Page 13 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

“I was wondering about that,” I whisper, my voice thick with shame. “Honestly, I really want to talk to you about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she says calmly. “Let’s just do our duty here, okay?”

“No, I’m serious,” I answer, pulling us into another spin so I can tug her closer to me. “I really need to say sorry. There’s so much to apologize for—”

“Jenkins Holt,” she hisses. “You will not bring this up right now in front of my coven and your pack. While it’s admirable that you show remorse, I’m not sure the feeling behind it is genuine or just one of your classic party tricks.”

I want to speak, but I don’t have any words. It feels like my tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth.

“You might be just saving face in front of everyone,” she muses. “You might be making a huge joke of me just like you always have. Or you might just be trying to get into my pants.”

Her hand tightens on mine, and her eyes flick away. I can’t help it—a bolt of excitement stabs through me, so powerful that I feel weak at the knees.

“Alisa,” I say, forcing my voice to stay even and calm, “I assure you, my apology comes straight from the heart and I mean you no harm. I never did, not really. I mean, I know what I said, and did. But, well, it’s difficult to explain, and—”

“Jenks!” she snaps, cutting off my string of nonsense with a single word.

“What?”

“You’re rambling. If it’s a tactic, nicely played, but I’m not willing to talk about this now. We have the rest of our wedding reception to get through. I’ll try and listen to you with an open mind later, but I can’t promise I’ll believe you.”

“Okay,” I answer, snapping my teeth shut so I don’t start rambling again.

This is not the shy little girl I knew in high school. This is a grown woman, a powerful witch. She’s not going to take any of my shit.

And I think I like it.

Chapter 5 - Alisa

As the party winds down and the guests begin to leave, my anxiety leaks out of my stomach, sending cold tendrils of panic shooting from my fingers up to my spine. The dress feels too tight, and I can’t breathe.

When Amanda and Lucy say goodbye to me, I cling to them, hoping desperately that somehow all of this will change and I’ll be able to go with them.

I can’t be trapped in this house with Jenks!

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lucy says soothingly, rubbing my back as she hugs me. “It’s not that bad. You’ll get used to this place in no time.”

“Uh-huh,” I croak, not trusting myself to make actual words. I’m afraid I’m going to start screaming.

Amanda is watching me with a serious expression, understanding dawning in her eyes as she watches me cling to Lucy. She gives me a big hug and squeezes me hard. I lean into her, letting her comfort me.

Out in the canyon, she wasn’t just our leader, our high priestess. She was like our mom, too.

“Call me if you need to talk,” she whispers in my ear. “But remember, you committed to this. You can’t back out now.”

“I know,” I whisper, nodding. “It’s okay.”

It’s really not okay.

“We left your stuff in the living room,” Lucy says. “Good luck, Alisa.”

I put on a brave face as I stand in the doorway, watching the girls’ car disappear down the driveway. I’m reluctant to go inside, but I also know I can’t just stand there forever.

With a sigh, I go back inside, shutting the door behind me. I can hear some noise in the kitchen, so I decide to go straight there and face Jenks.

Since I can’t avoid him forever, I might as well get this part over with.

Every step I take, my nervousness rises another notch. Jenks and I have never even had an actual conversation, let alone shared space with each other.

---