Page 73 of Forced Pregnant Mate

I love you, Jack. I tried, I really tried. Get free of this, Sam. Just have a good life, please!

I can’t struggle anymore. I can’t even breathe. I look up at Father, trying to understand what’s happening. Was he always a maniac? What did Mother see in him? I’ll never know, and right now, that seems one of the saddest things of all.

Suddenly, a black blur hurtles through the air, knocking Father to the ground. His knife goes spinning through the leaves and ends up close to my hand. I struggle to sit up so I can see what’s happening.

A huge black wolf stands in the middle of the clearing, his night-dark coat shimmering with highlights of deepest blue. He’s like the night sky come to life, the instrument of vengeance itself.

Jack!

He turns to look at me, just for a second, and when his crystal-blue eyes meet mine, I’m no longer afraid.

Father twists in the leaves, flipping to his feet. The shock of the attack made him shift, and his wiry, skinny gray wolf looks like a chewed-up plush toy next to Jack’s majestic self. Father sinks back on his haunches, snapping and bearing his teeth. Jack’s ruff rises as he growls, low in his throat.

Watch out, Jack!

Father may be a weak coward, but he has rage and cruelty on his side. He will fight dirty if it means winning. I know there are some things my beloved simply could not do—and Father is capable of anything.

With a sharp bark, both wolves leap at each other. For a few seconds, I see nothing but shimmering fur, rolling waves of gray, black, silver, and blue. Then, there is a sharp yelp, and they pull apart.

To my shock, Jack is holding up one front paw. He staggers back as Father bares his teeth and grins, drool running out between his yellow teeth. His muzzle is stained with blood. Injuring his enemy seems to have given him strength.

“Jack, no!” I can’t help screaming as Father leaps at him. I see the grey wolf latch on around the black ruff and close my eyes. There is a brief struggle, the sound of jaws snapping and skin tearing. Then there is a horrible, wailing yelp, followed by a loud snap that echoes around the clearing with the finality of a gunshot.

Too scared to open my eyes, I stay curled up on the ground, rocking back and forth. When a warm, wet nose presses against my cheek, I flinch away, but when I open my eyes, I see Jack’s black fur and crystal-blue gaze.

“Jack!” I would scream if I had the strength. He shifts right in front of me and raises a hand to my cheek.

“Lovely Lena,” he whispers. “You’re safe now, my love.”

Tears pour down my cheeks as I throw myself into his arms. Jack holds me tight, soothing me until I can stop crying.

“How did you find me?” I ask, wiping tears from my cheeks. Jack grins.

“The stupid fuck left ‘find my phone’ on. It was so simple I really didn’t think it would work, but once Sam activated it, the dot showed up straight away.”

A harsh laugh cracks through my chest as I shake my head. Suddenly, there is a roar of engines as trucks pull up further down the track, and the forest comes alive with the baying of wolves as both packs arrive and join together in a victory howl.

Both packs? One pack. We are truly one now.

Jack brushes my hair back from my cheek and kisses me, wrapping his arms around me. In the crowd of people running into the clearing, I see Bailey, Decker… and Sam.

Everyone is safe! We really did it!

I fall into Jack’s kiss, letting all my fear and worry melt away. This is my new life now, and no one can take it from me.

Chapter 28 - Jack

Voices and laughter swirl around me, the happy sounds enhanced by the clink of glasses and the stomp of dancing feet. A huge crowd made up of both packs has come to the opening of Sam’s bar.

Of course, the kid can’t legally own it yet. Lena and I do, but it’s all his ideas and his management. He decided he wanted to make a fun meeting place for wolves of both packs to hang out. A place where everyone is welcome.

I can see Sam over in the restaurant section, chatting with Mother and a few older ladies from Decker’s pack. During the day, Sam plans to run a restaurant section by himself, with the bar opening later at night with help from senior members of both packs.

The combined effort we are putting into running this place is a direct expression of how far both packs have come. We truly feel like one family now, and today’s celebration isn’t just about Sam, but our sense of community.

“There you are,” says Lena from behind me. “Where did you disappear to?”

“I told you I was getting drinks,” I reply, tapping the counter. “It’s just that service in this place utterly sucks.”

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