Page 42 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate

Petar returned with a mug filled with a dark liquid and handed it to Isla. “Here you go, this should help with your headache and it’s… safe. I sweetened it with some honey, but it’s still bitter. Drink up. You should be better in no time.”

She eyed Petar suspiciously and would have refused the drink, but she squinted again in pain and took the mug, draining it unceremoniously in a few swallows.

Isla coughed and gagged. “Jeez, that was awful.”

Petar grimaced. “It is, but it will have you all patched up in no time at all.” He glanced once at Fannar with a determined look on his face, and then pulled a chair close to Isla. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Isla eyed him suspiciously and glanced at Fannar but remained quiet, her eyes sharp and intelligent. She watched Petar quietly, her face giving away nothing. Fannar could already imagine what her reaction would be, and his chest felt tight as he braced for impact.

Petar nodded and continued. “I’d cut the bullshit and get straight to the point. You’re a few months pregnant. The fainting episode you suffered earlier was due to stress, and I’ve already spoken to Fannar to prevent you from getting into situations that stress you going forward as it could be potentially dangerous for your baby.”

Fannar watched Isla with his heart in his mouth, waiting. At first, he thought she wasn’t going to have a reaction. She just watched Petar with that vacant expression, remaining perfectly still.

“You’re free to go now,” Petar continued, “The potion I gave you should knock you out for the night soon, so I suggest you get back home within the hour and get cozy in bed.”

Fannar walked towards her to help her off the bed, and then he noticed the tear drops running down her cheeks. The sight of it smashed his heart into several tiny pieces and a wave of pain rocked him.

She started sobbing as he led her towards the front door, and by the time they were in the car, she had broken down into tears earnestly. She was a hot, furious mess, which was a surprise to Fannar as he had never seen her like this before. She always seemed so in control, in every situation,and seeing her lose her shit so bad jarred him.

He focused more on getting her home, pouring all his energy and focus into the simple task of driving. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, her wailing pierced through his senses and stabbed his heart repeatedly.

“This is all because of this stupid mark,” Isla said between sobs, her voice angry and scratchy. “Your stupid mark. I want it canceled… I want it canceled! I want it fucking canceled!”

She was having a full blown panic attack and Fannar knew that it was only a matter of time before she did something that could hurt her or the baby. The thought that she had a baby still didn’t sit easy with him, and he didn’t know that he would ever get used to it.

Isla rocked back and forth on her seat, making inaudible sounds that terrified Fannar. He couldn’t let this go on any longer. He reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, then he imposed his will on her.

He felt his wolf pounce on hers and he pushed even further, suppressing her until her rocking stopped, and she fell quiet. He didn’t need to check to she know was asleep. He withdrew his presence, and tried to ignore the millions of questions that he didn’t have the answers to.

Chapter 17 - Isla

Isla could hear muffled sounds but she could not identify what those sounds were. She hovered between sleep and wakefulness, dangling in the balance by an unseen thread.

She could feel herself drifting more towards wakefulness, and she wished she could paddle in the other direction and retreat into the pleasant comfort of sleep. She couldn’t place a finger on why, but she was certain she didn’t want to wake up yet.

The muffled sounds in the background of her semi-consciousness got louder, became more distinct. She could make out two voices, their words slurred, almost as if she could hear them in slow motion. She knew the voices. They got clearer and louder and she had the distinct feeling of being pulled out of the ocean against her will.

Her eyelids twitched and a moment later she blinked slowly awake and found herself in the shadow of two structures. No, not structures, people. People I know. Fannar and his mother were standing directly above her, talking over her head.

She tried to understand what was going on, but her mind felt thick with sludge and it exhausted her to wade through it. She shut her eyes and steadied her breathing, trying to figure out what was going on around her.

Her memories were patchy, but that would have to do. She’d been on a date with Fannar and he’d told her he loved her. She’d seen through it, of course, and knew it for what it was. Influence of the bond mark. He didn’t really love her.

And then… something else… She’d fainted, and when she woke up… ‘…You’re a few months pregnant…’ She squeezed her eyes closed and her heart thundered in her chest. She was pregnant? She could feel her world crumbling to pieces around her and she didn’t know how to keep it together.

She tried to steady her breathing. Whatever Fannar and his mother were arguing about, it seemed heated, fortunately, and they had not noticed that she was awake. She forced herself into a calm state and evened her breathing. When she felt reasonably under control, she took a deep breath and just listened.

“I can’t believe you Fannar!” the former Luna said. “How could you allow this happen?? How long ago was this and how am I only hearing about this now?”

Fannar sounded just as angry as his mother. Isla had never seen him speak to her in any other tone than a calm relaxed one. “I didn’t know until just a few hours ago! And as soon as I found out, I was going to bring her here, to you. She kept it from me too.”

“Fine, fine.” Her voice fell. “I guess it makes perfect sense now. This is why you never showed any interest in anyone else no matter who it was. I could have introduced you to every woman in the world and you would have remained unmoved. You’d already marked someone else.”

“What does this mean? Isla kept yelling about canceling the mark before I put her to sleep.”

“It’s simple. You both have two choices now. You could choose to complete the mark, or, like she said, cancel it. We need to be really careful now, Fannar. This is a very delicate situation.”

“Well, I know what I want,” Fannar said quietly. I want to complete the bond mark. She’s my mate and despite the circumstances surrounding how she got the mark, I don’t think it was a mistake that she happened to be the one there that day. This feels like fate.”

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