Page 10 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

“Well too bad for the both of you, seeing how I’ve caught you here. Now—” she locked her arm in his, “—I admit that maybe Kathy was not too your style and liking, so it fell on me to disappoint the poor girl and break her heart. She was really looking forward to meeting you, you know?”

“Thank you, mom. What would I ever do without you?”

“I hope we don’t get to find out any time soon.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you show up? And don’t give me that crap about preparing for your speech. From what I saw today, it looks like you made the entire thing up on the spot.”

Fannar kept his face forward. He didn’t have the heart to lie to her face. So he chose to say nothing. With some luck, she would be willing to let it go. He was tired of the blind dates but the woman was relentless.

The ones he had gone for had been disasters, one and all and he was done with that. His mother either didn’t understand the subtle message he was passing, or she did and didn’t care one whit about it.

“Fannar, you’re an alpha. Part of being an alpha means being a part of the pack. You can’t hold yourself apart like that. You’re not going to live forever, you know? Who’s going to come after you if something happens to you? Marriage is a beautiful thing, and you’re not doing yourself any favors by treating it as a curse, you know?”

“Really, mom? A lecture? Now? Can’t we do this later?”

“No, we can’t. Now, as I was saying, Kathy was a wrong fit. But I found someone much better for you and I think this time, you’re going to fall head over heels in love with her. You see, Carla is…”

Fannar groaned. “Another one? How? I’m curious. How and where do you find all these women? Who is Carla?”

“I’d tell you if you keep quiet and stop interrupting me,” she scolded. “Now, Carla, that’s a bright young wolf. Full of life. You’re going to absolutely love her. Fortunately, I had the sense to convince her to attend the meeting today. She should be somewhere in the crowd…”

She turned around to scan the crowd, her grip on Fannar’s arm loosening a little. At the same moment, he felt the same demanding pull again, much sharper than before. He glanced sharply to his left and his eyes caught a glimpse of yellow through the crowd.

He turned around to find it and saw what he was looking for. He spotted a woman, with thick silver hair and her back to him, holding a yellow purse. That woman…. there’s something about her…

She turned to the side and her profile came into view. He squinted, taking in her face and features, searching his mind. Memories flooded into his mind and he sorted through them quickly, looking for the right one.

Fannar gasped in shock. He knew this woman. Or more accurately, he had once known known her. A long time ago. She was far away and she looked so different now, but he recognized her anyway. Did he? He couldn’t be sure.

He hadn’t seen her in years, he thought she’d left town. He had never seen her at any community gatherings before. And that yellow purse. It had to be her. Without pausing to think too much about it, he came up with the craziest idea in his head.

He shrugged out of his mother’s grip and started walking straight for the woman with the yellow purse. She had backed him again, so he had no time to adjust if he was wrong. He had a deep feeling in his heart that he was right, though.

“Fannar! And where do you think you’re going to?” his mother called angrily from behind him. “Not so fast, young man. You’re not getting away from me that easily, I assure you.”

She sounded pissed and he could hear her following closely behind him. He walked faster, making up his mind. She wanted to set him up with someone so badly? Boy, did he have a surprise waiting for her.

As he approached the woman, the pull he felt was almost physical for the force. A longing like nothing he had ever experienced before. She turned around as he came within a few feet of her, and when she saw him making straight for her, she froze, like a deer caught in headlights.

Fannar strode purposefully to stand in front of the woman, ignoring the angry shouts from his mother behind him. He had no idea what came over him, but he leaned in, wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist, and pulled her into a kiss.

Fannar felt things leap to life into him as his lips locked with the woman’s. He pulled her closer and pushed his lip further into hers. Her lips parted at the violent intrusion, welcoming him like a long lost lover.

It was a deep kiss that set him on fire, and for the first time that afternoon, he felt that strange longing he had been experiencing begin to ebb and dissipate. His chest was deliciously on fire, and he felt a wave of relief that left him feeling heady.

When he finally stepped away from the woman, she watched him with glassy, confused eyes. He felt a moment of panic at that. What if she didn’t remember him? Was she going to make a scene here? If she did, Fannar didn’t think he could survive the humiliation.

Acting fast, he put an arm around the woman and spun around to face his mother, an impish, satisfied smile on his lips. He noticed how curvy she was underneath her coat, and the feeling of his arm resting on her hip sent a rush of blood to his head.

He almost laughed out in amusement when he saw the expression on his mother’s face. She was staring at the pair with her jaw dropped. “Mom,” Fannar said. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, but the timing has not been right. Until right now, that is.”

“But, but...” she stammered. “Wow…. This was unprecedented. But I’m delighted.”

Fannar tried not to enjoy her discomfort too much. The two women watched each other and Fannar had a hard time deciding which of them looked more uncomfortable. Fortunately, the younger woman was too stunned from the kiss to say anything. Fannar took advantage of her shock.

“Babe. You remember my mother? I’ve told you so much about her. She’s been dying to meet my girlfriend, and what’s a better time than now, hmm?”

She turned her shock from his mother to him and uttered her first word since he’d met her. “Babe?”

Chapter 5 - Isla

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