Page 67 of The Wolf I Sworn To Hate

He closed his eyes but couldn’t fall asleep. His heart hurt so much and he missed Xyla.

“You stupid fool. I can’t believe you let yourself fall in love again, especially with someone like Xyla.”

He gave a humorless laugh. “I feel like I’m in some kind of Shakespearean love story with the overdone theme of ‘love conquers hate.’ Except in this story, hatred won.”

26

Xyla

Xyla sat on the couch, holding a pillow to her stomach, and sighed heavily. She stared into space, nibbling on her bottom lip. Her heart was heavy.

She knew that she should be happy to be back home, but she wasn’t. Xyla struggled to fall asleep at night because images of Sean floated in her mind. She could almost feel his arms wrapped tightly around her. Her body ached for his touch. As crazy as it sounded, she wanted to be back on that mountain, in the freezing cold cabins, laying on the blanket in front of the fireplace.

Abby sat next to her. “You miss him, don’t you?”

“Yes. It hurts so much. I never would have guessed that love could literally knock a person off their feet.”

“It’s a very powerful emotion. Almost as powerful as hate.”

Xyla made a sound that was a combination of a cough and a laugh. “I don’t know about that. I let my father’s hatred make me walk away from Sean.”

“How is your dad, now?”

Groaning, Xyla shook her head. “He’s back to normal. He thinks that he’s won because I’m not with Sean. Dad is sure thatit was a little vacation infatuation and I’ll get over it.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Hell, he has won. I told Sean that I wouldn’t be his mate because of Dad.”

“You sound like you’ve given up. That’s not the Xyla I know. The Xyla I know would fight for what she wants.”

Xyla sighed and laid her head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

“What are you going to do about this little problem of yours?”

Xyla threw her hands up in the air in defeat. “What can I do. He asked me to go through the mating ceremony with him. I told him ‘no’ because I chose my father over him. I kissed him, said ‘goodbye,’ and walked away from him. You should have seen the look on his face.”

“Of course, he was hurt. Who wouldn’t be? But you are in love with him and you are miserable without him. What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. I’m terrified, Abby. What if I tell him how I feel and he just… turns me away?”

Abby shook her head and held Xyla’s face in her hands. “Listen to me. If you really love him, then you can’t let your fear hold you back. I don’t know Sean, but from what you’ve told me, he’s not the kind of man to turn you away if he loves you. He asked you to go through the mating ceremony with him. I’m pretty sure he loves you as much as you love him.”

Xyla bit her lip, uncertainty clouding her eyes. “What if you’re wrong?” she whispered.

“I don’t think I am. But if you don’t go to him and tell him that you love him, then you will spend the rest of your life asking yourself ‘What if.’ Can you live not knowing? Can you live with the idea that you might have thrown away a lifetime of love and happiness because you were afraid of rejection?”

“No, I guess not.”

Abby grinned widely. “Good. It’s settled then.”

“I’m going to talk to Dad first, and then I guess I’m going to Angel’s Creek.”

The next morning, Xyla felt sick. As she sat on the bathroom floor, resting her head on the cool bathtub, she realized that she had been sick every morning for the past two weeks. Grabbing her phone, she looked up the symptoms of pregnancy – tiredness, tender breasts, and she missed her period.

Her head swam and her heart thundered in her chest. She had no idea whether to be scared to death or excited. If Sean rejected her, she would be raising a baby by herself. The baby could be a shifter. On the other hand, she would always have a piece of him with her.

She called the doctor’s office and they were able to get her in that afternoon since they had a cancellation.

“Abby, I think I’m pregnant. I have an appointment this afternoon. Will you go with me?”

“Really? You might be having Sean’s baby? That’s incredible. Of course, I will go with you.”

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