Page 19 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 19

Halle

I keep my head low as I make my way across the street, even though my face is not mine. My heart feels as if it is in my throat. I have no idea how long I can hold the magic, so I pick up my pace, rounding the corner and heading toward main street.

I have to do this. If I don’t, we are all going to die in this town, and I can’t allow that to happen. It doesn’t stop the nerves from rolling through me. I can only hope the magic holds long enough to mask my scent while I get the truck.

I do not know about the scope of my magic and what I’m able to do, but it feels as if I’m only scratching the surface. The block that exists inside my mind stops me from accessing what I need to, allowing me only a taste.

As I turn the corner, my skin prickles, and awareness fills me. I risk glancing up and see two hunters are standing across the street from the restaurant. My steps almost falter, fear clutching me. I’m going to have to walk past them to get the truck. It is parked on the opposite side of the street, giving them a direct line of sight to me.

My wolf is silent, and I’m not sure if that is a good sign. I take a steadying breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and then with confidence I don’t feel, I walk toward the truck.

I keep an eye on the hunters with my peripheral vision. They seem to be in a heated discussion, probably wondering how we slipped from under them. I turn my head to the side, hiding my face as much as I can.

I can see the truck getting closer, and I start to believe I might make it.

I’m just a regular local, going back to my truck. Nothing to see here.

As I reach the back end of the truck, another group of hunters steps out of the restaurant. I almost stop walking, my feet nearly faltering, but somehow, I force myself to keep going.

I’m surprised they can’t hear my heart rattling in my chest. My skin feels clammy and terror climbs up my spine, wrapping its claws around my throat.

They are all wearing the same combat pants and jacket, a uniform for killing. I don’t focus on that, instead getting the key ready in my hand as I approach the door. My hands shake as I slide the key into the lock and twist it.

They are not paying me any attention—at least, I don’t think they are. I haven’t dared look up.

At least I know my magic is masking my scent. Any wolf would be able to smell me from this distance.

Hardly able to breathe, I pull the door open and climb into the driver’s seat. I don’t feel safe until I’ve shut the door, but even then, I know it is a false sense of security.

A door would not stop animals like the Order from killing me if they spotted me. I wipe my hands on my pants before fumbling to get the key into the ignition. I take a moment to study the dashboard, trying to figure out where everything is.

It looks similar to the car that Kyle showed me how to drive. I turn the engine on, the rumbling of it seeming loud to my ears.

Two of the hunters look up at me. I dip my head instantly, trying to hide my face from them as I reach for the stick.

I need to reverse out of the space, but I’m not sure I can do it.

Focus, Halle.

I take a deep breath and slide it into reverse. Then I slowly press the gas pedal. The car jolts backward, and I wince.

Great job not drawing attention to yourself.

I ease my foot off it this time, making a smoother transition as the truck moves back.As I do, Cade’s voice sounds in my mind.

You’re doing great. Just stay calm .

That eases some of the tension, knowing he’s there with me.

By some minor miracle, I get out of the space, but I’m being watched. I can feel the eyes of the hunters on me, and my skin prickles. I force myself to ignore them, focusing instead on driving.

I push the gearshift into drive, and as I start to move forward, a figure steps in front of the truck. I slam on the brakes, just in time to miss him.

The guy is young, maybe around my age, but his eyes are cold and empty. I grip the steering wheel tight as we both stare at each other through the windshield.

Move.

He doesn’t. He doesn’t take his eyes off me and I feel my heart racing. Am I caught? Does he recognize me as a wolf?

I can’t show fear. He will realize what and who I am. Knowing I need to act, I raise my hand, and gesture in his direction as if to say, 'move out of the fucking way’.

He glares at me from under heavy brows, but then he keeps moving, leaving the road free for me to hit the gas. I drive to the end of the street and take a right, knowing I need to loop back to get the others.

My throat feels tight as I drive. That was a close call, too close. I looked into the eyes of that monster, a wolf who would have no problem killing young or old as long as they did not fit the mold he deemed acceptable.

I turn right again at the next street, coming up behind the restaurant. Every inch of my body is on alert, and my head is racing with worst-case scenarios, but I feel some relief. I’m in the truck, and they didn’t realize what I am.

