Page 56 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

After a while, Nayeli spoke quietly, "Scott, listen. If we're going to try to be a mated pair for real, then I have to know something. What did you mean when you said you wanted to keep things simple?"

"What do you think I meant?" I asked carefully.

She sighed. "I don't know. That you wanted us to be together, but not serious. Or maybe that you didn't want to have a family..."

"Woah," I sat up, making sure she was still connected to me, but needing to look in her in the eyes. "I want all of that. A mate, kids, a home, the whole deal."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I laughed. "When I said simple, I meant that I didn't want to complicate things by you leaving or going back to your old pack. I...I'd love to start a family with you one day, Nayeli."

She looked up at me through dark lashes, and her eyes were suspiciously shiny. She took one of my hands and gently placed it on her soft belly, and my breath caught when I realized what she was hinting at.

"Are you saying...?"

Nayeli nodded, smiling shyly. "Yeah. I'm pregnant."

I felt like a deer caught in headlights. Nayeli was going to be the mother of my children. The woman I loved, carrying my child.

Fuck. I loved her. And she was pregnant.

It was the best news I could have received. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Nayeli, Nayeli..."

I couldn't stop touching her. I couldn't stop kissing her. I picked her up in my arms when my knot went down, even when she complained. I couldn't be separated from her.

"Let's go back to town," I murmured against her hair. "I need to get you home."

***

Hours later, I watched Nayeli sleep, naked beneath my bed sheets, her perfect face lit only by moonlight.

We'd showered the forest off of us, and then fallen into bed again, making love until she fell into an exhausted sleep. I wasn't far behind her, but I just wanted to drink her in a little bit more before I slept.

She was so perfect. So mine. My mind drifted back to what she'd told me out in the forest. Pregnant. I couldn't believe it. It was everything I'd ever wanted, and it felt so surreal. I couldn't wait to see her round with my child. I couldn't wait to see our family grow.

I knew we had a lot to talk about, a lot to figure out. But it could wait till morning.

Chapter 23 - Nayeli

The days that followed felt like stepping into a dream I didn't want to wake up from.

Every morning, I woke up tangled in Scott's arms, the warmth of his body curled around me like a blanket. He'd kiss my shoulders before I opened my eyes and whispered sweet things to fill my first conscious minutes of the day.

He'd tell me over and over that he'd never let me go, and each day I believed him more.

The tension between us was gone, and something stronger and sweet grew in its place. There was a quiet sort of joy in how he'd lay his palm over my stomach and marvel at the fact that I was carrying his pup. He even talked to the baby, telling it all about its parents and what our life together was going to be like.

It was everything I'd wanted from a mate.

I'd practice my magic under Kiera's supervision when Scott was busy, and when I worked, he'd be there to walk home with me while we enjoyed the weather. Scott would loop an arm around my shoulder and pull me close whenever he thought someone was looking at me too long, his possessive side still present even after the spell bond was gone. Once we stopped at a shop window and I caught our reflection in the glass, Scott tall, broad, handsome, and me short and curvy, my hair blowing in the wind.

And for the first time in my life, I didn't wince at how awkward I looked.

I didn't feel awkward anymore. Instead, I felt wanted. I felt like enough.

Hell, even the Shadowbay pack had softened towards me. The wolves that once looked at me like I didn't belong gave me smiles and little nods of respect. It might have been because I launched the two wolves I had caught fighting across the cafe, but I wasn't complaining. One of the cafe's kitchen staff even gave me an extra warm, gooey cinnamon roll the other day and winked like we shared a secret. It startled me how good it felt.

It didn't happen overnight, but I could stop worrying about winning them over. If Scott was putting the fear of God into them about accepting me behind the scenes, I didn't need to know. I was happy to just absorb the perks.

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