Page 57 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

After all, I was the Alpha's mate no matter what. The Shadowbay wolves would have to take me with all my social ineptness and too-loud laugh. It's just who I was.

Along with the respect for me, I could also see how the pack was slowly changing to be more like Samson's. When Scott announced that the she-wolves in the pack would be ranked in the hierarchy separately from their mates, there was an uproar, but he crushed it in the way only experienced Alpha could. He told them if they didn't like it, they were welcome to leave. None of them did.

When the first woman in the pack received a promotion, I nearly burst with pride. That woman turned out to be Rhie, the Omega from the bar. I saw her around town more often, and she was always quick to smile at me when she did. I knew that she'd never liked how I was treated in the pack, and now we had something to silently celebrate together.

It should have all been perfect, and it was...most of the time. Until the nightmares came.

I was more exhausted than usual, but that wasn't odd for a pregnant she-wolf. Then my dreams started slipping intosomething darker, with whispers I couldn't make out and a creeping terror that I could never truly see. I'd wake up drenched in sweat, heart pounding, clinging to Scott like he was a lifeline.

Still, I didn't really worry about the dreams, but when I started to wake with a tightness right below my heart, I knew something was wrong. It felt foreign, like the darker parts of my magic, and no amount of naps or antacids could make it go away.

Worst of all, it pushed me away when I tried to reach for it with my own power. Hard.

I had a theory, but it was so horrible that I didn't want to think about it too hard. When I broke the bond with Scott, it had been fast and messy. What if I'd left some pieces of that darkness behind, and it was growing inside of me?

During the day, I wore a smile and told Scott I was happier than ever. But when I had time alone, I started researching, checking all my old spell books and even some of Kiera's that I made an excuse to see. I combed through everything I could about magical echoes and the unintended consequences of spellbreaking, but most importantly, residual darkness.

Like all magical texts, everything was cryptic and hard to understand, but one thread kept appearing. It was something about how dark magic would cling to its wielder like a parasite when forcefully expelled.

I'd ripped the bond out of me without finesse, and I'd left behind something sinister. Now it was inside me, way too close to my baby, and I had to get it out.

When I ran out of magical texts, I switched over to the public library. I knew most of the librarians by name, and they greeted me with a smile as I made my way into the archives. Ihad no idea how long I spent there, combing through every book they had on witchcraft and magic.

There was nothing that matched what I was looking for, and when I'd exhausted my last lead, I started to cry. My chest still hurt, and it felt like a hand was squeezing my heart.

I was interrupted from my pity party by my phone ringing, and I wiped my tears before answering. It was Scott, and I didn't need him to know how distraught I was.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey, princess. Are you going to be home soon? I made dinner."

I smiled through my sadness. "Oooh, like real dinner? Not out of a box?"

Scott laughed. "Yes, like real dinner. A whole big thing. Lasagna and garlic bread with real, full-cholesterol butter. The heart-stopping kind."

I giggled. He managed to drive the misery out of me without even trying. "I'm impressed. I'll be back in about an hour."

"Good. Drive safe."

I hung up, and took one last look at the dusty library shelves before packing my things to leave. I knew I'd have to tell Scott about the residual darkness tonight. I'd already kept it hidden for too long, but I was just enjoying our little slice of peace while I could.

I was going over the script of how to tell him as I walked to the car. The parking lot was dark, but there were a few yellow streetlights dotted around. I was sure I was the only one there until something moved near the drop box.

I turned, heart thudding, but it was only another wolf. He held up a hand in greeting.

"Hello?" I said cautiously. "Can I help you?"

He came closer, and I knew instantly that I didn't recognize him. That was worrisome, but the rangy man quickly answered my unspoken question. "No, I was just dropping off some books. I'm Aaron, from Jayce's pack." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Alpha told us to identify ourselves when we were out of our territory because we're new."

It was an over-explanation, but he seemed nervous. I felt for him. I was always explaining myself too much when I was nervous. I didn't have the overpowering hate for the Blacktide pack that my husband and cousin did, either. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Aaron," I said brightly, "I'm Nayeli, Scott's wife."

"Nice to meet you," He smiled, but it looked off. I paused, considering the man, and decided it was better just to leave before trouble managed to find me. He didn't look dangerous, but there was something uneasy in the air. I wanted to go home.

I gave an awkward two-fingered wave and hustled to my car, digging the keys out of my bag. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, not by Aaron, but by something else. Something not human, and not wolf.

I unlocked the door and jerked the handle open, but a pain hit me in the chest like an arrow and I hunched over, crying out. It felt like my ribs were being ripped out, and I distantly heard Aaron yelling as the pain crept up my chest to my head.

I fell, desperately trying to get to my phone to call Scott, but it was no use. The pain reached my skull, and then there was nothing but blackness.

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