As I turn the corner, I don’t see the guys waiting. Shit, where the hell are they? I reach out down the pack bond.

Where are you?

A moment later, Cade responds. Coming .

A knock on the window has my eyes flying open and my head instantly turning in that direction. I only relax when I see who it is.

Cade.

The door is opened, and my seat belt is removed. Cade helps me out of the driver’s seat, pulling me against him. I sink into his heat and his warmth, needing his comfort.

“You okay?” I’m not, but I nod anyway. Cade turns to the others. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

Wyatt slips into the driver’s seat and Jackson gets into the passenger seat while Cade and Sawyer help me into the back.

No one speaks as we go in, not until Wyatt has the truck moving.

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

I force a smile, but my heart still feels lodged in my throat. 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 .

I want to trust her, and I’m also interested in meeting more of my kind. Maybe they will know something about my mom. Maybe they will know something about me.

Cars and trucks whiz past us, and I see a sign for the I-15. This is probably a bad idea, but for some reason, I don’t think Tessa is my enemy.

I lean forward to speak to Wyatt. “We need to take the I-15.”

Wyatt glances at me before giving his attention back to the road. “Why?”

I’m not entirely sure how to explain the presence in my mind without sounding like I have lost my own. “Someone is meeting us there.”

“Who?” Cade is the first to speak, but the others join in a moment later.

“A friend.” Even as I say this, I hope it is true.

Cade’s brows climb up his head. “What friend?”

“Tessa. I—I think she’s like me.”

There is a moment of silence as everyone in the truck takes this in. “You’ve lost me here. Who is she?”

Shit . I’m going to have to explain, and I don’t know how to do that without them doubting me. “She was in my head when we were running from the hunters. I saw her, and I spoke to her.”

“Some random woman drops into your mind, tells you to go to this place, and you just agree?” Cade seems pissed that I haven’t used any common sense in this situation, but my life isn’t exactly normal.

“She says she’s like me,” I defend.

“I don’t like to say it,” Sawyer speaks, “but strangers generally don’t drop into people’s heads and talk to them. How’d you know this isn’t a ploy from one of the hunters to get us somewhere so they can take us in?”

I don’t, but I didn’t sense any malice from Tessa. She felt like a friend, but I think the four wolves in this truck are not going to see it that way, though. Cade is mistrustful of everything, and while I could maybe bring Sawyer around, I don’t think the others will believe me.

“She says she is tau, and so am I. And she definitely has magic. I sensed it.”

“Halle —”

I hold up a hand, silencing Cade before he can start his complaint. “She wants to help, and we are shit out of friends right now. I think wherever we go, she’s going to follow us anyway. She’s already in the state.”

Cade lets out a string of curses. “We are absolutely not meeting up with some random thing that appeared in your head claiming to be like you.”

I glare at him. “You were also random to me, but here we are. All I knew about you is that you stalked me in the woods.” Cade looks a little embarrassed at being called out like this. I could let him off the hook, but I don’t. “If she is like me, I doubt she is going to hurt me. She said others like us want to protect our kind. I believe her. And I don’t care if you think that makes me na?ve, but we are out of options. If she’s lying, I’ll kill her myself.”

Cade scrubs a hand over his face, and I can sense the warring emotions inside him. He doesn’t like this plan, and I don’t blame him for that. It is a dangerous game we are playing here, but we are also alone, running from a danger we cannot hope to outpace. The hunters have resources we don’t, and it is only a matter of time before we slip up and are caught.

“Even if you don’t trust Tessa, trust me. I don’t know why, but I feel as if I am meant to go to her. There is this pull in that direction.” I lean in, dropping my voice low. “If she is like me, she might know something about my past. If you won’t come with me, I’ll have to go on my own.”

“Fuck!” He hisses. “Wyatt, take the road.”

Wyatt gives him a look in the rearview mirror that tells me how he feels about this decision, but he hits the turn signal and moves to take the off-ramp.

I sink back into the seat, relief flooding me.

I hope you aren’t double-crossing me, Tessa.

