Page 56 of Her Second-Hand Mate

She didn’t sound sorry.

“Oh. I was thinking we could go out one night this week. Like a date.”

She stuck her head out of the closet, frowning.

“We never went on a date before.”

“I know. That’s because I was a shit mate. Sorry, bad mate,” I said before she could correct me.

“I don’t know. I’ll let you know if I find the time.”

“We’re still going to the checkup tomorrow, right?”

“Mhm.”

This conversation was dying.

“So, how did you manage while I was gone? Was it too hard being pregnant and alone? Which I’m really sorry about, again.”

She was apparently ready to go so she exited the closet and leaned her back on the wall.

“I had your mom and her friends, my brother, my friends. Grace and Elliot were right next door in case of an emergency. I had Hank to drive me around. It was okay. It’s not like you and I spent a lot of time together before, so it wasn’t a drastic change.”

She seemed unperturbed by the notion, but I was choking on shame, and my wolf was howling in despair. We wanted our mate to love and need us. Instead, I’d taught her to be perfectly happy without me. My presence in her life wasn’t enriching or helpful. If I died tomorrow, she and the pup would be fine. She gasped when my panic and pain hit her.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to say. “If you want, I’ll block my feelings again, only until you give birth. I don’t want to harm you or the pup.”

She was breathing through it.

“It’s fine,” she met my eyes, sad for some reason. “I prefer knowing how you feel.”

I nodded. There was nothing to add to that.

???

The tiny midwife was staring at me with clear disapproval, tightening her mouth. I’d like to say she wasn’tcoming across as scary due to her size, but she was pulling it off.

“How nice. The father decided to join us today,” she said haughtily.

I shot her a look but said nothing.

“Luna, hello. How are you?” my mate got the brightest smile from her.

“Hi, Alicia. I’m great. A little tired, but that’s to be expected.”

She weighed Penelope and then took her blood pressure before palpating her abdomen.

“Any discharge? Any contractions? Any pain?”

“No.”

“Let’s have a look then,” she said, and I had to look away as she dug around my mate’s insides.

My wolf wanted to decapitate her when Penelope frowned in slight discomfort.

“Everything looks good,” she said as she discarded the used gloves. “Now, we’re almost at the finish line. You’re due at the beginning of next month, but any time after next week won’t be counted as premature. You know what to look out for, you’re ready,” she told Penelope encouragingly and Penelope took a deep breath and nodded.

“Is there anything I should be aware of? Or look out for?” I felt so stupid since I didn’t even know what to ask.

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