Page 10 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

"Inconvenient is an understatement."

"It's just a temporary thing, okay?" she said quickly, as if sensing my anger. "We'll fix this, and then we can go back to hating each other from a distance."

"You don't hate me," I pointed out, my tone smug. I knew it would piss her off, but I was tired of tiptoeing around the issue. "And I never hated you."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Yeah, well, I'm not so sure about my opinion at the moment."

"Either way, we have a few other problems. That guy back there, Jayce? We've been aware of his presence for some time now, but that was the first time I'd seen him in person. It's just amatter of time before Joe, Samson, and I have to figure out what to do with him, but we need to let Samson know what's going on between us before that happens."

"What? Why?" She looked up at me, "What does our weird bond have to do with a new Alpha in town?"

"He reeked of magic, for one. Not the same kind you were using, but still. And I'm positive he could sense that something was up with us. With us and the bond, I mean. If a total stranger could tell that we've got this new connection, then your cousin and his witch wife are definitely going to pick up on it."

Nayeli groaned and covered her face with both hands. "Oh my god. Of course, Samson and Kiera are going to be able to tell. I didn't even think about that."

My lips twitched, and the lights of town became clear in front of us. We were almost back to Samson's. "This isn't exactly funny, but I have to admit, you're adorable when you're spinning out."

Nayeli's hand lifted as if she wanted to hit me, but she thought better of making the contact, and lowered it. "You are seriously the worst." Then, she exhaled, sounding exhausted. "I really don't want to have this conversation with Samson. He doesn't even know you're my mate or that you rejected me. We're about to dump all of this on him at the same time, and he's going to lose it."

"Trust me, I'm not exactly jumping for joy at the idea either, but if we don't tell them and they find out on their own, it's going to be a million times worse. I'm an Alpha, Nayeli, and I owe it to my pack to be honest with them about if I've taken a mate. This—" I gestured between us. "Isn't a normal mating, but it's close enough that I don't think there's any point in trying to hide it."

Nayeli tilted her head to the sky and groaned. "So what do we say? 'Hey Samson, you know Scott, that dude you hate but have to tolerate? He rejected your favorite cousin as a mate and broke her heart, but now they're magically soul-bonded. Surprise!'"

I tried really hard not to laugh, but a small snort escaped. "I mean, yeah. Pretty good summary, actually." Then I frowned. "Except Samson doesn't hate me. We have a slightly antagonistic but still solid alliance."

"You're frenemies," she shot back, and I growled.

"We're not fucking 'frenemies,' Nayeli. We aren't high school girls arguing over the same guy for a prom date."

She lifted one brow at me, unimpressed. "Weird metaphor, but I get your point. Either way, I'm sure he won't be happy when he finds out."

"You're probably right, but you're his cousin, and I'm an Alpha. He'll get over it."

"For the sake of my sanity, let's hope so." We were firmly in town now, and while it was late, there were still a few bars open, and people were meandering down the streets of Crystal Creek. It was a beautiful night, and I'd probably be able to enjoy it more if I hadn't had my entire life fucked up in the last few hours.

"It's not just the bond itself worrying me," Nayeli spoke up again, quieter now that we weren't totally alone. "When I ran, I was in pain. Real pain. At first, it was just my skin itching and I was dying to touch you, but my chest felt like it was caving in at the worst point, and it was hard to breathe."

I stiffened. Cramps were one thing, but this? "You didn't say it was that bad."

"I didn't want to admit it, but yeah, it was, and it stopped the second you touched me."

I'd already come to a conclusion about how I was going to keep Nayeli safe and out of pain while she tried to unwind this spell, but I hadn't spoken it out loud. I also hadn't admitted how desperate I was to avoid the side effects bothering me, either, but she sounded so forlorn that I offered it up as an olive branch. "I felt it, too. Not the pain, but...I couldn't stop myself. I needed to find you. It was like something in me snapped."

Nayeli nodded, as if she'd expected it. "So what happens if we're apart for too long?"

"You're the witch, you tell me."

"You know, I have no idea," Nayeli stopped under a streetlight, and she looked so lovely, even with her messy hair and dirty dress, that I had a second of longing for this to be something else entirely. A real mating bond. A real date, the two of us out on the town late at night. But that wasn't meant to be.

"We're going to have to tell Samson and Kiera. Tonight." Nayeli continued. "I know they're probably asleep by now, but we're going to have to wake them up. Like you said, it has to come from us."

"Alright, princess. Let's go give your cousin a heart attack."

She rolled her eyes but didn't argue, and as we continued our walk, she moved closer. Our shoulders brushed together every few steps, and I got the impression she was finding relief even in those tiny touches. Nayeli didn't say thank you, didn't soften up, and didn't smile. But she also didn't run away, and that would have to be enough for the moment.

Chapter 5 - Nayeli

I don't think I'd ever been so nauseous walking up someone's porch, and this one just so happened to belong to my cousin. Samson, the Alpha of the Saltfang pack. This was the same house I'd fled from so many hours earlier, and there were still remnants of the party everywhere, but the house was quiet.

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