Page 56 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

Finding out I have blood relatives—wolves who want to meet me, who seem interested in getting to know me—has shocked me to the core.

“Okay, everyone, listen up!” Bae shouts. “Let’s get started. We all know why we’re here.”

I don’t.

Nobody speaks, but everyone nods. I feel completely lost, but I keep my mouth shut. Saying anything at all could expose me, and I don’t know what would happen to me and Alisa then.

Would he really banish us?

“Fresh tracks were found this morning,” Nate announces. “We received your communication yesterday about a strange scent and scraps of fur left on low-hanging branches, so we expanded patrols and found tracks.”

“Nate, I know I already asked, but can you be absolutely sure that this is not an Ancient One?” Bae asks.

“A hundred percent,” Nate affirms. “Smell is all wrong, and the tracks are nowhere near big enough. On that front, I’ve got good news and bad.”

“Spill it,” Bae urges.

“We have an elder and three wolves that left Kelta’s group. They don’t support what she’s doing. Old Mary, she’s dealt with the Ancient Ones directly.”

“Does she have intel?” Bae asks eagerly.

“She might,” Nate answers. “But she’s blind, and pretty senile.”

“Great,” Jack mutters.

“Okay, okay,” Bae says, waving his hands. “Back to it! Where did you find those prints, Nate?”

“Top ridge. It was definitely our territory. Whoever it is, they don’t care about the boundaries. They’re coming in for some reason.”

“And there’s been no attacks, except for Jenks’s place,” Bae mutters, rubbing his chin. “These have to be the same guys.”

“For sure,” Nate confirms.

Alisa squeezes my hand, and I glance over at her. She looks tense, but I know she won’t say anything.

She promised me she wouldn’t, but I’m only just realizing how much of a conflict this is for her. She could be putting the other witches in danger.

“How close did they get?” Jack asks.

“The tracks were covered by snow about halfway down, so we don’t know exactly,” Nate answers. “But Bailey said the patrols found scraps of fur a lot lower than that.”

“Yes, it was me,” Body says. “The other day when I patrolled near Jenks’s house, that’s when I found it.”

My anxiety shoots through the roof, and sweat trickles down my sides as I fight to stay still. I know I should say something, but I don’t even know where to start.

And I’m in way too deep now. If I tell them, I’ll have to go back to the beginning, and they’ll never forgive me for hiding this.

“Jenks,” Bae says, turning his gold eyes to me, “this is your territory. What have you seen?”

My tongue seems to get stuck on the roof of my mouth. I shake my head, trying to loosen it. “Nothing,” I mutter, forcing my voice through my throat. “I haven’t seen anything.”

“The tracks led towards your house, and Body found signs of a wolf close to your property. Are you sure you haven’t seen anything?”

I shake my head, and Alisa’s grip on my hand tightens like a vice.

“It was only the smallest scrap of fur,” Body says. “It looks like the wolf, whoever it was, crouched down to go through a thicket, probably to avoid patrol. Jenks is new at this, so don’t lay too much on him.”

Body’s words make my heart sink. I never expected to be supported by the other pack members. Now hiding information from them seems like an utter and complete betrayal.

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