Page 4 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

Still, I was an Alpha, and more attuned than other wolves to things like magic, and between one breath and the next, the air was suddenly full of it. Nayeli didn't have magic, so what was going on? Was she in trouble? Was she in over her head?

Overriding my better senses, my wolf pushed hard for me to find out, and I let it happen. With her chanting growing louder, I sprinted for the ladder and climbed up, trying to remain quiet so she wouldn't hear me. If she was in trouble, then I wanted to help her, and if not, I wanted to be able to make my escape without getting caught.

The moment I crested the top of the ladder and poked my head inside the treehouse, the words pouring from Nayeli's mouth cut off, and I saw her eyes widen in shock. She looked up at me like I was a ghost, narrowing her eyes to see me through the smoke, and when she recognized me, dread overtook her beautiful face.

A soft blue glow covered her hands, but once she saw me, the glow faded and the pulse of the magic in the room kicked into high gear. I only had a second to process the look before it hit me.

Something invisible slammed into my chest, white hot and burning as it spread through my ribcage.

“Shit—" I staggered, one hand catching the wall, the other going to my chest like I could physically claw out whatever thing had just made its home inside of me. It was everywhere. Burning through me, wrapping around my bones like a serpent. My wolf reared up, snapping and furious somewhere within me, but I quickly understood there was no threat, not in the usual sense.

There was just her, Nayeli, looking at me with a mix of horror, concern, shame, and anger. Her scent hit me hard, richer, deeper than ever before, like it had bloomed into something full and ripe andmine.When I looked at her, her blue eyes blazing even through the curtain of smoke, I could suddenly feel her on a deeper level than ever before, as if there was a tether connecting us, and if I only reached the right place, I could grab it.

Oh, fuck. No. No, no, no. Something was very wrong. Ever since she'd presented as an Omega and it became all too clear that she was my mate, I'd had some awareness of Nayeli at all times. But this was different. It didn't feel right. Instead, it felt forced, out of place, totally different from the pack magic that came with our pack bonds.

Even out of place, though, it also felt strong as hell. I wasn’t an easily frightened man, but whatever this was, it was scaring the hell out of me.

“What the hell did you just do?” I demanded, stepping fully into the treehouse now, the heat of the spell still roiling in my chest.

She shot to her feet and backed away from me, bumping into her table and knocking over a crystal bowl that hit the floor and shattered.

“I—I didn’t mean to—" Her voice cracked, and my anger softened. Nayeli was frightened, and while Nayeli was many things, easily frightened was not one of them.

"You can't lie to me, Nayeli," I stalked into the room, the roof barely high enough for me to stand at my full height. "I felt it. I still feel it. You connected us."

Nayeli’s face shifted from horrified to panicked as she reached for her chest, and I knew then that she was feeling the same thing I was. That undeniable bond. "I never meant for this to happen, this isn't at all what the spell was supposed to do..."

I was still reeling from the fact that Nayeli Jones, my potential mate, could wield magic. "Oh, so you meant for something to happen? What the hell is going on in here, Nayeli?"

“Okay,” she said, voice thin and clipped as she pressed her thumbs into her temples, massaging small circles there before collecting herself and turning to gather new supplies from her shelves. “Okay, so… it was a spell.”

I arched a brow. “A spell?”

“I didn’t mean for it to bond us,” she snapped, then winced. “It was a power enhancement spell. I was using it as a way to sort of solidify my powers. I'd done a few smaller spells from the same book before, but apparently, this one was out of my league, and now—" She gestured between us helplessly.

Nayeli didn't need to continue. I knew exactly what she meant. Now, something had occurred between us, and neither of us knew what to do about it.

I inhaled slowly, which was a mistake, because it only served to fill my head with her scent, peaches with a new edge of anise, and the urge to mate her rolled over me once more. No, I'd made my decision, and I certainly wasn't going to go back on it now that Nayeli had bound us with magic that she had no control over.

Crossing my arms, I leaned back against the treehouse wall. "Since when have you had magic, Omega? I'm surprised that Samson hasn't been bragging that he has not just a mate with witch abilities, but a cousin, too."

"No one knows. Well, except you now. And I want to keep it that way." Her face was guarded, but I could see the plea in her eyes.

"You want to keep it a secret?" I laughed, shaking my head. "If that's the case, then you better find a way to fix whatever you just did."

"What do you think I'm doing?" she snapped, arms full of spell ingredients. "Sit in front of the table. Let me try...something."

Nayeli was radiating uncertainty, and I really didn't want to put myself at her mercy now that she'd basically admitted she was a novice, but who the hell else was I supposed to go to? Plus, I still had more questions for her. I settled on the cushion in front of the low table, watching as she knelt in front of me and laid out her supplies.

"So," I prompted, crossing my arms over my chest, "How long have you been hiding your little secret, witch?”

She froze, glancing up at me. There was indecision on her face for a long moment, but finally, she came to terms with something inside of herself and took a long breath. "The magic manifested when I presented as an Omega. I'd barely even started to mess with it by the time our mating bond became clear, so that's why you didn't know back then." She was vulnerable, but with her next words, anger crept in. "You might have known had you not rejected me right after kissing me. Asshole."

Her tone made my wolf stir, but I pushed it down, knowing full well that I deserved her anger. "Guilt-tripping me isn't going to change the fact that whatever you did to us isnota normal mate bond."

"It wasn't a guilt trip. I was just stating a fact." She began to light candles and crystals around me, then sat across from me, taking my hands in hers. They were warm, and I could feel her pulse thrumming beneath her skin. "And I don't know what it is, either. I'm not experienced enough to be able to identify the kind of magic that we're dealing with. Now shut up, and let me try to fix this."

I shut my mouth, watching her as she closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and started to speak in low, melodic tones. It was the same language I'd heard before, but now it sounded less like a spell and more like a lullaby. I couldn't look away from her, even if I'd wanted to. The room felt warmer, somehow, the scent of her filling the air until it was all I could smell. My wolf settled down, content, as Nayeli's voice washed over us. There was a faint glow where our hands were connected, and I was sure I'd never seen anyone as beautiful as Nayeli was at that moment...

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