Page 37 of Rejected Wolf

That was until he said, “You don’t think that hurt the pup, right?”

My brain stalled. Surely he didn’t mean— “I’m sorry, what now? Did you saypup?” I sputtered, pushing off his chest to look down at him, before remembering it was pitch dark. Even with my eyes adjusted, the canvas was too thick to let in more than the faintest glow from the moon,allowing me the barest outline of his features. “Is that, like, a shifter saying?”

“Well, we won’t know for sure that they’re a wolf shifter or not, seeing as you’re fully human and half my DNA is too, but it’s a dominant gene, so—”

“In English, please!” I gasped, slapping gently at his bare chest as my nerves tightened, strained to their breaking point. “Am I… am Ipregnant?” I needed him to answer me this very second!

Jude went still and quiet, and I felt his flinch through where he held my waist. “Oh gods, you didn’t know. I thought you…” he said before he realized his mistake. “Shit, you’re human, of course you didn’t know yet. You probably need to take a test or see a doctor or something, but I can smell it on you, the change in your hormones.”

I felt stupid for not at least considering the possibility. I mean, I’d guess I’d had morning sickness, but not once had I even thought about it. We’d only had sex the one time, but the words of my sixth-grade sex-ed teacher popped into my head. “All it takes is once.”

“Are you mad?” he asked.

Tears were leaking down my cheeks, so I couldn’t blame him for making that assumption. “No, I’m not mad, silly. I’m fucking thrilled!”

“You are?” He sat up, keeping me cradled in his lap, and kissed the tears from my cheeks. “And you’re okay if they’re a wolf?”

“Of course I am.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him as tightly as my measly human body could. “Everything is so different—so much better—with you in my life. I love you so, so much.”

He didn’t stop holding me, not when his knot slipped from my ass, and not when we fell asleep. Whatever came next for us, I knew we would face it together.

Chapter 17

Jude

I must’ve slept, butwhen I opened my eyes to the first trill of birdsong, it felt like I’d been staring, enthralled, at my mate the entire night. It was almost like I kept expecting to find it had all been some incredible dream, only to wake up to a nightmare reality where Morgan wasn’t mine, wasn’t pregnant with our child.

But he was here, and he was mine.

The sky had only just begun to lighten, and I settled in to wait for him to wake. I had no intention of moving a single muscle because humans needed more sleep than shifters, especially pregnant humans, and yesterday had been eventful. Outside the tent, I heard the rest of camp begin to stir, starting with Red, Tristan’s rooster, crowing his usual wake-up call. Shortly after came the happy chatter of my packmates as they headed to the kitchen toget breakfast started, followed by squeals of laughter as the kids played in the snow. I heard Malachi’s overloud voice saying, “I’m gonna go wake up Joo-Joo!” but he was quickly waylaid by Brody, who thankfully distracted him with the promise of maple syrup on his pancakes.

It was surprising how much Morgan could sleep through. My bladder was just about at its limit when he finally stirred in my arms. He rolled over and blinked up at me, before his smile widened, his whole face filling with joy. “You’re still here,” he said, reaching out of the sleeping bag to trace my jawline.

“I did warn you that you would be stuck with me,” I joked. Any lingering fear I’d had that he might regret mating evaporated as he pulled me down by the back of my neck to give me a proper good morning.

My cock immediately perked up, ready for a different kind of good-morning kiss, but when I moved to deepen things, Morgan put a hand on my chest. He bit down adorably on his bottom lip, looking nervous. “We can’t!” he hissed. “Someone will hear us.”

“So?” I probably shouldn’t tell him that everyone had likely heard us already last night. I’d lost track of how many times I’d been forced to listen to my packmates having sex. It was simply the way of things with randy shifters living in close quarters, but the way Morgan was shakinghis head and wiggling out from under me, it was clear it was different for humans—ormyhuman, anyway.

“Nuh-uh. No sex.” He shivered as he crawled out from the sleeping bag and began searching for his clothes.

“Ever?” I asked, my voice bordering on whining, and I watched with disappointment as he began covering up all that delectable, freckled skin. In an attempt to remind him of what he was missing, I tossed off the sleeping bag, revealing my erection pointing straight up, thick and full against my belly.

He made a choking sound, his wide eyes devouring the sight hungrily. “Well, no, that sounds… impossible,” he said, chuckling as he licked his lips. “Maybe just… after the kids go to sleep? Do pups have naptime?” His voice was breathy as he searched for a loophole in his sexual morals.

“Or maybe I could take you to see the pond and waterfall. It’s a bit of a hike, but I could carry you if it’s too far.”

He laughed. “I’m human, not a snail. I’m sure I can manage.”

“What if Iwantto carry you?” I asked, moving to my knees and reaching for him.

He swatted at me playfully, with no real intention of trying to stop me, but the tent was too small for him to get far, and he soon found himself in my arms. He sighedblissfully, tilting his head to the side when I nuzzled in to press a soft kiss on his mating mark, now scabbed over.

“Does it hurt?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what I would do if he said yes; it was too late to take back, and I wouldn’t, even if I could. He was mine now, forever.

“Just a little tender. What about yours?” he asked, tracing his fingertip over the outline of his teeth, already entirely healed into a pale scar.

“Ouch! Don’t touch it, it burns horribly,” I said, playing it up, and Morgan jerked back, gasping in concern. “I think you might’ve given me some human infection, like rabies or the plague or something.”

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