Page 8 of Forced Pregnant Mate

I’m numb all the way home. Dad drives me—he’s made sure I’m dependent on him for almost everything. After we get back, I spend some time in the bathroom, hoping to spare myself some grief if I at least make an effort to clean myself up, as well as use the space as a private refuge.

I sit on the edge of the tub and cry, all my fury and pain welling up inside my chest. I can’t take another second of this. I know I can’t.

When I finally leave the bathroom, Father yells at me that my face is puffy and I’ll disgrace the whole pack if my potential mate rejects me. This blow cuts particularly deep into my heart. Right into the wound that already exists there.

Already got rejected by the man of my dreams. As if anyone else could hurt me worse.

I crawl into bed and wait for the house to go silent. When I am sure that everyone is asleep, I get up slowly, pulling on jeans and a jacket as quietly as I can. I fumble around under the bed until I find my jar of cash and fold all of it into my pockets.

I slip out the window, running into the forest. There is nothing but wilderness here, all rugged mountain, deep forest, and icy plains. My wolf longs to run free, but if I let her take over, she’ll run me far away from anything and everything human.

It’s possible to shift so far, you can never go back.

Tears sting my eyes again, but I shake them away, running into the forest. I’m not desperate enough to disappear into my wolf form forever. Not yet, anyway.

I don’t have a plan, and I certainly don’t know where I’m going. All I know is I have to get to a nearby town, find a bus or a taxi that can put some distance between me and Silverton.

I haven’t run for long when my stomach starts to growl and my vision swims. I don’t think I’ve eaten at all today, and I don’t know how long it’s been since I got a decent sleep. I decide to rest, just for a moment, and sit down against a big tree.

“Just a moment,” I whisper. “I only want to rest for a moment…”

I fall into horrific, vivid dreams of being chased and captured by Father and Kelly. They cackle in my dreams, reaching for me with shimmering claws and tearing me apart as I scream and try to run away. I wrestle against them, screaming as I try to get free.

“That was a good try, girlie,” Father growls. “But you didn’t run fast enough or far enough to escape me!”

Struggling against the iron grip on my wrists, I open my eyes to see Father’s icy blue ones glaring straight at me. I’m so shocked, I let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoes through the forest, making birds fly out of the treetops all around us.

The sky is light. It’s after dawn. I really didn’t get far from home in my little escape plan.

Can’t even run away properly. They’re right. I am useless.

“Come on,” he growls, dragging me. “We’re properly late now.”

Does it look like I care?

Fully defeated, I let him drag me through the forest until we come to the road. His pickup isn’t far, and I climb into it obediently, staring into my lap and letting tears streak down my cheeks.

“I told you to clean yourself up. You’re a disgrace, that’s what you are. Why would anyone want you?”

I sit there in misery, fully agreeing with him. I feel hopeless. Lost in a way I never have before.

When we get to town, he pulls in behind the local diner. It’s a very nice, homely little place run by our alpha’s mate. The elders often have their meetings out the back.

“What are we doing here?” I gasp, coming out of my stupor. Father grunts.

“Meeting your husband, of course. We were supposed to be here earlier, but you had to go and make things difficult. As usual.”

Numb, I can’t make myself get out of the car. Father grabs my arm and drags me out of the pickup towards the back door of the diner.

He shoves it open and pulls me through the door, keeping a fierce grip on my arm. I’m trembling so hard I might have fallen to my knees if he let go.

In the center of the room, people are seated at a long wooden table. Decker, our alpha and his wife, Gladys. Belle, Nash, and Rob, a few of our elders. At the end of the table sits Bailey Markson, easily recognizable by his fiery golden hair. Sitting beside him is a tall man with inky black hair.

No. No, it can’t be.

The world spins around me as the man sitting next to Bailey begins to turn around. Time has broken, and the few seconds it takes for him to face me feel like eons passing me by. It’s a shock to see his deep, crystal-blue eyes, even though I already knew who he was. The only person it could possibly be.

Jack.

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