Page 54 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

It didn't matter how raw I felt, or how much I wanted to disappear into a puddle of regret, I couldn't let my cousin and my sort-of-mate tear each other apart. Especially not for me.

By the time my tires screeched into the bar parking lot, my heart was galloping like a stallion. I had wanted at least a week before seeing Scott again, but he couldn't even give me three hours.

I threw the bar door open, and there they were. Scott, shirt wrinkled, chest rising and falling with rage. Samson, steadier but bleeding from his lip, as they circled each other.

"Stop it!" I yelled, and they both turned to look at me. And damn, I really wish they hadn't. The second my eyes met Scott's, everything cracked wide open in me again. He was hurt,not really physically, but something inside him was broken. I'd done that. I had to bite my bottom lip to keep it from quivering as I held back tears.

At first, I reached for my magic to force them apart, but the well was empty after the huge spell I'd cast. So instead, I shoved them both in the chest, one after the other. "Back up, you idiots."

Samson moved, but Scott didn't. I tried to focus on my cousin, not my husband, or the few bar patrons who were now fixated on us. "Go home. Kiera is worried sick."

He glanced over my shoulder, and his jaw tightened. "Fine. You," he jabbed a finger at Scott, "If you can't figure out your shit, stay away from her."

Scott still wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Samson with cold fury, and I could tell the next words out of his mouth would be a threat.

"Just go," I pleaded. "Both of you."

Samson stalked out of the bar, and I knew he'd be waiting for me outside. The air between Scott and me crackled with tension as I tried to think of what to say.

I wanted to throw myself into his arms, heal his cuts from the fight, and slap him all at the same time.

Instead, I turned and ran. Out of the bar, past a confused Samson, and into the forest. The second I was obscured by trees, I shifted, letting my wolf take over.

She ran hard and fast, the scent of the man we both loved and hated driving her. My wolf wasn't ready to give up just yet, but she gave me what I needed to think more clearly—air to breathe.

The night air was cool as it brushed past me, and I welcomed it. Scott wasn't far behind, I could feel his presence, but he was taking his time. My wolf took the opportunity to run as far and fast as she could. We'd come to the territory line before long, and I knew we'd have to stop. The last thing I needed to close off the night was an appearance by Jayce.

I wanted to keep going, to leave everything behind, but it was pointless. He'd catch me one way or another. If not tonight, then soon. I shifted back into my human form, shivering as the night air hit my skin. When Scott found me, I was sitting on a log, and I watched as he shifted from his tall, dark wolf to the man I couldn't resist.

He stalked towards me, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me to my feet. Something flared between us at the touch, even though it shouldn't have. The spell bond was gone, but apparently, there was still energy to burn.

Scott's eyes were wild. "You don't just get to run from this. From me."

"And you don't get to chase me down like some prey animal." Tears stung my eyes. "I gave you what you wanted. Your freedom. Your life back."

"You really think that's what I wanted?"

"It's the only thing you told me! During all that time we spent together, you never once said you changed your mind about this thing between us being temporary. You still haven't. And now it's too late."

His grip had eased, and now he cupped my face instead, but his gaze was no less intense. "Like hell it is. You think I don't want you? You think my mind didn't change by the end of our first fucking day together as husband and wife?"

My breath caught in my throat, but Scott wasn't done. "You think I spent all that time trying to protect you, to take care of you, just for fun?"

"N-no," I licked my lips. "I think you were trying to make the best of a bad situation. I think the spell pushed you into feeling things you wouldn't have felt otherwise."

"Then why the fuck do I still feel them now, Omega?"

I froze. "You...you do?"

"Yes." Scott's voice was dark, dangerous. "It's worse. Much worse. Because now I know what I'm missing, and it's killing me."

His thumbs stroked my cheekbones, and my eyes fluttered shut as I leaned into his touch. I shouldn't. I shouldn't. But it felt so good, so right.

"Please," he whispered against my mouth. "I can't do this. I can't be without you."

"You rejected me," I insisted, "I-I thought you were just waiting for all of this to end. I—"

He pressed his lips to mine. My heart ached, and my body ached. I wanted to fight, but it felt so damn addicting. His fingers dug into my hips as he deepened the kiss. I let him take control, and a low growl rumbled in his throat as he explored every inch of my mouth.

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