Page 57 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

He smiled then—the first genuine smile I'd ever seen from him—and the effect was dazzling. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to remind myself that he was still Julian, the same man who infuriated me and pushed all my buttons. No matter how handsome he looked when he smiled, I couldn't let him walk all over me.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to settle myself. "This doesn't change anything, though. Not really. I'm not going to be part of some degenerate, drug-dealing pack. We're going to talk about this, and it's going to be an honest discussion. Not just you telling me what we're going to do."

Julian's smile grew even wider, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him. His lips were at my ear, and his voice was low and rough when he said, "Fine. But I won't apologize for being an asshole and not treating you like a delicate princess. I know you're strong enough to handle it."

"You think?" I grumbled.

He chuckled, but before he could say anything else, a familiar voice called out, "Okay, seriously, you two need to stop making goo-goo eyes at each other before I puke."

I stepped back from Julian just in time to see Laura coming up to us. Her hair was a mess, and she had blood all over her clothes and face, but she was smiling ear to ear. She stopped beside us and glanced between us.

"So this is really a thing?" she asked, pointing to me and Julian. "Because if so, you're going to have to deal with that," she said, nodding in Danny's direction.

I turned to look where she was pointing and saw Danny and the rest of his pack gathered together a few hundred feet away, watching us. The tension in the air was palpable, even from that distance. "Oh boy."

Danny had every reason to want to kill Julian, and considering my personal feelings for my mate, I couldn't let him do that. Julian wasn't a bad man—at least not anymore.

"He only wants Julian," Laura clarified. "We're supposed to give them some space, apparently. And no more interruptions."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen," I said, walking past her and heading toward Danny.

I heard Julian call my name, but I ignored him, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. The distance between me and Danny was closing, and I could feel his gaze on me. He was angry, that much was obvious, and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill Julian if he thought he could get away with it.

I stopped ten feet away from Danny, looking up into his dark eyes. They were like a mirror, reflecting his anger back at me. He was covered in blood, just like everyone else, but unlike the others, his blood was only from demons.

"How's Naomi?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

"Don't try to change the subject," he snapped, crossing his arms. "If he can't stand still and talk to me like a man, I'm going to kill him."

"No, you're not," I said, glaring right back at him. "You're going to talk to him like a civilized person, or at least as civilized as two Alphas can be."

Danny frowned, and I could practically see him debating whether or not he could actually kill Julian and get away with it.

I reached out and poked him hard in the chest. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no. No murdering of my mate."

He looked down at where my finger was jabbing into him but didn't move a muscle. "You're really going to claim that low life as your mate, huh? And here I thought you were smarter than that."

"I'm not looking for your approval or anyone else's. Swear to me that Julian will come back to me in one piece after your little chat. If not…well, all I can say is that I'm not an enemy you want to make."

Danny's eyebrows raised. "Oh really? You think you could take me on?"

I grinned. "Not one-on-one, but I've got one hell of a team. Especially that one." I nodded toward Laura.

"She has a mean swing," he agreed, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"So…are we good? Or are you going to go all cave-wolf on me?"

"We're good." Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I still can't believe you're with Julian. It's so…not like you. I know we don't know each other well, but Naomi talks about you all the time. You're some demon-hunting folk hero in her pack.“

"People change," I replied.

"They do," Danny agreed, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. "I hope you two will be happy."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

With that, I turned on my heel and went to find my mate. It was time for him to really speak to Danny, and I hoped at the end of it, there would be the hope for peace—if not now, in the future at least.

Chapter 22 - Julian

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