Page 11 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

But that didn’t stop the fear and anxiety racing through me. He was a wolf man—a shifter. I’d heard stories about them since I was a kid. How they abducted women and kids, either for sex or to eat, depending on the story. And here I was, trapped beneath one of them.

“I didn’t,” he admitted. “And I’m sorry. Just give me a chance to explain.”

“Fuck that.” I squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp again and failing. “Let me go.”

“I can’t,” he said. “Not until you listen. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

I slumped, my body relaxing beneath his. “Fine,” I spat. “But let me up first.”

Alek breathed a sigh of relief and stood. He held his hand out to me, but I didn’t take it. Instead, the instant I got to my feet, I bolted again.

I had barely gotten twenty feet away when his hand closed around my wrist.

“Seriously?” he said, pulling me back toward him. There was a mixture of amusement and exasperation on his face. “I mean, I completely respect you trying to trick me like that, but you couldn’t actually think I’d fall for it, right?”

I tried pulling my hand from his grip, but it was pointless. I sighed. “It was worth a shot,” I muttered. The tension still hadn’t left my body, and just him holding my wrist was enough to send me into a spiral of panic.

He must have sensed it because he cupped my cheek and turned my head so I was facing him. It took a long moment for me to look him in the eyes. When I did, it was impossible not to see the sincerity there.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “I promise.”

“Then let me go.”

He shook his head. “Not until I explain.”

“What’s there to explain? You’re a shifter. End of story.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Either you come with me, or I carry you back like I did the first time, all right?”

My jaw clenched, but I could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn’t lying. “All right,” I said.

Alek nodded, but he didn’t let go of my wrist as he led me back through the woods. I hadn’t realized how close I was to the house until we emerged a couple of minutes later. I hadn’t gotten particularly far.

“Sit down,” Alek ordered. “Let me get you some water.”

I sat. My eyes locked on the door, trying to gauge the distance. If I got enough of a head start, I might be able to make a break for it. He turned to see where I was staring and sighed. “Do I need to tie you up?” he asked. “Because I will. Even if I didn’t, I’d be able to catch you before you got far.”

I sighed, then shook my head in frustration even as my legs twitched, yearning to run away from the wolf man, though I knew there was no way I would get anywhere. And even if I could, where would I go?

I guess the stories about wolf men kidnapping women in the woods had more merit than I thought, I thought, stifling a hysterical laugh.

I was torn. I’d trusted Alek and always felt safe around him, felt that he would never hurt me. And even though he’d been lying to me the whole time and I’d finally learned his secret, even though I’d heard horror stories of wolf men my entire life and had grown up frightened of them, I couldn’t help but still trust him. Somehow, despite my terror, I felt like he wouldn’t hurt me. He’d protected me from the other wolf, after all. I was furious at him for lying to me, for keeping this massive secret from me for all these years. And yet, even though I should be frightened, I wasn’t. Or at least, not of him.

A glass of water materialized in front of my face, and I took it. “Thanks.” I downed it in seconds. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was.

“Of course.” Alek stood awkwardly in front of me, clearly nervous. I fumbled for something to say, my mind still reeling from the revelation that he was the stuff of children’s horror stories.

I glanced down, then blinked. “Do you…shift…in sweatpants?” I asked.

Alek looked down at the gray sweatpants and gave a short bark of laughter. “No,” he said. “I took just enough time to throw on sweatpants before coming after you. We don’t keep our clothes when we shift, and I figured you would prefer me not to be naked when I chased you down.”

I laughed, even as the image of Alek’s naked body floated up to the front of my mind. “I mean, I didn’t mind it the first time I saw it,” I said before I could think any better of it.

Alek raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“So what now?” I finally asked, my heart still pounding. The smile on Alek’s face vanished in an instant.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

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