Page 8 of Rejecting his Mate (The Wolves of Black Mountain #2)

Chapter 8

Cade

H er wide-eyed fear hits me in the gut like a wrecking ball, and that pisses me off. This wolf is nothing to me. She’s not even a wolf—not fully.

Most wolves would not notice, but I’m not like most wolves. I can scent something else, just a trace of it lingering beneath the surface. I’m intrigued by her and what she is, just as she is by me.

Halle is smart. She figured out I am not like any other wolf she has encountered. Even if my size hadn’t been a clue I’m different, my scent is.

I’m a rare beast, one that has been hunted because of it. My pack keeps to itself because of this. None of us take mates or mingle with other wolves.

At least, until her.

Now she consumes my every thought, and that is infuriating.

Why am I so obsessed with one little wolf?

A wolf that isn’t entirely wolf.

She can’t be if she’s latent. She has to have something else in her—human, maybe? I can’t scent anything, but that doesn’t mean shit.

It’s a mystery that is begging to be solved, but it is not my duty to do it.

She is nothing to me.

My wolf lifts his muzzle and howls into the air in response to that thought. I silence him and push him ruthlessly back into the vaults of my mind.

Since we defended her against her mate, he has been on edge, ready to destroy anything that tries to touch her. I’ve tried to explain to the presence inside my mind that Halle is not ours, that she is mated to another, but my wolf doesn’t care.

He fights with me to shift, to give him control, and take our little wolf as his.

There is a reason I won’t take a mate. I don’t need the complication one will bring.

It takes all my strength to hold my wolf at bay. It has been a long time since I’ve been in this position, and it unsettles me. This little wolf has upended everything, and I don’t know why.

The baying sounds closer.

Run or take a stand?

I glance at Halle. She is already weaving on her feet, and as she cannot shift, she will be a hindrance to me.

The rational part of my mind wonders why I am helping her. This is our first real meeting; I know nothing about her. Yet, I can’t bring myself to run.

This is why I don’t get involved in shit that is not mine.

I can’t run and leave her, as much as I know that is the sensible option. Fighting multiple foes opens me to danger that I might not be able to overcome.

My wolf doesn’t care. He wants to take a stand. He wants to fight and let that ruthlessness out of its cage.

I open my pack bond and send another call for help. I have already called to them as my wolf and through the bond, but this message is more urgent. Time is running out.

Sawyer comes through the pack bond.

We’re coming.

I know my pack will come at full speed to help, but they will not make it in time.

I peer through the trees. The noise and excited yips make it hard to tell how many there are, but it’s enough to know I’ll be outnumbered and unable to protect Halle.

I grab the hem of my tee and drag it over my head. I don’t want to shift. I know my wolf will lose his mind the moment I put him back in control, but what choice do I have?

Sawyer and my wolves are not close enough to help us, and we’re no match in our human forms. All I can do is stand and face them, hoping I can control my wolf afterward.

“You’re going to fight them?” Halle demands, sounding horrified.

I snort at her disbelief in me. “And win,” I assure her. I don’t doubt that, even if I’m worried about other things.

“Cade, you should run. You need to get the hell out of here before they reach me.”

I ignore her, shoving my sweatpants down my legs after I toe off my sneakers. Once I’m naked, I bundle up the clothes and place them behind a tree. “Running won’t save us,” I tell her, “But feel free to try.”

Halle won’t get far. Her skin is pale and covered in a sheen of sweat as she watches me through glazed eyes.

“I’m not leaving you,” she says and, holding her ribs, she goes down to a fighting stance.

There’s suddenly a lump in my throat that I can’t swallow or breathe past. I didn’t expect this show of loyalty from her; she doesn’t know me well enough to give it, but she offers it freely anyway.

I should warn her that when I shift, there’s every chance my wolf is going to be… difficult . I can already sense his desire and need to command this situation.

“Get ready to fight,” I say.

Then I begin the process of shifting.

I go down onto all fours in the mud, my fingers sinking into the ground as my bones start to break and reform. The first time I shifted was agonizing. The pain as my body changed and transformed nearly made me black out. It is a cruel twist of nature that the very thing that makes us unique is also rooted in pain.

The first shift is the worst. Mine was hell.

Over time, it becomes easier to make that change, so when I shift now, I can go from human form to wolf in a few beats of my heart.

As the shift rolls through my body, I can feel the wolf I share consciousness with sliding into my mind, taking control. I give it over to him, and as I do, I feel the building rage and anger pelting me. My wolf is pissed, and as the last of my shift slips into place, I test my new limbs and shake my head before raising my muzzle to howl into the air.

“They’re coming,” Halle warns.

I swing my head in the direction our attackers will come from. I can sense Halle’s trepidation as she readies herself.

