Page 64 of Her Bully Alpha

She nodded slowly, leaning forward, resting her hands on her legs. "You didn't have to stay."

"I actually did. I'm your bodyguard."

Nessa looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "And what about your wife?"

"She's not a shifter, the virus doesn't affect her." A little perk, I might add.

Chapter 24 - Sam

I hummed to myself as I walked down the street. I had a pep in my step, unable to hide my happiness. Sam and I were both on the same path and we seemed to have a strong understanding of what each other wanted. It felt like our relationship was almost perfect.

I turned the corner and paused when I spotted Katie across the road. She had her head in a book as she walked, almost smacking into a tree but paused. She flipped the page in her book, took a step to the left and continued down the road. She missed the three almost like she knew it was there. I couldn't help but smile because it was just like Katie. Since becoming friends, I found her quirky and entertaining.

I thought of the few times I stopped at her lab. She was always in the middle of something, but happy to set it aside and chat. I never saw any of her coworkers, but I got the impression they didn't come around often. I was really the only person that visited her.

"Katie!" I called out her name and started to cross the street. Katie looked up from her book, and her eyes landed on me. She smiled.

"Sam, hi. What are you doing out here?"

I avoided a car as I continued across the road. "I was just leaving work. What are you doing? Also is it safe to be reading and walking at the same time? You almost hit that tree back there."

She looked back, taking in the tree, and then looked at me. "But I didn't."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Is the book that interesting?"

She looked at the book and then chuckled. "No, not to you probably. I was trying to look into something. With the news of girls dropping like flies, I've been trying to broaden my reading, and I'm running out of time in a day."

"Have you found anything?" I asked, pausing as I stopped next to her. I read the title of the book, finding they were big words.

Katie shook her head. "No. But I'm not giving up. I know I can find the answer. I have other books to read as well."

I looked around and scowled. "Shouldn't you have someone with you? All females are supposed to have someone with them at all times right now. That includes you, Katie."

She shrugged. "I'm fine. I don't have time to worry about that when I'm trying to find a cure. Besides, I'm not pregnant, and I don't have the virus."

I felt my stomach tense up. Katie was my friend, and I didn't want to imagine anything happening to her. She was the person looking for a cure, so she needed to be careful, probably more than everyone else.

"You are not untouchable, Katie. You need to heed the warning just like everyone else." I hooked my arms with her. "And you're lucky that I'm free. I can spend time with you until someone else is free to."

She snorted as we started down the road. "How have you been? Has work settled down for you?"

I nodded. "I have asked to have a little less work and told them when I would be taking my maternity leave. I think I'll take three months and make sure things are settled before returning to work."

Katie nodded. "A lot of women don't go back to work. Do you think you might change your mind later?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I love what I do, and while I don't mind being a stay-at-home mom, I don't think that's my path at the moment."

I glanced at Kaie. "Do you think you could ever do it?"

"Be a stay-at-home mom?" Katie said with a quizzical expression.

I nodded. "Yeah, step away from being a scientist. Change your life when it's surrounded by something you love so much."

Katie smiled. "I've been around a lot of pregnant women, and most of them are very eager to be parents, but I did have this one woman who wasn't. And the best advice I could give was rather simple."

We paused at a red light as she turned to me. "When you have a baby, your entire world shifts, and your mind is never the same. Your body is never the same. It was designed to be a mother. You feeling this way is only natural."

I had thought about it at first. I knew a lot of people decided to do it, but I didn't want to step away from something I had worked so hard to achieve. I spent years getting where I was and didn't want to step away so easily.

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