and Wyatt steadies me, pushing me to keep me moving. The hallway stops in front of a metal loading bay door. It is on a chain, and he starts to tug it. The door rises, but it is not fast enough for Cade, who shoves the man aside and pulls it himself. As soon it is high enough, Wyatt bends and ducks under it. Jackson goes next, and Sawyer pushes me.

“You next,” he says.

I glance at the two brothers, both of whom I have come to care for dearly. “We’re right behind you,” Cade tells me.

It’s enough to get me moving. I duck under the door too, and take a quick appraisal of where we are. There is a large area presumably for trucks and vans to deliver goods to the restaurant. There is a car parked against the wall, and a couple of big overflowing dumpsters. Beyond that is a gate, the iron railings spaced apart enough that we can see the street beyond.

Cade takes my hand as he reaches me, and I check to make sure Sawyer is with us as we rush toward the gate.

I stumble alongside Cade, trying to keep up with his long strides. I don’t give the server a second glance, though I hope he doesn’t lose his job for helping us.

Wyatt already has the gate pushed back enough for us to slip through. As we step into the street, Cade grips my hand tighter and turns around, making sure no one is on our tail.

“We need to get the truck,” he says .

“There’s one huge fucking problem with that, Cade,” Wyatt says.

He doesn’t specify what the problem is because he doesn’t have to. We all know. The truck is parked in front of the restaurant, where the hunters were gathered.

His face scrunches up, and I can sense his frustration. I feel it too. Without a car, we are not going to get far. I close my eyes, wishing I was anywhere else but here.

I try to push against the block in my mind, needing my magic to help us. I have no idea what it can do, but as I reach for it, I feel that brush against my mind again.

I try to focus on it, ignoring the conversation happening around me between the others. It takes me a moment to latch onto it, but when I do, I realize I am not alone in my mind. My wolf whines and paws at the ground, urging me to make contact with whoever it is.

I hope this is safe.

I open my mind a little, and get the impression of something, no, someone.

“Halle!” I’m shaken and I blink as a Cade comes back into view. “We need to run.”

I let him drag me down the street, even as I push through the barrier between me and whoever is trying to infiltrate my mind. Please don’t be a hunter. I have no idea what they are capable of, but at the urging of my wolf, I put my trust in whoever’s on the other side of this link.

This time, when I shove through the barrier, the image of a dark-haired woman with white streaks in her hair flashes in front of my eyes. She seems as shocked as I am to be looking at me.

“Help me, please!” I beg.

Something slams into my side, and I lose the connection. As the real world comes back into view, Cade and I are on the ground. My hands burn from the fall, the asphalt taking a layer of skin off my palm. My ribs are on fire, making it hard to breathe.

As we roll to a stop, I glance up and see we ran straight into the path of a car. The driver is already getting out, her face ashen.

Sawyer is with us in seconds, telling the lady we’re OK, and dragging us up. Jackson too.

“Keep moving,” Sawyer urges, his voice snapping. He doesn’t ask if either of us is hurt. There will be time to take stock of any injuries later. For now, we need to get the hell out of town.

We reach the end of the building, and everyone slows their pace. Sawyer's pacing in front of us, his body language tenser than I have ever seen. “One of us needs to get the truck,” he says. “Running on foot isn’t going to work.”

“You have to shift,” I say.

“No,” Cade says.

“You have to.”

He grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a little shake. “And what about you? You can’t shift.”

“The four of you can get away.”

His eyes narrow, and I feel the anger coming from him. “I’m tired of going over this. We’re not leaving without you. There is no getting away. We go together, or we don’t go at all. Now, if you have an actual plan, let’s hear it.”

“I’ll go,” Wyatt says. Everyone protests, but he holds up a hand. “I can get the car and bring it around.”

“And just sneak past a bunch of maniac hunters?” Jackson shakes his head. “You that eager to die?”

“Course not, but what choice do we have? They are in town. And they’re coming for us. We have to take a risk, or we're all going to die here.”

“They’ll scent you. They probably already have our trail.” Cade grabs his arm, giving him a shake. “I’m not sending you out there on a suicide mission.”

Wyatt pulls away from him. “That’s not your decision to make.”

I close my eyes. I’m not letting this happen. There is no way Wyatt can get past those wolves. “Just… Just wait a minute.”

“We don’t have a minute. They’re getting closer by the second.”

I hold up my hand, silencing him. “We need to be scentless, right? They won’t know where we are then.”

Sawyer cocks a brow at me. “It’s not like we can just turn it on and off, Halle.”

Frustration rolls through me. “I know that. Just be quiet for a second.”

He clamps his mouth shut, and I feel the eyes of everyone on me as I reach inside my mind. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I think about removing my scent and changing my appearance. I concentrate hard on it, finding that little glow of light inside my mind. I open it up, thinking over and over about these two things.

The power flows through me, hot like burning embers over my skin, and my legs feel weak as I stumble.

Cade wraps his arms around me. We’re on the ground, the sidewalk beneath us. “Shit,” he mutters, his eyes flaring.

“Did it work?” My voice rasps.

Sawyer pulls out a tissue and hands it to Cade, who wipes under my nose. There is blood there again, just like the last time I tried to use my magic by breaking through my blocks.

“You look… different, Halle. It’s weird.”

It worked. I grab a strand of my hair, expecting to see red, but it’s brown. I did it!

“Can you scent me?”

Cade glances up at his brother before he sucks in a noseful of air. His eyes flare wide. “No. What did you do?”

“Help me up.”

Cade lifts me onto my feet, still holding my biceps as I wobble slightly.

“How did you do that?” Sawyer demands. “I can’t smell you at all and I don’t know who you are, but that face isn’t yours.”

I hold my hand out to Wyatt. “Keys.”

He doesn’t move to give them to me, his gaze going to his cousin as if I need Cade’s approval. “Uh…”

“We don’t have a lot of time. I don’t know how long this will hold. So give me the keys. ”

Wyatt digs in his pocket and fishes them out, handing them to me. “You even know how to drive?”

I shift my shoulders. “Piece of cake.”

Kyle showed me once, letting me drive around the grounds of the pack territory. From what I remember, all you have to do is remember which pedals stop the car and which make it go. I don’t remember it being hard, but I’ve only done it once.

“Wait here. I’ll come back to you.”

As I turn to walk away, Cade grabs my wrist, stopping me. His eyes scan my face, and I wonder what he’s thinking. My heart pounds, and my pulse flutters as he dips his head and presses a kiss to my mouth. I may look different, but our wolves still know each other. He knows me.

I curl my toes inside my sneakers, clinging to his shoulders as I kiss him back. Every inch of my body feels alive and lit up like a firework display.

I want to grind against him, fill that ache inside me that he seems to cause, but there isn’t time. He pulls away all too fast, and I can see the war within his eyes. “If you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming to find you.”

I give him a half smile. “I’d expect nothing less.”

Then I turn and jog back in the direction of the restaurant and where we left the car.