Page 59 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

Silence stretched between us. I didn't know what to do or say, but I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted…I needed things to be right between us.

"Are you sure about Whitney?" Danny asked finally, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"She's…" Danny hesitated, "I don't know her that well, but she's kind of a…a warrior woman. She's going to resent you if you try to protect her."

"Ha. Yeah, she's told me that a time or two. But I'll figure it out." I laughed, but it was hollow. I wasn't afraid of Whitney being a warrior woman—she could handle herself in a fight, and I didn't doubt her abilities as a demon slayer. No, I was afraid of her resenting me for trying to keep her safe.

The walk back to the abandoned house was quiet, but before we crossed into the clearing to join everyone else again, Danny asked quietly, without a lot of the malice from earlier, "So you really didn't mean to try and kill Naomi?"

I frowned. "No, Danny. I might be an asshole, but I'm not a killer." Then, to break the tension, even just a little. "Hey, did you hear Laura stole Saul's truck?"

"Yeah. Because he had to ride bitch with one of the other wolves to get here."

We parted from each other laughing—not on good terms, not even close really, but there was a crack in the wall of hate on both our sides. And if I looked hard enough, I could see a little light peeking through.

***

One week later

It took a few days of rest to completely recoup, which Whitney and I spent in my old apartment eating, watching movies, and having sex. But we couldn't stay in our love nest for long, because the real world, and all of the danger within it, were calling.

After a lot of long talks, and tears on Whitney's end, we decided we'd give the whole mate thing a shot. In order to do that, she'd have to officially leave the Silverfangs and become a Reckless Stalker. I could see how much it bothered her, but my mate was brave. Plus, she'd have to take time off from her demon slaying while she was pregnant anyway—at least the slaying portion.

We couldn't avoid the Silverfangs forever, either. Whitney needed to pack her things, and we had to talk to Hector and Faye about the portal spell we heard the demons talking about. If anyone could dig up information on it, it was Faye. Plus, since she was the main target, she deserved to know.

The day of reckoning came sooner than either of us liked, but it was inevitable. We left the apartment early in the morning, picking up Laura on the way. It was a long drive north, but after this, we'd finally be free of other pack politics. At least for a little while.

Whitney had been silent most of the ride, and it wasn't until we were about ten miles away from the Silverfang Creek pack house that she spoke up.

“I’m going to miss it here,” she said quietly, staring out at the trees as we drove through the forest.

“I know you are,” I replied, taking my right hand off the steering wheel and reaching for her. She put her hand in mine, and we laced our fingers together. I could feel the tension in her body, and I wished there was something I could do to make it go away. This was all new territory for me.

We’d talked about what being mates meant, but now that she was actually leaving the only home she’d known, it was obvious she was scared. And I couldn’t blame her. There had been a lot of change in a short amount of time.

I squeezed her hand gently, trying to be comforting. “We don’t have to leave immediately if you don’t want to.”

She shook her head. “No, we need to do this. I’ve been putting it off for too long already.”

My brave demon huntress. Funny what things were harder for her—she’d face down a hoard of demons without blinking, but when it came to those she cared for, all bets were off.

***

We stayed with the Silverfangs for two days. It might have been longer, but everyone still hated me with a passion.

I didn’t care, though. I had the acceptance of the only wolf that mattered—my mate.

Faye was a good hostess, but Hector had a harder time pretending he was comfortable with me in his territory. But he was satisfied with the patrols I’d set, and it gave me a little leeway with the Silverfang Creek Alpha.

While Faye and Whitney talked baby stuff, it was decided she’d only take her essentials back to Reckless Stalker territory and the rest would be packed into storage for her to get later. There was a tearful reunion, and then goodbye with the rest of her team, who she promised she’d still be happy to work with after the baby had arrived.

I wasn’t so sure about all of that, but I didn’t dare voice my thoughts in front of her.

I watched them all from afar, drinking a beer and letting them have their time together. It was hard as fuck, considering I didn’t want to leave her for a second, but if I wanted to keep Whitney, I had to give her the space she needed. Even if it pissed me off.

Hector found me, coming to stand at my side with his own beer. Annoyance about my presence still rolled off him, but he really was making an effort. “She’ll never settle down, you know. Not really.”

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