Page 61 of The Alpha's Forced Pregnant Mate

"What in the hell…?"

Naomi motioned for me to get out, bouncing excitedly on her heels, brown curls brushing her shoulders. The second my feet hit the ground she was hugging me, resting one hand on my belly.

"Congratulations! Oh, I can't believe it. A little Valkyrie."

I laughed, patting her on the back and looking over at Julian, who was now talking to Danny, looking surprised but not angry. "Yeah. I'm still coming to terms with it, but Faye says we'll be fine. I guess we have a lot to catch up on."

"You sure do!" Naomi linked her arm through mine, dragging me away from the truck. “You have to tell me everything. Are you really joining the Reckless Stalkers?"

I nodded, looking around at the little campsite. It wasn't what I was used to, but I could make it home. "Yeah. I need a change. And a baby? Ugh."

Naomi giggled, bumping her hip against mine. "Don't worry, I'll help you every step of the way. But first I think we need to join the men. Danny has…an offer."

"What?"

"You'll see. Just come on." Naomi started to walk toward our mates, but I stayed put for a second, just watching them. Danny moved immediately to stand between Julian and Naomi without thinking, and Naomi's cheerful expression fell when she saw my mate. The enormity of what he had done to her was heavy in the air around us, but Danny and Julian had taken the first step toward peace. Which meant I had to do the same.

Slowly, I joined Julian, wishing that I could hug Naomi to comfort her instead. We had to present a united front, but that didn't make it easy. Julian's hand slipped into mine, and when Naomi saw our fingers twine together, some of the uneasiness abated.

Okay. Good. We could do this.

"Let's just cut to the chase before this becomes even more of a pissing contest," I sighed. "Not that I'm not happy to see Naomi, but why are you two here? Isn't this enemy territory?"

Danny's face said that he wanted to argue back, but he kept his Alpha control in place and when he spoke it was steady and even. "The reason for our visit is twofold. I know that it's usually an offense to come to another wolf's territory without asking for clearance from the Alpha first, but I didn't want to leave anything up in the air."

When Julian didn't protest, Danny continued, "I'm here to be the first of the established pack Alphas to recognize you as an Alpha, Julian, and your pack the Reckless Stalkers as legitimate."

That was surprising, and it showed on my face. "But you've made it pretty clear you hate him."

"We're both still adjusting. I won't apologize for protecting my pack, but I also acknowledge that we have to move forward united against the real threat—the demons."

Julian nodded, swallowing hard. He was shaken, but trying his best not to show it. "Is that all you came here for? I appreciate it, but—"

"I also wanted to offer you a small pack territory on the border of the Red Canine's territory. We held it originally, but the pack was spread too thin, so it's open. It's near the eastern border, I think you're familiar with it."

I watched Julian's expression, and whatever land Danny was talking about clearly meant something to Julian. I filed that thought away to ask about later. "Why would you do that?"

"We're stronger together, and anything that gives my pack and my mate extra protection is something I want to make work. Once the demon shit is dealt with, I would understand if you wanted to break off and try to exist independently again, but for the time being, we could exist as a strong alliance."

Julian looked over at me, his expression unreadable. "What do you think, Whit? You have more at stake here than anyone."

"It might be good," I answered slowly, thinking aloud. "Our territory isn't that great, and it's kind of isolated. If we were closer to Danny, we'd still be self-sufficient, but we'd have a better connection with the Red Canines. We'd have more eyes on our child."

"There's only one thing I need from you if we're going to move forward with this." Danny's expression was deadly serious, and the hopeful tone of the conversation changed. "I want you to apologize to Naomi. Right now."

I saw the tension roll into Julian's shoulders, but I wasn't surprised by the demand. Naomi had been hurt by Danny's order, physically and mentally. She deserved an apology. She deserved a lot more than that, actually.

Julian took a deep breath before bowing his head to Naomi in an uncharacteristic show of submission. As an Alpha, it was unheard of, but this was important enough for Julian to make an exception. "I'm sorry for the things I did to you. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. It was wrong, and I know that now. I'm sorry for trying to make you appear weak in front of Danny. While I don't regret forming my pack, I regret that you suffered, Naomi."

Naomi sucked in a shuddering breath, and then bowed her head as well. “I accept your apology, Julian."

He took a deep breath and then looked back at Danny. "I accept the offer of territory, as long as it's okay with my mate." Julian turned to me. "Whitney?"

All of the pieces came together in my head. The witch that Faye spoke of must be Saul. I'd be close to Naomi, just like when we were both Silverfangs, and I wouldn't have to raise my baby far away from the pack that I trusted. "Yes. Yes, it sounds perfect."

Julian grinned, light-heartedly, and it was wonderful to see. Danny still looked grim, but I understood. Apologies might have been spoken, but a lot of time was still needed to see if they would ever get along again.

My mate looked between me, Danny, and Naomi, and laughed to himself. "Well, I had planned on making this a little more romantic, but seeing as we're planning our future, this seems like the best time I could hope for."

---