Page 16 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

"Wow," Joe laughed, clapping his hands together. "That was one hell of a kiss."

Nayeli gave an awkward laugh. "Thanks?"

"Now that everyone is hitched," Joe said, waving to the crowd, "Let's eat!"

***

I had to admit, one perk of being a pack leader was having plenty of people to do the busy work for me. It only took minutes to change the ceremony area to a casual reception, including a buffet set up with finger foods and tables scattered across the sand. Under a canopy strung with fairy lights was a dance floor that Nayeli and I would have to take to soon enough, so we could have our first dance as husband and wife.

The marriage was one of convenience, sure, but we still had to put on an act for the pack.

I kept close to Nayeli, partly because the bond tugged at me, but also because she looked like she was two seconds away from walking into the sea. She stood a little too straight, her movements quick and jerky. When she smiled, it was thin, and her hands kept fidgeting with her dress the longer conversation wore on.

Her social mask was slipping.

Everyone knew she was awkward by nature, but I'd grown to find it endearing. Her tangents on obscure subjects or her habit of butting in on conversations made everyone else uncomfortable, but I enjoyed her enthusiasm. There was a certain charm about it that I hadn't appreciated before, but that I was starting to understand.

After the ceremony, though, she was obviously nervous. Jittery. Every time someone came forward to congratulate us, her responses were either too short or dragged on way beyond the normal limit of such things. When one older she-wolf from my pack came up to quip about the wedding night, Nayeli had turned red and blurted out that she had no idea what the woman was talking about.

Once the confused woman had walked away, I bit back a laugh, and Nayeli shot me an annoyed glance. "Stop enjoying this."

"I'm not," I insisted, but her glare remained. "Okay, maybe I am a little. It's just...you're terrible at small talk, you know."

"I'm trying," she hissed, inhaling slowly and waving stiffly at someone from the Saltfang pack when they walked by. "I don't exactly have a script for 'oops, I magically bonded myself to an Alpha who doesn't like me, but now we're married' receptions."

I leaned in slightly, brushing her hair aside so I could whisper in her ear. "I don't remember saying I don't like you."

"You rejected—"

I cut her off, suddenly exhausted with the point she was constantly making. "Yes, yes, I rejected you. I remember. And now we're married. Things have a way of working themselves out."

Her laugh was loud and disbelieving, "You're so full of it. You know we married because of the spell and nothing more."

I briefly considered shutting up, but that just wasn't in my nature. "Yeah, well, that was before you walked down the aisle looking like a damn dream."

She blinked and looked up at me, shocked, her luscious mouth opened in a surprised 'o'. Finally, her brain started working again, "Well...unfortunately for you, I'm still a mess inside this dress."

I smiled fondly down at her. "You always were."

Nayeli squinted at me, and for a second, I thought she was going to get pissed off, but then a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Her shoulders relaxed. She might have been amess, but so was I. Hell, the entire situation was a disaster, but for the first time since she struck me with the spell, I felt something ease between us. We'd managed to figure out how to make the bond work until it was fixed. For the moment, things were okay.

The music coming from the dance floor stopped, and I checked my watch. Our little moment of peace was over. "It's time to dance, wife."

Nayeli paled. "Damn. I forgot to come up with a reason to leave early. I hate slow dancing."

I took her hand, loving the little shiver that told me my touch made her feel good. "It's tradition. Plus, it will help sell the whole marriage thing. We've got to appear to be in love."

That got her. She bit her bottom lip, looked around, and then finally linked our fingers together. I led her to the dance floor, and Joe gave a brief announcement that I paid no attention to. Something soft and slow began to play, an indie song that had been on the radio when Nayeli was younger, and she put her hands on my shoulders. I rested my hands on her waist, and she tensed.

Some of the guests stopped to watch. No doubt, the story of our rushed mating confused a lot of pack members, and rumors were probably already making the rounds. Every move Nayeli and I made only fueled the fire, so we had to make sure everything looked real.

"This feels awkward," she whispered.

"Just look at me."

She tilted her head back, meeting my gaze. "Okay. I'm looking. Now what?"

"Now, we sway."

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