As the truck races along the highway, I watch for signs that say Spencer. When it finally comes into view, I point. “Get off here.”

Wyatt seems reluctant to do it, but he exits the highway. Spencer is a tiny place with only a few buildings on the horizon. There are signs for an opal mine, but I don’t see a lot else until the road opens out, and a small building comes into view, a sign on the side of the wall declaring it sells food.

It sits between two hillsides, the road barely wide enough for one car to get down. It is remote and a little creepy.

I don’t know where Tessa wants to meet, but considering this is the only building here, I tell Wyatt to park.

As soon as the truck stops, I push the door open and climb out. There are a few cars parked around the side of the building and an RV.

Cade is quick to get out behind me, grabbing my arm before I can rush toward the eatery. “Wait a minute. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

“You think they lured us out here to kill us with burgers and fries?”

He doesn’t appreciate my attempt at levity. “I’m just saying we need to be careful, okay?”

I huff out a breath. “Fine!”

Sawyer, Jackson, and Wyatt go through the door first while Cade and I follow. I don’t like the guys putting themselves in the line of fire, but I’m not going to argue either. I’m eager to meet my kindred.

Inside the building, the walls are clad with strips of wood, making it look like a log cabin. The ceiling has thick, dark-stained beams, and there are tables scattered around the room, some occupied. I take a moment to peer around, looking for Tessa.

I don’t see her. Maybe I should reach out through the mind link thing. I try to contact her, but I hit a block that I can’t get past no matter what I do. I can’t push the magic out. Muttering a curse under my breath, I follow the guys as they pick a table to sit at.

Cade and Sawyer flank me, facing the door so they can see trouble if it comes. “I don’t like this,” Cade murmurs.

“I hate to say it, but I’m feeling the same. Something about this is wrong.”

“Has anyone ever told you two that you have trust issues?” I say, scanning the room again .

Where is she? Maybe they are still on the road, making their way here. I refuse to believe my instincts are so off.

My wolf whimpers suddenly, whining and pawing at the ground. I glance up as the door opens in front of us. A woman with white-streaked black hair steps through, with a blond man glued to her side.

It’s Tessa.

Her eyes scan the space before they find mine. As our gazes lock, she gives me a warm smile. She whispers something to the huge wolf standing beside her, and his eyes find mine as well.

I don’t recognize him, but I go on alert anyway. He could be a hunter. I sniff the air, smelling his wolf, but Tessa—she smells different. I can smell the magic on her.

As they approach, Wyatt and Jackson stand as if they are my bodyguards. The male with them bares his teeth. “Vargr.”

Cade growls. I don’t blame him for that. The way he says it grates on me, too. Tessa steps between them, her small body no match for the three grown wolves facing each other, but she doesn’t seem afraid.

“Abel.” The blond wolf, Abel, glares at Cade, but backs down, putting his teeth away at Tessa's command. She’s going to need to teach me that trick. I can’t get Cade to do anything. When she’s sure he’s going to calm himself, she gives me her attention. “I wasn’t sure we would find you in time,” she says, a smile playing across her lips.

She’s pretty, with a dusting of freckles over her cheeks and nose and eyes nearly as green as mine. She can’t be that much older than I am, and I wonder if her first moon ceremony failed the same way mine did.

“If you’re here to kill us, I’ll warn you now, these guys don’t play fair.”

She laughs. “We really do come in peace. Can I sit?”

I gesture for her to take a seat at the table, and Wyatt grudgingly moves aside to give her space. Abel stands behind her like a guard dog. I notice the claiming mark on her neck, a deep bite in the soft fleshy part of her throat. I take a subtle inhalation. They are mated. Their scents intermingle. My fingers drift to my own claiming mark, wondering how long it will take before it starts to fade.

“It’s nice to meet you in person,” Tessa says. “How long have the hunters been on your trail?”

“Not long,” I tell her. “My chosen mate found out I was latent and decided the only way to get rid of me was to sic hunters on me.”

If that shocks her, she doesn’t show it, and I wonder what she’s been through. She peers at the claiming mark on my neck. “You’re still mated?”

“Not by choice.”