My wolf steps up to her, baring his teeth. Anger and need war inside me. My wolf wants her, even as my mind warns that getting involved with her is a bad idea.

It’s too late, though.

I’m already involved.

I was in this from the moment I stood in front of her mate and defended her from him, before that too. I’ve been in this since I first caught her scent in the woods. The human part of me had cautioned against getting involved in pack politics, but my wolf wanted us to save her, to keep her protected.

My wolf won.

I don’t know why I am so drawn to Halle, but something kept me walking through these woods to spy on her every day. There is a connection between us, one that is undeniable. She is an outsider, like me. I could tell that from the moment I first laid eyes on her. There was a loneliness about her as I watched her from the undergrowth, alone and far from her pack family.

I thought I would never see Halle again after that first day, but she was there the next day in the same spot. Over the next few months, I could sense her shutting down, pulling back, and I could see the bruises on her neck and cheek. I knew the wolf who gave her that claiming mark was the one who put his hands on her, and my wolf wanted to tear his throat out.

Now we both want to protect her, and if I get the chance, I’m taking her asshole of an ex down.

I pace in front of her, ready to defend us both from the oncoming threat. I can hear them getting closer, and their scents drift on the breeze, infusing my nose.

I want to tell her to stay behind me, but I can’t speak in my wolf form and we’re not pack, so she can’t hear me. All I can do is signal my intent with my body language and hope she understands.

My gaze locks onto the trees ahead, seeking movement. Wolf senses are stronger and keener, and so I see the flicker of something before I can work out what it is.

I drop to my haunches, baring my teeth, ready to fight, unlocking that part of me I keep secure, or I did. Before Halle.

She makes it harder for me to control those primal urges my wolf has, that lust for blood and destruction.

If we’re going to survive this, I need my wolf to cross lines and take no prisoners when doing it. So, I let go of those carefully crafted manacles I have kept locked around him, and I allow him to become the beast he is.

My awareness is shoved to the back of my mind, and all I can feel is waves of rage and fury coming from him. Death and destruction fill my thoughts as I see more movement through the trees.

Rationality is fast evaporating. All sense of self too as my wolf takes over completely. Blood is on his mind, and the need to destroy and leave no one alive is too.

He lifts his snout and howls, making it clear to our attackers that he is here and ready to fight.

A flash of marl fur, white, gray, and brown zips through the thick leaves, and then a white wolf erupts out of the trees.

I leap, my teeth exposed and my jaws snapping as I clash with the wolf. It takes me a moment to free myself from the tangle of limbs as we crash to the ground, but then I’m snapping at the white wolf’s hindquarters.

My teeth sink into flesh, the coppery tang of blood filling my mouth as a high-pitched whimper pierces the air.

Another wolf attacks my flanks, sharp teeth breaking through the skin just beneath my ribs.

I twist and savagely bite the wolf attacking me on the nose. Satisfaction fills me with his cries, and I want to make him scream more.

Blood mats my fur, filling my nose with the sweet scent of it. I pin the white wolf to the ground with my front paws on its throat, and then I tear at his jugular. Red sprays over both of us, and the gurgling sound of him drowning in his own blood makes my wolf roar in triumph.

“Stay back!”

Halle’s panicked voice has my wolf twisting his head in her direction. A gray wolf is stalking toward her, teeth bared, and his head low in a fighting stance.

Her mate.

The one who tried to kill her.

I turn quickly, snapping my jaws around the neck of the other wolf trying to kill me and pull back, taking a chunk of throat with me.

The taste of blood drives me wild. I want to shove my nose into it and cover my face with it, so I can smell it later, after I win the fight.

Spitting the flesh and muscle onto the ground, I notice the brown wolf on his side, eyes disorientated, while the gray one moves closer.

Halle has a branch and is swinging it back and forth like a baseball bat. I’m guessing she managed to hit the brown wolf, but she’s never going to match the jaws of a full-grown wolf.

And that’s when the gray one attacks her.

I rush at him, hitting him like a missile. We both tumble before coming to a stop. I don’t wait, quickly righting myself and snapping my jaws at him even as I growl.

He gets up, circling me, chomping at me as if he is playing games. At least until he notices the two dead wolves behind me.

Then his demeanor changes.

I sense movement behind me as the brown wolf closes in on my rear. My wolf pulls his lips back and readies himself for the attack.

Both wolves launch at me at the same time. I feel pain in my side as sharp teeth cut through my fur and skin. Anger blazes through me.

Death…

That’s the only thought racing through my mind.

I’m going to kill them both. I’m going to drag their entrails out of their bodies and bathe in their blood. I will end their lives for daring to come here to harm Halle, and I have no idea why I feel this way. I shouldn’t. She should mean nothing to me, and fighting her battles has already put me in the middle of a battle with another pack.

