Page 44 of Possessive Mate

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he dropped down onto his knees before her. For just one second, she imagined he thought that some kind of marriage proposal or even a mate proposal might fix everything. But then he gripped her bare hips and pulled her to him.

You can't be serious right now! Elena thought, entirely misreading the situation. She was about to jerk herself out his grip when instead of planting a kiss between her thighs, he laid his lips again her stomach.

When he looked up at her, his chin brushed her skin, his short beard tickling her abdomen. “Because I feel it in my gut.”

Elena's own gut churned. She wanted so desperately to feel what he felt, but the truth was, all she felt was fear.

“This baby will be perfect,” he assured her. “We will be perfect.”

Tears threatened again. It wasn't Hanson or even the baby's part in this that she truly feared. It was her; she was the one who was broken. Somehow, she knew, her just being herself was enough to mess all of this up.

But as Hanson held her, silent and understanding, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. And, for her, hope was dangerous.

Chapter 21 - Hanson

Hanson might have happily stayed there forever, holding Elena in his arms, even with all she had just told him, if not for the danger he suddenly sensed in the trees.

“Elena, stay calm and get behind me,” he instructed her, gently whispering the words in her ear.

By the way she was already tensing, Elena had clearly sensed them, too. But Hanson cursed silently, realizing they had been too distracted to give themselves time to run.

“You're injured,” she protested, but Hanson would not stand for arguments right now. He nudged her behind him, facing down the men who slunk out of the trees before him.

“You're…sensitive,” Hanson reminded her, not willing to give away the fact she was with pup to these assholes. They'd tear her apart for the fun of it if they knew.

Elena tried to move to stand at his side, but his strength was rapidly returning, and he easily kept her back.

“Did we interrupt a moment?” one of the men growled.

“Yeah, it looked quite cozy just now,” another chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Shame we turned up to spoil the fun.”

“Yeah, she looks like bags of fun to me, don't you think boys?” the first said, eyeing Elena up and down even though Hanson tried his best to hide her from view. She wasn't helping much with the way she pushed forward against his barrier of an arm.

“Don't even think about it,” Hanson growled low in his throat, narrowing his eyes. Anger blazed inside him. If any one of them so much as laid a finger on Elena, he'd make them regret it for what remained of their very short life.

The man laughed, and with a swift flick of his head, he encouraged more men out of the trees.

Fuck! Hanson thought. Three, maybe even four, he might have stood a chance against if he was quick, but six? Those were nearly impossible odds.

Still, he had been in worse situations before. He held on to that knowledge, praying he could keep Elena out of their clutches.

“Separate them!” the leader of the men howled. “Christopher wants the girl, but I wouldn’t mind a go myself!”

The man's disgusting words enraged Hanson further. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and as the men rushed him, he managed to knock one clean out.

Fuck! he cursed again when he realized two more had appeared from the woods.

“Hanson!” Elena cried as she was wrenched away from him. Hands grabbed at his arms. Claws sliced his flesh. The last remnants of silver poisoning still lingered in his system. But still, he managed to lift the shortest man off his feet with one hand wrapped tight around his throat.

“Get your hands off me, you filthy dogs!” Elena snarled at the men who were trying to drag her away. She fought bravely.

She shouldn't be fighting at all! Hanson thought, and a second rush of adrenaline surged through him.

“Don't fight them, Elena!” he ordered her, though he knew from experience that the she-wolf rarely obeyed orders.

If she fought them, they would fight back. Werewolves, especially males, were prideful creatures. They would never allow themselves to be beaten by a she-wolf, especially not one their alpha wanted.

“Get them under control!” the leader ordered. He was the only one who had not joined the fray. Hanson dashed the unconscious body of his friend at his feet.

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