“He's the one who gave you those bruises?” Abel asks.

I glance away, not wanting to answer that. I don’t want these people to think I’m weak and that I allowed my mate to attack me, even if that is the truth.

“How do you know about Halle?” Cade demands, sitting forward in his seat. I can feel the tension rolling off him, and I squeeze his thigh under the table, trying to calm him.

“One of my gifts is vision walking.”

“We don’t speak witch.”

If Tessa takes offense to his tone, she doesn’t show it. “I see the future, or snapshots of it. I’m also able to go into my visions and talk to the people there, though the way Halle and I connected was different. I saw her in a vision, and then I was able to access her mind by thinking about her.”

“I’m not even going to ask how that works,” Sawyer says. “How far does your telepathic network stretch?”

Tessa shifts her shoulders. “This is a new gift I have developed. I’m also new to my magic, but I have become stronger with the help of others. Halle can too. Her magic can be enhanced by being part of our little band of hybrids.”

Abel’s hand rests on her neck, close to the claiming bond. She leans into his touch as if she can’t stand being away from him, even if only a few inches.

“You’re saying my magic can grow?”

“All tau are strong, despite what others want us to believe. They keep us weak, so we are easier to pick off. But Hester taught us about being a family and how there’s strength in numbers. I’ve only been at the sanctuary for a short time, but the things we can do already—” She breaks off and lifts her eyes to mine. “Have you been able to use your magic?”

“A little. I managed to heal Cade and later Jackson.”

“She brought me back from the brink,” Jackson argues. “I was nearly dead. ”

“Hester will want to look at you and see what strength you have.”

“Who is Hester?” I ask because she has mentioned her twice already.

“She is the head of our coven. She runs our sanctuary and has made it her life’s mission to collect those that hunters want dead.”

“Well, I don’t think she’s going to find me particularly useful. My magic doesn’t flow easily. It’s been hard to use it every single time.”

Tessa frowns at me. “Can I?” She holds her hands out to me, and I reach for her. Cade grabs my wrists, stopping me.

“No offense, but we don’t know you, and I have no idea what your intentions are with Halle.”

“My only intention is to keep her alive. I know how it feels to run for your life, scared and wondering if you are going to survive.” Abel squeezes her neck, comforting her. I wonder how traumatic this story is for her. “Halle, I want you to come with us to the sanctuary. It’s a place for wolves like us. There are other tau wolves there—”

“No.” Cade’s emphatic dismissal has everyone looking at him. “Where she goes, I go.”

Tessa’s eyes narrow on him. “You’re not her mate.”

He grits his teeth, and I can see how much those words bother him. “No.”

She turns her head to the side as if appraising him. I’m worried about what he might do or say. “Are you sure?”

“She’s marked by another. ”

Tessa smiles. “A chosen mate?”

I snort. “An asshole.”

Still looking at Cade, she says nothing else, and I’m wondering what she is thinking about the two of us. Cade does act like my mate sometimes, totally overbearing and overprotective, and there are feelings there, but nothing can happen while I am marked by another.

“I don’t want to rush you, but those hunters will eventually pick up your trail. We need to get back to safety. Will you come with us?”

“Yes,” I say, and I feel the weight of Cade and Sawyer’s eyes on me. “But they come too.”

Tessa glances up at Abel, and something passes between them. I wonder if they are talking through their mating bond, something I thought one day I would be able to do with Dalton. Mates are connected in a way that brings them together as one. Abel shrugs. “Only Hester can decide that.”

Tessa closes her eyes, and I feel magic flowing through the air. What the hell? Everything feels static and electrically charged. I glance up toward the ceiling as if I can see it swirling around me, but there is nothing there.

“Are you using magic?” I ask on a breath. I feel overwhelmed by the power whizzing around me.

“I’m talking to Hester. She is waiting outside with the others.”

“Others?”

Tessa smiles. “Would you like to meet the rest of the coven?”

My answer sticks in my throat, suddenly feeling clogged as if I can’t speak. I don’t know who I am, and having the chance to finally find out what I am makes me emotional in a way I didn't expect.

“Yes,” I manage to choke out. “I want to meet them.”