But I don’t question it as I twist to attack the wolf on my flank. There isn’t time for anything other than trying to survive and punishing them for what they’ve done to her.

The brown wolf whimpers as I catch his side with a swipe of my claws. I’m quick, not showing off or trying to make a point; I attack with a ferocity that scares me, but my wolf is not sated yet. His blood lust continues to grow, wanting more death and destruction. I don’t blame him for that.

Seeing Halle hurt, I wanted to kill her mate for touching her too.

The brown wolf sinks his teeth into my back, making me raise my head and roar. Pain spreads through my hindquarters, but I push it aside to get him on his back in the dirt. As soon as he is down, I swipe at his stomach, and his insides spill out. My wolf helps them along, tearing at the brown wolf’s intestines and dragging them out.

Blood fills my senses, my snout coated in it, but I don’t care about that. My focus is on Halle and the gray wolf. I expect him to fight me, but all he does is stare at the dead wolves around us. He has alpha strength, but he turns tail and flees.

Coward.

I watch until I can no longer see him or scent him before I turn to Halle. Rage is burning through me, and the urge to hunt her mate down nearly pushes me forward, but I root my paws into the ground. I won’t leave Halle alone, undefended.

I look at her, blowing air out of my nostrils like a raging bull. My wolf isn’t satisfied. He wants more destruction, more blood. He wants to follow the mate.

Fear flashes in Halle’s eyes, and I will my wolf to calm. I don’t want to scare her or hurt her, but I’m starting to lose control of him.

I turn back in the direction her mate fled.

If we go after him, she’ll be unprotected.

I repeat these words over and over, hoping he will listen. He’s hell bent on vengeance, on killing the wolf who came for us, but that is not what we need to be focused on right now.

My wolf snarls as I try to command him, but he’s not listening. My voice is getting drowned out, my control overrun.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Halle’s soft voice sounds from behind us.

Blood lust is tearing through my body, and my human mind is in agony as I try to hold on to my tentative grip of my wolf.

Run.

I scream the word, but she cannot hear it. It only sounds in my mind.

My wolf stalks toward her, fighting on his mind.

She is not our enemy.

Halle backs up a few steps, tightening her grip on the branch she’s holding. “Don’t make me hurt you,” she warns.

It’s a laughable threat. My wolf is not able to sense who she is anymore. The blood on his fur is making him frenzied. A whimper of excitement escapes his mouth, and I push everything I can down the link that we share, trying to bring him to heel.

Tilting her head to the side, Halle frowns. Then she lowers her arm and lets the branch slip through her fingers.

No, no, no, pick it back up.

She stands in front of my wolf, defenseless and unafraid, but my heart is racing. She’s going to get hurt.

“I know you won’t harm me,” she says, her words bold and incorrect. My wolf is too far gone to care that she’s the thing we were trying to protect. “We’re friends, remember?”

She isn’t moving, not even backing away. She is standing her ground, her chest rising and falling as she watches my wolf approach her.

“Please don’t use me as a chew toy,” she murmurs, holding her hands up in supplication.

Run, Halle.

My wolf paces closer, even as I try to rein him in. To my horror, Halle holds out a hand in my direction. My wolf glances behind us, still wanting to give chase, his body twitchy with need, but then something draws him back to Halle. His head swings back to her as she slowly reaches out and pets the side of his face.

I freeze, waiting for him to attack, to clamp his jaws around her arm and drag her about like she’s prey. He doesn’t move. He lets her pet him like he’s a golden retriever.

My breath is stuck in my throat as her fingers trail along his neck. “You’re not that big and bad, are you?” There’s a hint of humor in her voice, but if she knew how close she came to being mauled, she might disagree. “Cade, if you’re in there, come out.”

My wolf clamps his hold on me tighter. He’s not willing to shift back to human form.

“I need you as a human,” she says, still stroking my wolf’s neck. “Come back to me. Please. I need you .”

Her words somehow penetrate my wolf’s mind. He whines, and I can sense he doesn’t want to relinquish control, but to my surprise, he does.

I feel the shift roll through us, bones snapping and reshaping as we leave our wolf form behind to change into our human one.

When I emerge from the shift, I am crouching in the dirt, the cooler air kissing my naked body.

Slowly, I straighten, unsure what the hell just happened, and turn to Halle. My body is aching, and I have blood trickling down my side, but I ignore it all and focus on her. The little wolf is watching me, her eyes cautious as she takes me in.

“Your wolf is kind of intense,” she says, blowing out a breath.

Anger blazes through me. Crossing the space between us, I grab her shoulders and shove her back against a tree trunk. She grunts as her spine makes contact and tries to shove me off her, but I am stronger, and I am also running on rage. It is only her whimper of pain that makes me loosen my grip. She is injured. I’m no better than her asshole mate for handling her so roughly.

