Page 14 of Forced Pregnant Mate

The fear I felt before this pales in the wave of icy cold terror that floods through me now.

“No, please don’t—”

Father shrugs. “It’s entirely up to you. If you want to cause trouble for me, then I’ll take it out on Sam. If you want to keep little brother safe… then you’ll do exactly as I say.”

Completely frozen by fear, all I can manage is a nod.

“Yes, Father,” I croak, forcing the words out. “I accept the marriage. I’ll do anything you say.”

Chapter 6 - Jack

I look at myself in the mirror, staring into my own crystal blue eyes. I can see how tight my jaw is, lines of tension running through my neck and shoulders. I’m preparing for what has turned out to be the most stressful day of my whole life.

My wedding day.

It caught up to me too fast. Through all the meetings and plans, I kind of kept myself detached, and I didn’t realize how fast time was passing me by.

I think, deep down, I didn’t really believe this was going to happen.

I’m marrying Lena.

“Hey, bud. How’s it going in there?” Bae calls. He bangs on the bathroom door, an almost eerie echo of his own wedding day, when I was the one outside, knocking to be let in.

“Well, I’m not struggling with my bowtie if that’s what you’re asking.”

Bae laughs. “Fair enough, but let me in. I don’t want to give you a chance to crawl out the window and get out of this.”

A sigh eases out of me as I wiggle my bowtie. Bae has been watching me carefully every day, and even though he hasn’t said anything, he clearly knows that something is up.

“Let me in, or I’ll break the lock,” he growls.

I turn around and flick the handle, letting him in and immediately turning back to the mirror. My black hair is a bit long and unruly, and I probably should have gotten it cut. I tug a damp comb through it instead.

“So, buddy, we should talk, yeah?”

“About what?” I mutter.

“About the fact you’re clearly having issues with this marriage, even though you suggested it.”

“I did,” I agree.

“So, what’s your deal?”

I sigh, finally giving up on my hair and turning to Bae.

“I want her,” I say simply. “I want her too damn much. I said something I shouldn’t have said… and I don’t know if she’ll forgive me. I don’t know if I deserve to be forgiven.”

I’m deliberately being vague. He doesn’t know how I rejected Lena—that it was partially his order that made me do it. All he knows is that he told me to stay away from the family and that I obeyed.

“If you love her, it will all work out,” he says, giving me a hard squeeze on the shoulder. “I promise you. Just have faith in her, and tell her the truth.”

Bae would have seen me hanging out with Lena last year, maybe, he’s even guessed that I had something going with her back then. He has no way of knowing how poorly I handled the situation, though.

“You’d say anything to keep me on track today, wouldn’t you,” I say, grinning. Bae grins back.

“As your alpha, I’m here to tell you to do your duty to the pack as you pledged to do. As your friend, I’m telling you to swallow your nerves, get in there, and marry the girl you want.”

“Sounds like good advice,” I say, and Bae nods.

---