Page 23 of Forced Pregnant Mate

“No trouble at all. I know exactly what these pack weddings are like, and I’m pretty sure you got thrown into it the same way I did. I’m here for you, Lena, for anything you need. I promise.”

I know I can’t keep my tears in another second, but luckily, she turns to go, and I can have a small meltdown. I run my hands over the beautiful clothes, stunned by the generosity of my new family.

I can’t understand why Father told me so many bad things about them, or why he had such issues with the alliance. While the peace talks were going on, he ranted about it constantly, saying we shouldn’t be sharing our territory at all, especially with wolves that were honor less and brutal.

I pick up a soft pink sweater, holding it to my face. At some point, Father’s ranting became very targeted, talking about Jack and his family specifically. It was right before the big party, when Jack rejected me.

Did Father do something? Is all of this his fault?

Those thoughts are definitely too much for me to deal with on such little sleep, especially when Jack’s family are outside waiting for me. I clean up quickly in the bathroom and dress in comfortable jeans and the soft pink sweater. Gina has also left me some flat shoes, sandals and hiking boots. I decide to go with the boots and head out the back.

I pause at the doorway, watching everyone talking and laughing together. It feels like I’m watching a happy family on TV, and if I walk in there, the cameras will stop, everyone will walk away, and I’ll be left alone on an empty set.

“Lena!” Gina calls. “Come on over and grab some breakfast.”

Before I can move, she hurries over to me, her baby snuggled in her arms. When she reaches me, she holds out the warm bundle to me.

“Here,” she says. “Have a cuddle and meet your little niece, Natalia.”

I don’t have a lot of experience with babies, and I’m hesitant, but once little Natalia is in my arms, a warm wave of contentment floods me. Her little eyes are wide and blue, just like Jack’s and Gina’s. The baby coos at me and waves her tiny hands.

Gina ushers me over to the table as she takes Natalia back, and her father hands me a massive plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The conversation flows around me, gentle words and soothing, loving tones. This is what I always dreamed families should be like, but I never thought I’d see it, let alone be part of one.

After I’ve been stuffed with insane amounts of pancakes and coffee, Carla announces that we should get going to we can get settled into the new house.

“New house?” I ask.

“Yeah,” Jack looks bashful. “I had this little bachelor pad before, but I was saving for a real house for when I got married. Bailey helped me find it and get everything sorted before the wedding.”

My fears about how I’m going to be living get even sharper. Everyone starts to clean up, but Carla forbids us to help and tells us to get going.

“We’ll finish up here, don’t worry. Just hurry on now and get settled in.”

There’s a flurry of hugs and goodbyes before I go inside to collect my things, then meet Jack out the front.

“Are you sure it’s okay to just go?” I ask, and he nods.

“Mom’s all over it. She wouldn’t dare let you lift a finger, especially today.”

I have a million questions about the house, but I figure I’ll see for myself soon, so I stay quiet for now. We drive to the outskirts of town, and my worry deepens.

It’s probably a wooden shack.

We turn onto a narrow dirt road, and I feel like all my worst fears are being confirmed. I see a couple of houses on the street, mostly hidden by thick trees. As we come to the end, the scrub thins out, and I see a big one-story brick house behind a rail fence.

When we pull into the driveway, I give Jack a wide-eyed look. He smiles nervously.

“Do you like it?” he asks.

“This is ours?”

“It sure is. I know it’s a bit out of town, but it has a lot of space. We can have animals, or gardens. Lots of room to build things for the kids.”

He stops abruptly, as if he didn’t mean to bring that into the conversation. My joy at seeing the house fades a bit. He’s just reminded me that this marriage is about duty.

I’d love to get excited about having Jack’s children. But if we’re going to be raising them in a loveless farce of a marriage, how can that possibly be a good thing?

I get out of the truck slowly, and Jack hurries around to help me with my bags. He has to fumble around with the keys at the door, so I get a few seconds to look at the beautiful long porch and high windows.

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