Page 86 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Hello?” I called, jumping down the last step into the kitchen. “Anyone home?”

Nothing.

But there was a plate with a piece of banana bread on it, still warm. I furrowed my brows and broke off a piece, popping it into my mouth. My headache slowly subsided, and my gaze shifted to the brown Java bag that smelled like … more banana bread?

Cade was teasing me, wasn’t he? All this bread, and he was nowhere around.

“Cade!” I shouted, looking throughout the entire house. “Cade, where are you?”

Except he really wasn’t here.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Davix

I released a slow, unimpressed whistle. “So, this is Braveclaw.”

A large packhouse nestled so far up the snowy mountains glowed underneath the moonlight. Braveclaw warriors paced the grounds, nodded to Reaper out of some kind of fucked-up respect, and eyed me down.

With my hands balled into fists, we continued to the entrance.

That dickhead had wanted to leave my pack so badly to come here? Here?!

“Keep your fucking mouth shut,” Cade said, stepping into the packhouse.

“I’ll do what I want with my mouth,” I growled. “Especially to Ember.”

He snarled back at me, his neutral eyes hardening, then continued through the large wooden hallway to the last door that was heavily guarded by other warriors. This was such a sorry, sad excuse for a pack.

Swear to the fucking Goddess, it is embarrassing as fuck.

Cade opened the doors to an office with several older wolves, ones so frail that Cade could even wipe them out himself, and that was saying something because his ass had become weak since he had left years ago.

“Why is Davix standing in front of me, Reaper? You know we don’t allow outsiders here.” The frailest one turned toward me, trying to be intimidating, but I really didn’t give a fuck about him or that apparent power he commanded. “Shouldn’t you be dead?”

“Give it another year, and you’ll be dead,” I snarled at the old man.

“You had multiple packs attack you today, and you’re standing in front of me.”

I stepped into the room. “Bet you ordered them to, didn’t you?”

No response. Of course he had.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, trying to keep my cool. I was in no place to start a fight right here, right now, not with my open wound. “Where’s the Crimson Order?”

He turned toward Cade. “Did you tell him?”

Tell him? Tell him?! The fuck does he mean by that?

“You knew about the Crimson Order, and you didn’t tell me?” I growled at Cade, shoving him back. I expected him to lose control like he had back in the woods, but he was calm. Stupid fucker. “You fucking knew, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m forbidden to talk about it,” Cade said, though he kept his composure.

“You told me they didn’t exist anymore,” I said.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You want word for word what you said because I’ll⁠—”