Page 49 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

“Thank you,” she mouthed to Isla before she left. This frustrated Isla. Everyone kept telling her what a good job she was doing and she didn’t understand why. She couldn’t see any visible changes in Fannar’s condition yet.

Thanks to Josie’s incredibly potent potions, his skin had started to rejuvenate and lose it’s death like cast. He walked a little straighter, and he spoke a little bit more, but he was still miles away from the powerful, imposing alpha he had been just a few months ago.

She wadded through guilt every waking moment, and it was hard not to hate herself when she saw Fannar struggle, especially on bad days. On such days, there was no knowing whether he would live or die.

Both Josie and the healer claimed that they had done their bits, and now it was up to him to fight through whatever was going on with him. Isla hated their conclusion, but she knew it was the truth.

On bad days, she stayed beside him the whole time, listening with fear to his bubbly breath, squeezing his trembling hands, and hating herself all over again for what she had done to him.

The only thing that kept her standing and fighting through the guilt was that she needed to stay healthy for her baby. She did the best she could with Fannar, and she knew he would also want her to do the best for their child as well, and so she did.

“Breakfast is ready, Luna Isla,” a servant called from the stove.

Isla took a deep breath, pulling back the strands of her mind that had scattered in the wind a few moments ago. Luna Isla. Apparently, in her absence, Fannar had announced his love for her to the entire pack, demanding her respect in the process. Still, it was something she hadn’t yet gotten comfortable with.

“Thank you, Carol,” Isla said, her voice dripping with exhaustion, both mental and physical. “I’d take it up to him now.”

Carol bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy, but how is he?”

Isla smiled. “Nothing wrong with showing concern for your Alpha and employer, Carol. He’s… better… Or he will be, soon. He will live, Carol. I assure you.”

The young woman smiled and handed Isla Fannar’s breakfast tray. As she made her way up the stairs, Isla wondered if she’d just lied to the poor woman. She hoped she hadn’t.

She needed to believe in Fannar. Believe that he would fight through his challenges and make his way to her. She glanced at her bulging belly. Make his way back to us, young one. Fannar, please come back to yourself before this one is born. Don’t make me go through that alone.

She was due any day now, according to the healer. Fannar had asked to feel the baby kicking on a few occasions, and he always had the biggest smile on his face when he felt the baby moving. Isla needed him by her side with a desperate urgency that surprised her.

When she got to his door, she straightened her features, wiping her worries off. It wouldn’t do for him to be worried about her. She tried not to allow him see her guilt and pain, although she had a feeling he could see through her smiles.

She eased the door open and nudged it open with a shoulder. As she stepped into the room, she froze. Her fingers went numb and she lost her grip on the tray. It fell from her hand and clattered loudly on the floor.

Fannar, who had been completing a set of push ups shirtless, stopped halfway and turned in surprise. He smiled at Isla and got up. “Hello, Isla. You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

Isla staggered backwards and covered her mouth with her two hands. A spectrum of emotions went through her in a heart beat and she wept. She stepped forward and hugged Fannar, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his bare chest.

He hugged her back and kissed the crown of his head. “Thank you, Isla,” he said in quiet voice. “For everything.”

Isla jerked out of the hug in a sudden motion, surprising Fannar. Her eyes widened with urgency. “Bite me, Fannar. Please, you need to bite me.”

He frowned. “This again? What’s your new obsession with getting bitten? I thought you hated me for biting you in the first place? I’m so confused.”

She told him everything she knew about the bond mark. Everything she’d learned on her own and everything Fannar’s mom had taught her. He listened patiently, nodding along to everything she said without interrupting her.

“Basically, if I want to recreate our bond, all I have to do is bite you?” Fannar asked when she finished speaking. “You’re sure this is what you want?”

Isla nodded vehemently. “I am. I should never have run away, Fannar. It was selfish and careless and I could have killed you. I know now that I want nothing more than to be bonded to you. So please, can you just bite me already?”

Fannar thought for a moment, and then smiled. “Fine, I will… But only on one condition…”

Chapter 22 - Fannar

“On what condition?”

“You have to promise to never run away from me again,” Fannar said, pain flashing in his eyes. “No matter what happens, you can’t run away from me again. I don’t know if I can survive it a second time.”

“You have my word,” Isla replied, squeezing his hands. “I’m here now. I was wrong to leave the first time, and seeing what that departure did to you, trust me when I say I never want to put you through that again.”

Fannar searched her eyes. He wanted to believe her but he was afraid. When he had made the decision to break his bond with Isla, he had not imagined just how badly it was going to affect him. Would he have gone through with it if he had known?

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