Page 18 of Unwilling Mate

While keeping Abbie sitting on my lap, I cradle her foot into my hand and inspect the sole, where I find a small shard of glass embedded into her delicate skin. Carefully, I take the small piece between my fingertips and pull it out quickly.

“It will heal.” Levi appears beside us, scanning Abigail’s foot. “She’ll be fine.”

“No thanks to you!”

“That’s fair. I deserve that and more, but right now, can we leave and talk somewhere more private?” Levi lifts his chin toward the three women on the couch.

“Yes,” I agree, standing up. “But don’t think this is over. I’m coming back for you.”

I carry my mate out of the house with my two former pack brothers following me.

As soon as we are out of earshot, Levi starts to talk, “I admit that we were wrong for bringing her back here. We misread the situation. I thought she wasn’t safe with you and that I was protecting her from you.”

“I told you, she is my mate, and I would never hurt her.”

“We know that now, but after what happened with Lily, we couldn’t be sure.” Abigail's whole body stiffens at the mention of her mother’s name. “You killed her.”

I freeze. “What? Why would you say something fucked up like that?”

Levi and his brother exchange stares, but Weston speaks next. “Everyone thinks you killed her because you found out she had married someone else.”

“I had no idea about any of this. I didn’t even know she was dead until today, and I certainly didn’t know Abigail was her daughter, though now it makes sense why I felt so drawn to her back then when she wasn’t my mate.”

“Shit. I'm sorry,” Levi apologizes. “I’m sorry for all of it. All the evidence led us to you and when you left we thought it was because you knew we would have shunned you anyways for killing a human.”

“Please come back to talk to Alistair and the rest of the pack,” Westin offers. “We can get everything straightened out, and your name cleared. You could rejoin us.”

“I left because I didn’t want to be part of that anymore. Why would I come back now?”

“Because you have a mate now, and your mate might not want to live in a secluded cabin, or raise cubs without other families close by.”

As much as I want to shove his invitation back down his throat, part of me knows he is right. I can’t hide my mate away from the world, and children are happier growing up with other kids their age.

“We also have a doctor in town now. She could take a look at her foot and make sure she is healthy,” Weston offers.

“Fine,” I agree. Though I’m not happy about it, the prospect of having a doctor confirming that Abigail is going to be fine is a great plus. “We’ll come with you, but I make no promises to stay.”

“Fair enough. My truck is parked about half a mile away. We can drive the rest of the way.”

We walk to his truck in silence, where Levi hands me a set of extra clothes after getting dressed. I place Abigail in the back seat sideways and slide in beside her, then I gently lift her foot and place it on my lap. She smiles and reaches for my hand. I have so much to tell her, but right now, simply holding her hand seems enough.

I am so concentrated on my mate, the drive goes by in no time, and I’m shocked to look up and find we have arrived.

It’s odd being in a place where I spent so many years but haven’t been in over a decade. This small town holds many happy memories for me, but those weren’t enough to keep me from leaving.

Levi parks his truck in front of Alistair's house. The front door opens just as the engine stops running. I’m just about to open the door when Abigail starts shaking next to me, and a wave of fear emits from her tiny body. Abigail wraps her fingers around my wrist, getting my attention. I turn my head to find her beautiful face stricken with fear. Her skin is ghostly pale, and there is a panic in her eyes that chills me to the bone, especially when I realize what she is looking at.

Alistair.

“What did he do to you?”

Both Levi and Weston turn around in their seats. They don’t have to be mated to her to be able to smell her fear. “I’ll keep him away,” Levi offers and gets out of the car.

I watch him talk to Alistair and usher him back inside, but Abigail is growing more panicked by the second. Her whole body is shaking, and for the first time since I found her, I just want her to talk so she can tell me everything.

“Paper,” I blurt out. “I need a pen and paper.”

Weston digs around in the glove box for a moment before handing it over to us. I put it in Abigail’s shaking hand and watch her write the words…

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