Page 32 of The Bratva King's Pregnant Bride

It was torture; she was my world now.

I wanted her. And not just for her body, either—no matter that the mere sight of it always shattered my control. No, it wasn’t just that I wanted her for her body; I wanted her for her presence, too. I wanted her to be where I was—couldn’t stomach the idea of her ever falling into a dangerous situation like that ever again.

Fuck, just remembering the way her body had trembled in fear roused a rage inside of me that would only be sated with spilled blood. The thought that another man put his hands on her…

I wanted this woman in my bed, and the rest of my house, too, I realized with surprise. I wanted her where I could watch her, keep her safe. Where only I could care for her.

Imagining anyone else taking care of her and the child in her belly didn’t sit well with me, either. No. I fucking hated it.

Yet, she had her reservations about me.

I didn’t mind. I may be the Bratva boss—strong willed and fearless, yes—but I wasn’t some kind of monster. I wasn’t going to hurt anyone without reason, especially Maya. She made everything so much easier.

I knew her hesitance wouldn’t last long, though. She’d certainly liked me well enough before she knew what the hell I was, but it would only be a matter of time before she accepted that, as well.

After all, she had yet to meet the rest of my family and friends, and I know they didn’t all seem like monsters… just people like me, with a few extra sides thrown in. I would expect her not to forget that.

But, maybe, this was an exception to make. Maybe she needed space to think things through for herself first, and we could take our time together until she decided to trust me.

That plan, however, depended on Maya. For, in this life, I was the only one who she could really trust— she just didn’t know it yet. If only she knew what it must have meant, how hard I’d worked to protect everyone she cared for.

Now she was stuck with me: the big bad wolf. I’d just have to work harder, then, both to keep her safe and to convince myself I wasn’t falling hopelessly deeper for her than what would be considered normal.

But even then… It’d still hurt me to lose her—especially since, for reasons she didn’t know yet, she was starting to accept me for who I was. That was what I had to fight to maintain. To be honest, I wasn’t sure she wanted to admit it yet.

Even if her feelings for me were headed in the right direction, I knew it would be difficult to tell. Then again… maybe she just wasn’t comfortable admitting she was attracted to people like me, let alone the boss of the Bratva.

In any case, it didn’t matter. We were in this together, no matter what came next; if the worst happened, we would still be together.

I mean, come on. How could she not see that by now? I wasn’t asking her to give up everything—not yet, anyway. I just needed her to realize how important this whole thing was to me, our bond. So, I’d start working harder, being nicer, and making sure to keep myself available to her whenever she needed it. She deserved that much, at least.

Then it hit me. This is my chance. My one shot at getting this situation resolved, and keeping Maya and me together.

Soon, the door opened, and I turned to see the doctor make his way towards Maya; she lay on her back, resting, with the beeping of monitors relaying the stability of her body. I couldn’t hear what the doctor said, but I saw his lips move, and she responded in kind. When they stopped talking, he looked over toward me before turning back to the conversation.

I moved closer to listen to what they were saying.

“An ache, you said?”

Maya nodded while I watched silently.

The doctor made a flurry of movements with his hand as he jotted something down on his pad, then walked around her. He applied a gelatinous substance to Maya’s protruding belly, then ran an ultrasound test.

Images of Maya’s womb flickered on the screen while I moved closer to witness the life within her.

The doctor studied the screen for a minute or two. Eventually, he said, “Well, mother and baby seem to be in the pink. No issues whatsoever.” He nodded, smiling, and looked to his pad, scribbling. “However, I have some news.”

Maya’s hand reached for mine, seemingly on instinct, and she squeezed tight. I examined her face, seeing the carefully-concealed apprehension there.

The doctor looked up. “From what’s seen on the scanner, you don’t just have one baby.”

I squinted at the doctor, waiting for him to elaborate.

“You’re carrying twins!” He beamed at us.

I arched an eyebrow, wondering if this was some kind of joke. Was he trying to make the mood lighter or something?

“Twins?” I heard Maya say, as though from a great distance.

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