Page 14 of Pregnant Forced Mate

He takes a seat at the chaise couch in the corner, turning infuriatingly intense eyes on me. “You’re here for one reason, and one reason only.”

“What’s that?”

“Uh-uh.” He shakes his head curtly, lifting one finger in the air. “I’m going to speak. And you will not make a sound until I’m done.”

I’m compelled to press my lips into a firm line, nodding my concession. As if he has some authority over me. I’ve never felt that way before, and it’s almost intoxicating despite how surprised I am at myself.

“Good,” he smirks, but not in a humorous way. “You are here to help me fulfill my duties to my clan. An—”

When I open my mouth to speak, suddenly curious about what he means when he says “clan,” his jaw clenches, and anger flashes in his eyes. It’s frightening enough to purse my lips and not make a sound.

“And that duty is to produce dragonspirit children,” he continues. “To prevent our kind from extinction, you will become my mate.”

The man allows for a moment of silence to pass to allow this to sink in. But internally, a million questions run through my mind.

His mate?

Dragonspirit children?

The clan?

What does all of this mean?

“Over the next few weeks, you will be here. We will engage in mating acts, and once you’ve given birth to enough children to appease my family, I will allow you to leave. Have I made myself clear?”

Gasping in disbelief, I try to make sense of everything he says. “I—I don’t understand,” I frown. “You want me to give you children when I don’t even know who or what you are.”

The man scoffs, getting to his feet before sauntering toward the bed. He crosses his arms, towering over me with a raised brow. “You remember how you got here?”

I nod.

“Then you know that I’m a dragon shifter.”

I hesitate to nod. Truthfully, I don’t fully understand any of it. First, I’m forced to accept that dragons exist. Now, I have to wrap my head around the fact that he’s a shapeshifting dragon who takes on the form of a strikingly handsome, albeit grumpy, man.

“Come on, Yazmine,” he says coldly. “You were studying the bone of one of my kind. Surely this isn’t difficult to comprehend.”

Too stunned to have to face the truth, I lift my eyes to meet his. But all I find is hostility—nothing that can put me at ease.

“I’d like to go home,” I murmur tentatively.

“That’s not happening,” he grunts. “You don’t have a choice.”

“P—please…” I plead, my voice cracking when the weight of his words starts to sink in.

“No,” he says flatly, uncrossing his arms and heading toward the door. He pauses, not even giving me a glance when he goes on. “Do you have any family that will look for you?”

I shake my head but then remember that he can’t see me. He’s not looking at me. But this man—this dragon shifter—just claimed that I will be his mate to give him children.

“N-no. I—” I gulp, forcing down the tears that threaten to spill over. “I’m an orphan. I don’t have any f—”

“Good,” he scoffs. “I don’t care much about your personal life. So spare yourself the details.”

“Wait!” I say quickly, getting onto my knees just as he’s about to open the door. “Don’t I get a choice in any of this? What if I don’t want to be your mate?”

The man finally turns, his imposing presence made greater by the ruthlessness in his eyes as he glowers at me. A sinister smile curls his lips—it’s anything but friendly.

“None of us have a choice here.” His lips twitch as if a bitter taste enters his mouth. That bitterness radiates off his presence, extending to the twist I have in my belly. “I have to mate with a useless human. If I did have a choice, I wouldn’t even cross paths with you.”

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