Page 30 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

“I can do that. But why don’t you come out of the water?”

I crossed my arms over my breasts, covering them. “No. It’s nice here. Deal with it or leave.”

“You drive a hard bargain. But alright,” Julian leaned back on his elbows, watching me. “But if I lose track, it’s because you’re naked, so it’s your fault.”

Chapter 12 - Julian

This time I didn’t cut out the painful parts. When she had first asked back at the cabin I’d glossed over the stuff that hurt me the most and focused in on what led to all my current problems—Danny and Naomi.

But when Whitney stormed off I realized that she wasn’t asking me to rehash what she already knew. Because she was already aware that I hated Naomi and what she had done to Danny, and how that had been the catalyst for the poisoning.

What Whitney wanted from me was to know what had formed me into the man that I am, and if there was any room for understanding between us.

I told her about my parents and their abandonment of me as a child, but also told her how I had met Peter, and how he and Danny had become my new family.

It was easier to talk to her this time, and while she still seemed skeptical about everything I was saying, she listened to me without any interruptions, letting me tell my story.

She was still naked, and I tried hard not to let myself get distracted by her body, but it was difficult. Her pale skin was glistening from the water, and her nipples were hard from the cool air. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her and hold her close, but I knew she wouldn’t welcome it.

“So your parents are still in jail?”

“Yeah.” It was a source of embarrassment for me, and I hated talking about it, but if it was going to make her understand me better, then I would endure it. “They’re up for parole in a couple of years, but they’ll never be able to get out. Some of the drugs that were caught with had killed someone and there was a lot of evidence, so there’s no chance of them ever walking free again.”

“Do you still go visit them?”

“I did at first,” I admitted. “But then I realized that they only wanted me to come because they needed me to help them get out. They weren’t really interested in being parents.”

“Huh. Well, I guess that explains why you’re so attached to Danny. He really was like your brother. But that also makes what you did to his mate that much worse, you know?”

“I’m all too aware of that,” I sighed. “But again, I never met to cause her permanent harm. I just wanted Danny to see that she was a weak point in the pack. The two wolves I sent to do the job fucked it all up.”

“But if it had gone as planned, would you regret it now?”

I shook my head. “No. Danny and I might be at each other’s throats, but I still care about my old pack.”

Whitney swims in a lazy circle, her moonlight hair dragging behind her in the water. “If you cared that much you wouldn’t have left.”

It was a fight to push my anger down, but I managed. I wanted to prove to her that I could have these hard conversations. “What Danny has turned the Red Canines into is a mockery of what we once were. All of my money, my old apartment, and all of the respect I ever earned was through our old ways. Crime and even violence came naturally to me. What place would I have in a pack that disregarded all of that work I did?” I scoffed, working my jaw to get rid of some of the tension inside of me. "Every good thing I've ever had in my life I earned through the pack the way it used to be."

My mate paused, looking at me with those huge, icy blue eyes. “Do you consider me a good thing?”

I blinked at her, surprised at the question. “Yes, absolutely.”

She swam closer to me, coming to stand just a foot away from me, and I could see the sadness in her eyes. “Well, I didn’t come from all that crime and violence, did I? So there’s one good thing that didn’t come from you being a criminal.”

I stared down at her, trying to think of the right words. She was so close to me, naked and wet and smelling like heaven. My wolf was howling for me to pull her into my arms, but I knew that wasn’t going to work. I had to use my words.

“Whitney, I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t worth the bad shit in my life,” I said, reaching out to touch her cheek. She didn’t move away, her eyes on mine. “I’m just saying that it was easier when everything was black and white. Before, I always knew what I wanted out of life, but now everything is complicated. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

She tilted her head, finally pushing herself backward in the water so my fingers fell away from her skin. “I can tell you this—you had to be a strong wolf to catch me, Julian, but you’ll have to be a good man to have any chance of keeping me.”

“And if I’m not a good man?”

Her expression softened and she looked at me, her eyes searching mine. “Kidnapping Laura certainly didn’t earn you any points with me in that regard. But—" she held up a hand when I opened my mouth to speak, stopping me. “I’m all too familiar with male werewolf mate nonsense. Danny kidnapped Naomi, I should have been more on guard that you’d do something similar. I don’t approve, and I’ll rip your throat out if you touch her again, but I also know we aren’t human. We’re wolves.”

I leaned forward, watching her closely. “You’re being awfully forgiving for someone who just tried to kill me. What’s changed?”

Whitney gave a little shrug, looking down at the water as she swam another circle around me. “You explained yourself.”

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