Page 16 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

“Okay,” I finally said.

Alek blinked, surprise evident on his face. It was honestly a little adorable, and I couldn’t hold back an amused smirk.

“Really?” he asked. When I nodded, he said, “Okay. I have no idea what I said because I definitely didn’t expect it to work, but fantastic.”

“Why don’t you throw on some clothes so we can get going before I change my mind?” I said.

He tilted his head, a smirk playing on his face, eyes sparkling wickedly. “What? You don’t like me shirtless?” he teased.

“That has nothing to do with it,” I said, color rushing across my face.

Alek chuckled. “I get it. You don’t want other women to see.”

The blush deepened. “Just…get dressed.”

Alek cackled, then gave an exaggerated bow. “As my lady commands.”

***

We arrived at a cute house tucked in the woods. Seconds after Alek rang the doorbell, a blond woman opened the door.

“Hi!” the blond woman said, beaming. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Jenn.”

She stuck out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I shook it. At first, I thought it might be another human, but another look told me otherwise. Now that I knew what to look for, I could see the wolfishness in the eyes and around the mouth. She was a shifter.

I didn’t have time to panic or even consider running when a toddler poked her head out from around Jenn’s legs. She looked up at me and waved her tiny little hand. Her blond hair and the shape of her eyes were enough to tell me she was Jenn’s daughter.

“This is Abby.” Jenn patted Abby on the head. “Don’t let the shyness fool you. She’s a handful.”

Abby ran back into the house without saying anything. Jenn smiled fondly after her—the perfect picture of maternal affection—then turned back to me.

“Come on,” she said, gesturing for us to enter. “Theo is over for a playdate, so us girls are having some much-needed R&R.”

Alek snorted. “Don’t you mean wine?”

Jenn blinked innocently at him, grinning slyly. “How else do you expect us to rest and relax?” she asked. “Dad’s here, too, by the way.”

Alek stiffened. “Really?” he asked. His eyes darted over to me, then back. “I mean, he knew we were coming over, right?”

Jenn rolled her eyes. “You try telling Dad not to come visit his granddaughter. I tried to explain, but he just said he’d stay in the corner.”

Alek sighed, shaking his head, then shrugged as he glanced at me. “Jenn’s dad is my old boss,” he explained. “He’s a good guy. Just a bit too doting on his granddaughter sometimes.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Jenn complained. “He’s completely ruined any rules I’ve tried to impose about no treats until after dinner. And he’s already talking about teaching her martial arts. But I’m being a terrible host. Come on and meet the girls.”

The house was massive, larger than our house in the village, but cozy and warm. Pictures lined the walls, and the smell of freshly baked cookies permeated the air and made my stomach growl. It was a quintessentially happy home, about as far from where I’d grown up as possible.

Laughing women and happy chatter came from the left, where Jenn led us into the living room. A large group of six other women were sitting around, talking animatedly while Abby and another kid about her age were playing in the corner, over the watchful eye of a large shifter, his salt-and-pepper hair glinting in the light as he smiled warmly at the two kids.

“Girls, this is Iris,” Jenn said.

The girls all fell silent and turned to look at me, an unsettling silence as they all regarded her. One was strawberry blond, another a petite dark-haired woman, another with brilliant red hair, another a curvy woman with light brown hair, and, finally, one with dark eyes and dark, wavy hair. “Iris, this is Georgia, Freya, Evelyn, Andi, and Stella.”

As they all considered me, an uncomfortable prickling sensation washed over me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I felt like they were judging me or if part of me expected them to eat me.

I took an unconscious step closer to Alek, and his hand went to my back. But a moment later, all the women gave me warm, friendly smiles, and that initial prickling of unease washed away.

“So nice to meet you,” Evelyn said. The other girls murmured their agreement. If they knew about how I’d shown up at Alek’s house, none of them mentioned it.

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