Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha King (Forbidden Alpha Kings #4)

50. Nyx

50

Nyx

The teeth clamping down onto my neck send a shockwave of pain scorching through my body.

The last thing I need is for my throat to be torn out by this shifter, leaving me vulnerable to being gutted by his pack alpha as I’m bleeding out.

Twisting around in order to slam my body against the ground, I’m soon pinned by another set of teeth that sinks down deep into my shoulder. My wolf and I howl at the same time, not from the pain but from the frustration of these two having the audacity to think that taking me down would be so easy.

I’ve faced armies of enforcers with only myself to defend the borders of my territory. I’ve had countless battles between other alphas with myself at the helm, tearing through enemies with little care and regard for where they’d come from. I’m known as the true terror of the South, the alpha with a penchant for bloodshed.

The battlefield is where I thrive, not behind a desk spouting about politics.

Letting out a chuff, I let us all fall to the ground, buckling my own legs in order to drop us. Their teeth don’t let up, only clamping down harder through my pelt and sending more shocks of pain through my body.

In the back of my mind, I hear several voices shouting—all clamoring to get to me but stopped by whoever is in their path. It’s no matter, it’s not as if I need the help anyway.

Using the momentum of us falling, my shoulders rock back at the same time as my body hits the ground. The force of it gives me exactly what I need—the subtle movement of the shifter at my shoulder’s jaw parting just enough from my pelt.

I use it to propel myself toward the alpha, slamming into him and effectively ripping myself free from the other set of teeth. The alpha’s jaw locks, not letting up for a second while his packmate is sent sprawling onto the ground next to me.

Out of the corner of my eyes, another shifter bolts over to the fallen one, practically body slamming herself down onto him. Her teeth sink into the back of his pelt and she rolls them and drags him away from me, her small body a force to be reckoned with.

What the hell?

I don’t have time to analyze my sudden savior before the alpha’s shaking his head in an effort to rip my throat out. With my shoulder free, I’m able to roll onto my side and kick my legs up under his chest. I shove as hard as I can, using the odd angle he’s bent over me at to my advantage.

Unable to fight against the pressure at his chest, his teeth let up and soon he’s sent flying through the air away from me. Blood pours from my wounds, wetting my fur in both spots. The dull ache from their teeth marks is annoying, but I’ve had worse before.

Wren’s voice tickles the back of my mind, but I’m not paying attention to him enough to discern what he’s yelling about. My mind is pinpoint focused on the alpha now scrambling to his feet.

I rush forward and take him down once more, knocking the wind out of him. He claws and snaps his jaw at me uselessly in an effort to try to keep me from rolling him onto his back and exposing his soft belly.

My paw rakes through the soft tissue, gutting him instantly. His pained whine is loud in my ears, only cut off by me clamping down on his neck and twisting until his body goes limp.

Letting him go, I turn quickly back to my little savior, just in time to see Raine shift back. The body at her feet is also not moving, and blood covers her entire front, from mouth to belly. My heart thunders in my chest at the sight of it.

She staggers toward me, her hands outstretched.

Instantly, I’m shifting too, running over to grab her as her legs collapse under her.

“Nyx—” she’s starting to say.

I grab at her, feeling around for her wounds and where to stop the bleeding. There’s so much blood—too much.

“It’s not mine.” She grabs my hand, shaking her head. “I’m okay.”

My legs slowly give out, bringing us down to the ground, my head growing fuzzy from blood loss and the adrenaline leaving my system. No wounds on her. Good. That’s good…

“Holy shit,” she says, slapping a hand to my neck. “Wren!”

Why the hell is she here? How did she know about the border dispute? Or that I was meeting with the Archerons today?

I can’t help but move my hands over her chest, making sure that there really is no wound there that’s gushing blood. All I find is the blood from the other shifter caking her skin, which I smear while checking her over and over again.

My hand rises to her neck, then to the line of blood trailing down from her lips where she apparently ripped the damn jugular out.

What a warrior. And while pregnant, too.

“Raine…” My voice is gravely as I speak.

“Stop it.” She slaps my hand away, almost pulling a laugh from me. “Oh gods, Nyx. You—the bleeding won’t stop.”

“S’fine,” I slur. I’ve truly had worse.

“Wren!” she screams again.

My world is suddenly tilted backward, my body finding the ground but with less resistance on my end this time. Raine hovers over me, her long hair creating a curtain that blocks out the moonlight from overhead.

