Page 59 of Rejected Alpha Mate

A woman’s laughter slithers through the meadow, echoing like a chorus of demonic spirits possessing her throat.

Delilah gasps beside Donna and me, the sound shaken and shocked.

“No…” she whispers, shaking her head in disbelief, eyes wild with shock. “No…not her.”

The shadows behind Tobias twist, then morph into a human figure. A woman materializes—tall, elegant, draped in black as if spun from the night itself. Crimson eyes gleam with wicked amusement, her smile like poison as she bares her teeth.

“Morganna…” Delilah breathes, stepping backward. Fear ripples through her voice as she reaches for Gwen’s hand. “One of the dark lord’s witches.”

Arianna sucks in a sharp breath as she steps on the other side, the two of them seemingly protecting Gwen. “The one who cursed Gwen last year…”

“Very good,” Morganna sings, derisively clapping her hands before placing one on Tobias’s shoulder like he’s nothing more than a pet on a leash. He flinches, but she tightens her grip, long nails digging into his flesh through a wound in his tattered T-shirt. “Always a clever one, Delilah,” the evil witch smirks, eyes boring into Delilah’s face.

My chest tightens with fury as Donna inches closer to me, her shoulder stiffening defensively as she hides herself behind my arm.

Morganna’s grin widens, wicked and triumphant. “He speaks truth, my sweet puppet,” she coos into Tobias’s ear. “Nicholas did not kill your brother.”

Tobias freezes, eyes widening as he stares between me and Donna.

Donna gasps beside me when she finds a sense of hope in his eyes.

“But…” Morganna purrs, brushing Tobias’s cheek with a talon-like finger, the way one would soothe a rabid dog. “..I needed your rage. I needed your grief. You were far too soft, too loyal, too…moral. I simply corrected that.”

The wolves around us suddenly stop mid-attack, their snarls and growls cutting off, bodies contorting as if gripped by invisible chains. Their limbs lock, their chests tremble, and they freeze in place like grotesque statues, eyes still as black as tar.

Arianna gasps. “She’s controlling them.”

“Of course I am,” Morganna croons, tilting her head in mock innocence. “Pain makes exquisite leash material. It’s the best way to manipulate anyone.”

“We need to be careful,” Delilah whispers through gritted teeth, her voice low enough for only us to hear as our own wolves fall back and spread out around us. “There were four of them that caught Gwen. And the dark lord is the mastermind behind all of this,” she warns, and there’s a silent understanding within our group.

My wolf snarls inside me, ripping against my chest with violent hatred. I take a step forward, shielding Donna again.

“Let him go!” I demand, eyes pointed at Morganna.

Her eyebrows arch. “Alpha Nicholas Bartalow…” she purrs. “Always so noble. So predictable. It’s adorable, really.”

Donna lifts her chin bravely, stepping beside me, our hands still intertwined. “You twisted his grief! You used Barry’s death to manipulate him! It’s enough now! He’s suffered enough torment!”

Morganna’s gaze snaps to Donna, slowly, like a predator gaining curiosity in its prey. “Ahh…the little witch.” A smirk curves her lips. “The Dark Lord has been…fascinated by you.”

My eyes narrow at the wicked witch, and Donna holds her ground, but I feel her fear spike through the mate bond. My own rage blooms, consuming everything rational inside me.

“You’ll stay away from her,” I growl, stepping forward slightly.

Morganna laughs, a sweet, poisonous sound echoing through the clearing. “Oh, Alpha. What makes you think you can stop me? Stop any of this?” Her gaze burns into Donna. “I’m not here for you. I’m here because she is awakening.”

Before I can react, the air around us ripples with dark magic, and Delilah’s voice instantly breaks through, steady and commanding. “Witches! Now!”

Donna pulls her hand away from mine, only to join Arianna, Delilah, and Gwen in lifting their hands simultaneously, golden, white, and blue light surging from their palms. Energy crackles through the clearing like lightning, and together, they launch a burst of pure witchlight toward Morganna.

The wicked witch lifts a hand lazily, a yawn falling from her lips as she conjures a black shield that ripples like oil suspended in the air. The combined magic of our Golden Tree Sisters slams against Morganna’s dark magic, cracking it…

…but not breaking it.

Morganna smirks. “Pathetic!” she spits, chastising our witches.

The wolves surge forward again on her command, barreling toward our men.