Page 21 of Forced Pregnant Mate

Lena stiffens underneath me, and I stop immediately. Even though my body is screaming for release and my wolf has almost completely taken me over, I prop my hands on the ground and lift myself up so we are no longer touching.

She looks up at me, her eyes wide and curious. She doesn’t look scared, but I can tell she needs to stop.

I will not force her… I want her fully willing and embracing the strength of her desire. I will not take her until that moment.

For a few seconds, neither of us move, and for the first time, the silence is not awkward. She smiles, reaching up to brush my hair back from my forehead. I look into her beautiful face, and I can’t believe I ever hurt her.

I had no choice! I would have hurt her far worse if I took her virginity and made promises to her I could not keep!

This thought does little to comfort me now. The only thing that does make me feel better is knowing that I can spend every single day of our lives making it up to her.

Not wanting to break the moment but knowing that I have to, I get up slowly and sit down next to her. Lena straightens up her dress and looks over at me with a soft smile full of secrets and mischief.

I’m tempted to kiss her again, but I hold myself back.

“It’s probably close to dawn,” I say. “We should head out and try to find some breakfast before we go back to my territory.”

“That sounds good,” she answers. “I’d like that.”

Chapter 9 - Lena

I’m relieved when Jack suggests we go and find some breakfast. I’m tired, overwhelmed and I need to get out of this confined space. The last week has just been stress piled on top of stress.

When we head outside, Father is nowhere to be seen. I let out a huge breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. I expected him to be standing right outside, ready to start more trouble. Not seeing him should completely make my day, except that now I’m worried about what he’s up to, and if it involves my brother.

“Let’s head down to the shack,” Jack says, reaching out to me. I nod and follow, but I don’t take his hand. I’m still shaken by everything that happened the night before—and painfully turned on.

I pick up my skirt so I can navigate the rough ground and watch Jack walking ahead of me. The dark blue suit is perfectly tailored to his height and defines his muscular shoulders. The color enhances the contrast of his night-dark hair against his pale skin.

I stumble on a tussock of grass and swear softly, reminding myself to look where I’m going. Even though I keep my eyes fixed on the ground, my mind keeps wandering off into sensory memories from the night before, making my eyes flick up to take sneaky glances at Jack.

My body is still throbbing somewhere deep inside. I’ve had this feeling before, very mildly. I’ve never explored it. I have no idea what would happen if I did. Last night, it almost took me over, and I really wanted it to.

But I’m still afraid, so very afraid.

It was bad enough that he rejected me. It would be so much worse if he took me with no feeling, no love, only duty.

The idea makes me sick, and I have to suppress a shudder. When I look up, we’re almost at the shack, and Jack gestures around the side of the building where his truck is parked.

“Looks like this place is deserted,” he says. “I’ll guess we’ll have to get back to my town to have breakfast. But don’t worry, my Mom will have a big feast on, for sure. She’s unstoppable in these situations.”

He smiles, and I smile back, but my nerves have just strung out even tighter. Father told me over and over again what filthy, rude people they were—the whole Silver Meadows Pack, but Jack’s family in particular.

I climb up into Jack’s truck, gathering my skirt carefully. This dress was my mother’s, one of the only things left I have to remind me of her. I kept it in a chest under my bed my whole life, hoping I would be able to wear it on my wedding day.

How ironic, that I married the man of my dreams—but not because he loves me. Because he was forced to.

This thought makes me so miserable I curl up in the front seat and stare out the window silently. I’m starting to feel numb, and I welcome the feeling. The stress of the wedding, the intensity of last night, now the approaching horror of meeting the Silver Meadows Pack—it’s all too much.

Jack plays around with the radio, finding some old country songs. He sings along with a few, trying to catch my eye and smile. I can tell he’s pretty nervous, too.

Must be finally sinking in that he’s really stuck with me.

Soon, I see the high, jagged peaks of the mountains that rear over Silver Meadows. They seem to speak of places unseen. Places so wild and savage, no creature could survive a night alone there.

“Okay,” Jack says cheerfully. “We’re almost home. Mom’s been texting me that they’re set up at her place, so we’ll head straight there. After everyone gets to meet you, I’ll take you back to our house.”

“Sounds good,” I answer, managing to sound like I’m looking forward to it. I’m expecting to be grilled about my intentions, spoken down to, hassled, and teased. More than likely, Jack’s place is in worse shape than Father’s and I’ll spend all my time there working my fingers to the bone, cleaning and doing repairs.

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