Page 61 of Pregnant Forced Mate

“Yeah,” she giggles. “Didn’t want you to be all scruffy today. It is your brother’s wedding, after all.“ She takes a step back to inspect her work with narrowed eyes, then pats the knot of the tie. “There. That should do it.”

Just as she’s about to turn, I quickly grab her wrist to stop her. When her eyes meet mine, I feel myself reeling into the depths of their natural allure. She gasps, her lips parting and inviting me toward crushing my lips to hers.

Focus, Aragon.

“What did you mean this morning?” I ask, to which she frowns.

“What are you talking about?”

I notice that she doesn’t try to wring free of my grip, allowing me to smooth my thumb across her wrist.

“You called yourself a concubine…” I remind her.

The corners of her eyes turn down with sadness, which is evident when she sighs. My heart drops, wanting to pull her and wrap my arms around her.

“I was only joking,” she lies, averting her gaze. I know she’s lying because she refuses to look into my eyes.

Strangely, I can sense her emotions pulsing off her in waves. I only keep myself from embracing her because I know that up until now, I haven’t been the easiest to be around.

I’ve barely been able to be honest with myself. Let alone be honest with her.

The truth is plain to see. Yazmine is not only the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met, but she’s also independent and capable of making her own choices. But that leaves one question remaining.

Why hasn’t she asked to leave the island? Has she chosen to be my mate?

“You weren’t joking, were you?” I whisper. The confirmation comes when she lifts her eyes back to mine and gulps.

“What do you expect me to say, Aragon?” she murmurs. “Isn’t that all I’m here for? To have children for you?”

“We agreed to give this another try, didn’t we?” I frown.

She slips her hand out of my grasp discreetly and draws back. “Another try at having children, yes. That’s all this is.”

My heart squeezes inside my chest with the anguish of her bitter words. “Is that your decision?”

“Yes,” she nods. “I realize that I have nothing to lose. I will have your children, then leave as you requested.”

“What if I don’t want you to leave?” I blurt out without thinking.

Yazmine slowly turns her face to me, her chest rising and falling in stuttered breaths. She opens her mouth to say something, but we’re interrupted when Felix appears at the door.

“You two coming?” he asks.

“Yes,” Yazmine replies as she plasters a smile on her face. She meets Felix at the door and turns back to the room. “We’re ready.”

Nodding, I follow them out and ignore the pleasant conversation they have. It lasts all the way to the hall, and it feels like Yazmine is just ignoring me on purpose.

I know I don’t deserve her. It’s probably something she’s aware of, too, hence her reluctance to remain with me. I don’t blame her. She knows that I don’t deserve her.

A fact that is driven in when the bridesmaids walk down the aisle. It’s Yazmine I’m fixated on, unable to drag my gaze away. She’s mesmerizing in her cream dress, and I’m suddenly hauled into a vision of her walking down the aisle in a wedding dress.

It’s a heinous crime to picture her as my bride. I hadn’t even gone as far as imagining Delilah in a wedding dress while we were together. I simply wanted her as my mate, and imagined how powerful our children would be.

Right now, I stare at Yazmine and picture our lives together. As Draco and Lily recite their vows, I imagine Yazmine and I standing there, professing our love.

Our love?

Is that what this is?

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