Page 5 of Forced Pregnant Mate

I see Bae pause for a moment, as if he literally has to digest the idea.

“I just had so much trouble myself,” he says softly. “Accepting my mate and being with her. I couldn’t imagine being bound to anyone else. What if we choose wrong?”

“My boy,” Carson says, leaning forward. “I’ve been the leader of ritual in this pack for over fifty years. I have never made a wrong match. We choose someone worthy—someone the Decker Pack will feel honored by—and when they offer their female, I will know if the match is favorable or not.”

I take a sip of beer, not daring to speak. I come to support Bae as his beta. I definitely don’t get involved in this political stuff.

I have reasons for not wanting to interact with Decker Pack. Too many of them.

“Okay,” Bae says with a sigh. “Who do we choose?”

“Your cousin Kyle?” Dane asks. “He’s of age, isn’t he? It would be good if we could stay in the alpha’s bloodline. They’ll be less likely to refuse.”

“He’s old enough,” Bae says. “He’s thinking about college. I don’t know if he’d agree.”

“He would have to, if you commanded it,” Carson says. “Pack business is more important than anything else.”

“He has a girlfriend,” I cut into Carson’s words calmly. “A serious one. He’s with Darla Simmons.”

“Oh, yes, I saw them out on a date,” Sasha says. “They look so cute together.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s more than cute. He’s buying her a ring. He’s sure she’s his mate.”

“Still, we could deny them,” Carson mutters.

“No,” Bae says, shaking his head. “I won’t risk hurting a mate bond. We’ll find someone else.”

“Someone the same value as yourself?” Carson asks. “That’s unlikely.”

“How about a beta?” I say, speaking before I can stop myself. “A beta who also happens to be the brother of our den mother?”

Bae looks at me, raising an eyebrow as he cocks his head to the side, asking, are you sure about this?

I nod, taking another swig of beer. The others are getting into a little debate about whether or not I’m suitable and who else might qualify, and I’m content to stay out of it. I have no idea why I did this.

I’m not the kind of guy who has a serious girlfriend, let alone a wife. I’m pretty sure we aren’t expected to fall into true love or anything like that, though. I can handle a marriage by name only—I know it’s almost impossible for me to find my true mate, and there is only one woman I would have chosen.

Lena.

The memories that I’ve held at arm’s length come crashing into my mind. All this talk of the Decker Pack, the alliance, the party—I don’t know why I thought I could avoid this.

I remember her beautiful laugh, the glint of her green eyes in the light of the fire, the long sweep of strawberry blond hair. She enchanted me from the first moment I saw her and every time we went to Silverton for a pack meeting, I made an excuse to go and see her.

Until I caught her father, Pete, dealing in illegal weapons. I’d gone to their house looking for Lena after a meeting and found him there loading cases of guns onto the back of a truck. I lost my shit right there. And when he offered to cut me into the deal, it just pissed me off even more.

I threw down with him pretty hard. After we beat each other up a bit, I left, not wanting Lena to see me fighting with her dad. By the time I got back to Bae, so had the news, and he ordered me to never go near their family ever again.

When I told him about the weapons, he said he would deal with it as alpha and the correct course of action was to tell him, not start brawls in people’s front yards.

So that night at the party when Lena kissed me… when she pulled me down on top of her and teased me… all I wanted was to give in. I almost did.

But I knew then, just as I know now, I can’t. Twelve months is not enough time to erase my feelings, nor is it enough time for me to forget the shame I brought on my pack by attacking a wolf we were trying to ally with.

“I think we have come to an agreement,” Carson says, snapping me out of my daze. “You are the best candidate, Jack.”

“Yes, I agree,” Sasha says, smiling. “It’s good of you to volunteer, Jack.”

“No problem,” I answer, holding up my beer in a little toast. “I am happy to serve my pack in any way I can.”

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