Page 7 of Rejected Pregnant Mate

I hated to admit it, but he had a point. I was positively crawling out of my skin from the power of the spell, and my newly formed bond, and I shook in the warm night air. Jayce noticed and stepped closer. I stepped back, trying to keep my distance. He raised his hands in surrender, then spoke.

"Look, I get it. You're scared. I'm not going to hurt you, but if you want to walk home alone, I won't stop you. But can you tell me what happened?" he asked, “Maybe I can help."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's a long story, anyway." I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. I didn't know anything about this guy, or the pack he belonged to, and I was in no position to trust anyone right now.

Jayce nodded. "Okay, then. I'll walk you to the edge of the woods, and you can make your way from there."

I hesitated. It wasn't a great idea to trust a strange Alpha in the woods, but the more time passed, the worse my skin itched, and I felt restless. If I went with Jayce, maybe I'd havea chance to get away from whatever had come over me. Even if he did try something, I wasn't defenseless. My magic was still a secret, but I could handle myself with tooth and claw if necessary. And I had to take that risk, because I didn't know how much longer I could take this awful feeling.

I really, really wanted to go home.

"Fine," I agreed. "Lead the way."

I started following him, but after a few steps, the itchiness increased tenfold, and my feet refused to move forward. I tried, but it was like my muscles were frozen.

"Something wrong?" Jayce asked, looking back at me.

I shook my head, not wanting to admit weakness to the new Alpha, but he just gave me a look.

"Nayeli," he said quietly, making me freeze. He knew my name, even though I didn't give it to him, which meant he knew I was from Samson's pack. Shit. This could be bad. Was this some sort of kidnapping attempt to get one over on Samson?

I glared at him. "You know what? I'm good. I'll just be on my way."

"Wait," he called as I started backing away, but then something in the atmosphere changed. Both of us turned to the north, back where I had come from, and I sucked in a shocked breath. I knew who it was before he appeared, and I could barely breathe as Scott emerged from the woods, looking at Jayce and me with such an intense glare that I took another step back.

"Nayeli!" Scott snapped, looking me up and down, but I just held up my hand.

"Stop."

I looked between the two men, realizing how screwed I was. One was the mate who had rejected me years ago, and one was a strange Alpha from a strange pack. And if I didn't leave soon, I would end up stuck between them, unable to get away from either.

"Fuck," I muttered. But once Scott had assured himself that I was still in one piece, his attention immediately switched to Jayce, and a side of him that I'd rarely seen before emerged. Scott was usually calm and collected, at least as far as Alphas went, and prided himself on being a more sophisticated pack leader compared to Samson and Joe. He enjoyed teasing Samson, pissing him off to the point where my cousin was snarling and ready to fight.

This time, though, it was Scott who was snarling. I'd always known he was a powerful Alpha, but it wasn't until right then, when he really lost control, that I saw just how intimidating he could be.

And it didn't turn me on, even a little. Nope. Not even one bit.

...Okay, that was a lie. But as turned on as I was, I was still smart enough to know that interrupting Scott was a horrible idea. Instead, I let myself observe, clenching my legs together and rubbing my hands over my arms to try and dispel just how drawn to him I really was.

"Who the fuck are you?" Scott demanded. His hair was a mess, and his shirt had come unbuttoned halfway down his chest. He must have been sprinting through the woods to find me.

"None of your damned business," Jayce replied.

"It is my business if you're right on the border of an allied pack," Scott gritted out, "And why the hell are you talking to my Omega?"

My heart stuttered in my chest when I heard Scott call me his Omega. No, I wasn't his. He'd rejected me years ago. And yet, I felt a deep sense of longing. A voice whispered in the back of my head that I belonged to him and that he was right to claim me. I shivered as Jayce let out a grunt.

"Your Omega, huh? Funny, I wouldn't think letting your Omega wander around outside of pack territory in the middle of the night was a good idea."

I crossed my arms over my chest, not wanting to speak while the two of them argued. My heart was beating like mad now. If Scott and this Alpha started fighting over me, it would be a disaster. My magic was no match for an Alpha, and there was no telling what would happen if they fought.

I glanced at Scott, his hands curled into fists at his sides, and something in my chest tugged. He looked so angry that I wanted to go over to him, smooth out his brow, and make sure he was okay. Scott and Jayce were moving closer together, their words getting more heated, and an idea struck me. If they were so busy with each other, maybe I could escape.

I took a few steps back and then bolted, running as fast as my legs would carry me.

"Nayeli!" I heard both of them call after me, but I didn't stop. They sounded pissed, and I knew they'd be hot on my heels, but I just kept running.

Scott had found me, and I'd been about to get trapped between him and Jayce, but now I was free. For the moment, anyway. And I needed to find a way to get rid of this stupid bond. I couldn't let myself get stuck with Scott.

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