Page 81 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

“We couldn’t figure out a reason for the wolves coming so close but not attacking me,” I continue. “I was pretty hung up over it, and tried to figure it out for myself.”

I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of the words in my heart.

This is where it all started to go bad.

“The next day, you asked me to go straight out on patrol, Bae,” I say, rushing the words out. “That’s when I met Brad, and he told me who he was.”

Carson opens his mouth to speak, but Bae holds up his hand. “Go on, Jenks,” my alpha says.

“He said he’d been watching me, and that the other wolf was my father, and he’d been looking for me.”

I close my eyes, turning away from the pain in my chest.

“He convinced you that they were just playing with your wife when they attacked her?” Carson bites out.

I raise my eyes to his and meet his glare. “He put enough doubt in my mind that I didn’t know what to do. That’s the best I’ve got.”

“And you told no one,” Carson goes on, outraged. “Even knowing how dangerous it was?”

“Correct,” I say curtly, looking right at him.

Come at me, you old dog. I’m ready to stand and fight for myself!

“What next, Jenks?” Bae asks.

“After that, you asked us to leave… and I heard nothing during that time.”

“Did you have any idea that we suspected it was your presence on the property drawing the enemy wolves in?” Peter asks. “The signs were very few, but it appeared that they were coming to your house, and we thought we were protecting you by moving you.”

“All of us considered you to be innocent, Jenks,” Gina adds, her tone bitter. “Bae told me you were too inexperiencedfor the work, and he was afraid you’d get hurt if you hadn’t noticed the signs of enemy wolves on your patrol.”

I hang my head, staring at the floor. “I didn’t know. I understand that I have put my alpha and my pack in terrible danger, and betrayed everyone’s trust.”

“When you returned, did the enemy wolf approach you right away?” Bae asks.

“Yes,” I answer, raising my head to look him straight in the eye. “Minutes after you left my house, I went into the woods and met with Brad, my half-brother. We arranged a meeting for the next night’s full moon, where he would introduce me to my father, Jerry.”

“This is complete and utter incompetence!” Kyle erupts. “Or idiocy. How could you even consider going alone?”

“Kyle, I mean no disrespect,” I reply, gathering my voice. “But you also come from a broken home. If there was a chance to reconcile, wouldn’t you have taken it?”

Kyle looks away, his face drawn.

“This isn’t about Kyle, or anyone’s hypothetical actions,” Carson snaps. “This is about you.”

“Go on, Jenks,” Bailey urges. “Keep talking.”

Encouraged by his use of my nickname, I plow forward, feeling lighter by the second as I shed my secrets.

“It felt bad from the beginning, but I pushed on. The sliver of hope in me was incredibly small, but I couldn’t give up on it. I thought if I contacted you—any of you—it would end in slaughter, or worse. I didn’t know what would happen to my father or brother, and I thought if I put my trust in them, everything would be okay.”

The room is silent for a moment before Kyle says, “All of us are guilty of trusting the wrong people at least once in our lives.” He and Rider share a look of sympathy, as if they’re remembering their time with Jethro.

“I realized my mistake as soon as I arrived,” I forge on, desperate to finish the tale. “But it was too late. If Alisa hadn’t done her spell to alert you, we would have been killed for sure, although I believe the Decker wolves wanted to take Alisa alive.”

Carson leans over and whispers to Bae, who nods. Even with wolf hearing, I can’t discern the words of the exchange.

“I stand before you all, submitting to your will,” I declare. “I’ve lied, betrayed, and been careless, and I almost paid for it by losing the woman I love more than anything in this world. I am here now to pledge my fealty and my commitment to the pack, and tell you I have learned from my actions, and I will never let anything like this happen, ever again.” I bow my head slightly to all of them. “I await your judgment,” I say, feeling stronger than I have in months. “No matter your decision, I will abide by it.”

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