Page 15 of Forgotten Mate

“It is,” she whispered. She sat up and roseto go back to her chair. Her hands trembled. “Our night together,it … it produced a baby.”

He sucked in a breath. Shock stole hiswords. Happiness filled him, then almost immediately it wasreplaced by anger. The woman, his fake mate, had kept himfrom his child.

“I debated if I should tell you,” shecontinued. “I thought it might be best if I didn’t.”

“I-I have a child?”

Slowly, she shook her head and his heartplummeted. “With your rejection, my wolf disappeared. The babysuffered from this, and he was born too early. He only lived for anhour.”

A son. For a brief moment, he had a son, whowas taken from this world because he hadn’t remembered Zenia. Thiswas all on him. He caused his true mate to suffer and his child todie. Tears poured down her face. He rose and scooted to the end ofthe bed and gently lifted her from the chair to hold her in hisarms. Then he buried his face in her neck.

“I carry that guilt with me every day,” shecried.

“Shh,” he soothed. He petted her hair as herocked her. “You have nothing to feel guilty about. This wasn’tyour fault. It’s why you were depressed, wasn’t it? Why you triedto hurt yourself.”

She nodded.

They sat there together, him rocking her fora long while. He didn’t know how to soothe her, how to take awaythe pain she has lived with for five years. He hadn’t known but hisheart ached, sharing in her grief. This was on his shoulders. Zeniawas a gentle soul, and to see her so broken when she did nothingwrong gutted him.

“I named him after you,” she said. “GreydenJunior. He was so beautiful, and so very small. I held him until hepassed and buried him next to my parents. If you want to take hisbody back to your pack, I won’t stand in your way.”

He cupped her face and kissed her on herlips. “If I take him, then I take you as well. Layton will bepunished, as soon as possible.”

She abruptly pulled back. “Who?”

“The woman who bespelled me. Her name isLayton.”

Zenia moved off his lap to stare at him. “Ohmy God. She was my friend. She was there, with me, at the Assembly.She got mad at me for ignoring her because I had found you. Afterthat, she moved away suddenly and I never heard from her again. She… she took my place. She took you from me!”

“She murdered our child,” he added.

“Yes.” A fierce light entered her eyes.Determination. Anger. Resentment “I want her destroyed. I want herto pay.”

He rose and pulled her body into his. “I vowto you, right here and now, on the life of our son, she will getwhat’s coming to her.”

Chapter Nine

Five Years Ago

“Zenia!”

Someone called her name and she turned,seeing Layton rush toward them. Her friend looked Greyden up anddown, a flirtatious smile popping out to show off her dimples.

“Who’s your handsome friend, Z?”

Zenia’s wolf growled a low warning. “Stopthat, Layton. He’s my mate.”

Surprise flittered across her face. “Yourmate? Wait, you found your mate? Here? Already? That quickly?”

Zenia smiled up at Greyden. “We’ve beenblessed by the High Luna.”

He ran his knuckles over her cheek. “You’reso beautiful. I’m a lucky man.”

A throat cleared, reminding Zenia they hadan audience. When she looked at her friend with chagrin, a flash ofdarkness passed over Layton’s face before it disappeared and wasreplaced with a happy expression.

“How amazing is this?” Layton gushed. Shesidled up to Greyden and batted her eyelashes. “So,best-friend’s-mate, what’s your name?”

“I’m Greyden James,” he said formally.

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