“Don’t…worry.” Forcing the words out takes effort.

“Fuck you,” is what she spits back at me. This time, I do laugh.

How can I not?

What other shifter has the balls to talk to me like that?

“I’ve got him.” Wren. Close by.

The pampered treatment is welcomed—if not a bit overdone. But telling any of them to stop is clearly falling on deaf ears. My wounds are already beginning to knit themselves together, the blood just makes them seem worse than they are.

Spots cloud my vision when I’m lifted up again.

“Run into town and grab Eris. Let them know we’re coming,” Wren commands. What a good beta…

“On it,” is all Raine says, and then her scent fades away from me.

Come back. I reach for her, my hand grasping at nothing.

“Alright, Your Grace.” Wren hefts me up from the ground. “Up you go.”

***

Coming to in a sterile-smelling room that I can only think of as one of the healer’s is a bit overkill in my opinion.

While my injuries aren’t exactly superficial, I don’t need anyone fussing over me when I’ll be fine in a day or two. I’m never down for long when it comes to fights, no matter how wild my adversary acts.

I’ve been fighting since I was a pup, bred on it with my own father drilling into me the importance of defending one’s territory to the death. Those lessons had been hardwired into me, practically a second skin that I wore each time I met with any kind of pushback from someone outside of my pack.

“His injuries should be healing themselves already,” Eris says, somewhere over my left shoulder. “I’ve already applied the healing creams to them, so that’ll help with the pain.”

I want to snort at her. I don’t need any of this. What I do need is a meal and a long nap and then I’ll be fresh as a daisy.

“That’s it?” Raine asks. “What about stitching some of the deeper ones?”

She worries too much. It isn’t good for the baby. I’m going to need to tell her that after I scold her for being stupid enough to join in the fray to defend me.

Which…she did. Ultimately, I would’ve been fine on my own, however she did kill for me.

There’s a strange twist in my gut from that thought.

“I’m going to go grab more herbs from the garden,” Eris says. “You stay here and keep him company.”

There’s a soft shuffling as Eris leaves and then a deafening silence that follows, only broken up by Raine and my soft breathing. Her reasons for worrying over me are baffling. Why does she care if I’m injured or not?

Surely she can’t be worried that my pack will harm her in my absence. I’ve been dealing with other business that’s kept my attention elsewhere, so if I find out anyone has been cruel to her, the ending for them won’t be pleasant.

Something grazes over my cheek, a whisper of a touch barely there. I snatch it with my hand, and a soft squeak escapes her.

Peeling my eyes open, I spot her hand clutched tightly in mine. Was she…petting me?

“Um…” Her eyes are distressed as they dart between me and her trapped hand.

“No need to worry about me so much.” I keep my tone light while I speak. “I heal quite quickly.”

Instantly, my words have her frowning. “Are you kidding? You almost got your throat ripped out!”

Oh. She’s angry.

How odd .

I push myself into sitting up, and she grabs at me with her other hand to try to settle me back down. I’m already halfway through the motion though, and lean forward until I’m fully up.

“Can you stop?” She’s frantic in trying to push me back down. “You need to rest.”

“I’m fine.” My thumb runs along her pulse point absentmindedly, the fluttering of her heart rate sending a slight shiver up my spine. What is it about Raine that drives me to this point? To lose all sense of myself and forget who we are?

“Nyx.”

“Yes?” I say.

Slowly, she huffs. “Are you even listening?”

“Are you?” I shoot back at her. “What in the world were you thinking, jumping into the middle of battle like that?”

Under my thumb, her pulse steadies while her features fall into a stubborn frown. “I was thinking that you were getting your ass kicked and needed someone to pry that other guy off of you.”

My lips quirk up into an involuntary smile. So passionate.

When I first came into contact with her, I had a feeling that there was a more fiery spirit hidden underneath all of that meek sadness. I’d seen it in her eyes when I lifted her chin and she met my gaze—stared me down for a brief moment before looking away like she’d been trained to.

My attraction to her had been startling then, as I’d never planned on touching her to begin with. What would be the point in that when she was already with child? But that seed of something had been planted in me.

Fondness, perhaps?

“Thank you,” I say.

She lets out a small huff, eyes darting away from mine while a soft pink color warms her cheeks. “I…you’re welcome.”

My grip on her wrist tightens. “You’re forbidden from ever doing anything like that again.”

“Nyx—”

I cut her off. “Do you understand me?”