I force myself to move back a little, giving her some space to breathe.

“What is wrong with you?” I hiss. I can’t control the anger in my voice, even as I try to control the one coursing through my body. “Do you have a death wish?”

Her mouth pulls into an irritable, tight line as she glares at me. “You can’t always control your wolf, can you?” she accuses, ignoring my question.

My teeth grit together as I glare at her. “Do you have any idea what I could have done to you? Next time, you run.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because—”

“Because you’re this big bad wolf, and I’m not?” She snorts. “I’m not scared of you, Cade.”

“You should be. If you knew what I am…”

I trail off, realizing I’ve said too much.

“And what are you? Other than the wolf who saved my life.” I notice she doesn’t take her eyes off me to look at her dead pack members strewn around the clearing. Does she think me a monster now? She should.

“I’m a—” I break off again, unable to reveal the secret I have kept close to my heart from the moment I discovered what I am.

“A what, Cade?”

I dip my head closer to hers, my eyes scanning over those plump pink lips. It would be so easy to move closer and claim her mouth. I want to, every cell in my body wants me, needs me, to take her, but she’s not mine.

The claiming mark on her neck is a beacon, reminding me I have no claim over Halle, even if that’s what I want.

I trail my fingers over it, and she flinches, not from my touch but from the mark itself. “I hate this being on your skin.”

“So do I.”

The bite will fade in time if her mate is not renewing it, but it won’t break her mating bond. She is tied to that bastard for life—unless he dies.

I glance over my shoulder in the direction he disappeared into. I was stupid to leave him breathing. I should have gone after him.

“You’re hurt.” Her soft voice brings my attention back to her, and my skin heats as she skims her fingers over my ribs. There is a large gash running along my side, and blood smeared over my skin. It throbs painfully, but I don’t care about my injuries; I care about Halle endangering herself.

Before I can say anything, she reaches her fingers out to my side, allowing them to hover over the injury. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of me,” she says.

“You didn’t cause this,” I tell her.

“Dalton only attacked you because he’s a jealous, petty little man who thinks we’re having some sort of affair.”

My stomach fills with fire. “That’s why he hurts you?”

“That’s why he hurt me today. He didn’t know you existed before. There are many other reasons why he hurts me, most of which are nonsense. I don’t think our mating has been the fairytale either of us envisaged.”

Her fingers press against my side, and I pull back, wincing. She doesn’t let me escape her touch, though, and heat suddenly infuses my skin around the injury site. Frowning, I glance down and watch, transfixed, as the skin knits together.

What the—?

How is she doing this? The skin repairs until there is no evidence there was ever a cut there other than the blood staining my skin. I swallow hard, and when I look up, Halle’s eyes are wide.

“How—how did you do that?” I demand.

She pulls her fingers back and stares at the tips as if she expects sparks to fly out of them. “I don’t know,” she whispers. “I just wanted to take your pain and then… I did.”

Her eyes flutter suddenly and she slumps forward right into my arms. “Halle?”

Panic is rolling through me as I push her hair from her face. Her lids are closing as if she’s fighting to hold on to consciousness.

Shit.

Carefully, I lay her down on the leaf-strewn ground and lean over her. She healed me, somehow. As far as I know, that is not something a wolf can do, none that I’ve heard of anyway. “What are you, Halle?” I ask.

Her tongue dips out and wets her lips. “I don’t know. My aunt, she wanted to tell me, but there wasn’t time. I don’t think I’m entirely wolf, though.”

The way she lays herself bare to me, and the vulnerability she shows, make me want to wrap myself around her. I don’t. Instead, I peer down at her, trying to sense what she might be. Before, when I’d scented her, I’d smelled only wolf, but in the aftermath of her healing me, there is something else, a spark of something I can’t quite put my finger on.

“This is why Dalton wants me dead,” her tired voice draws my attention. “Something is wrong with me. I can’t shift, and I think that’s because I’m not one of you.”

I flinch at her words as if she has slapped me across the face. “I’m not one of them either,” I admit.

Her eyes flare a little. “You smell like wolf, but… stronger, I guess. I can’t rank you. You’re not an alpha, but you feel more powerful than one.”

It would be so easy to feed her a lie. Part of me thinks I should because the truth is worse than the fiction.

My head whips around as I hear a wolf baying. Not one of mine, but one of Halle’s pack.

I quickly get to my feet, grabbing my clothes, and pulling them on. Once I’m dressed, I go back to Halle, who is struggling into a sitting position.

She’s spent, both from her injuries and from whatever she did to fix me. Running isn’t an option for her, but I need to get her to safety. My wolves are on their way, and Sawyer will be here soon, but not quickly enough.

I scoop her into my arms, ignoring her squeals of protest. “What are you doing?” she hisses.

“Getting us the fuck out of here. Hold on tight.”