Page 225 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“End of March, beginning of April. We’re doing the math ourselves, though, since the clinic was for humans,” Violet answered.

Just like that, the conversation turned to care, preparation and congratulations. I wanted to be happy. Hell, internally I was screaming with joy knowing I was going to be an uncle again, but the hurt was still there. My relationships with Bells and Violet were always so close and strong, and now I felt like the odd man out. A stranger looking in.

‘Can you say something?’Bells reached out.

I turned my eyes to her, knowing I’d been in the corner of the room without speaking for a few minutes now.

‘You promised.’That was all I could think to say, without voicing how much it was hurting that she didn’t trust me. She didn’t need the stress of my butthurt feelings added to all the shit she’d gone through.

‘Cory, this isn’t something I could just explain over mind-link. It’s something I was struggling to wrap my head around, and I thought you’d be disappointed in me.’

My hurt ebbed and I sighed. I pushed away from the corner, and pulled her into another hug.

‘Never going to happen,’I assured her, and felt her hug tighten around me as she expelled a shuttered breath.

“Do you know what you’re having, yet?” Brenda asked Violet and Chris, who shook their heads.

‘Maybe you should hold off, Cory,’Bells warned me as I turned my attention to Chris and Violet talking to his parents, thinking now was a good time to get my plan going.

‘Are you kidding? Even more reason to do it, now,’I answered with a wink. I cut off the mind-link, and went to kiss my pregnant mate.

“I’ll be back, Little Pokémon,” I whispered to her when I pulled back.

“Really, Cory? Don’t you think maybe you should give up this plan?” She narrowed her eyes at me, knowing what I had planned.

I didn’t keep it a secret from anyone, but Chris and Violet. I wanted the man to sweat a little. Even more so now that he’d knocked up my little sister.

“Let me have my fun and do my brotherly duty, and I’ll let you punish me for it later,” I whispered in her ear.

Her eyes darkened, and I felt her lust blasting through the bond. I did my best not to smile smugly, knowing I was getting my way. My kinky mate loved punishing me just as much as I loved punishing her.

I schooled my face and turned back to the room.

“Violet, Chris. My office, now, please,” I ordered.

“C—” Mom started.

“I need to be debriefed on the assignment,” I cut her off.

Brenda and Gabriel remained silent. I had already gotten their blessing on what I was going to do. They understood why I was doing it, and Gabriel even wished he could be a fly on the wall, confident his son would drive all my worries away. I really hoped so, too.

“We’ll be back by the time dinner is ready.” I walked out of the house, knowing Chris and Violet would follow.

I mind-linked Jo and James and told them the additional news, but regretted it the moment they lost their shit via mind-link. I had to cut them off and promise to answer their questions later, because we were on our way to them.

We walked back to the pack house in silence, and I could see the nerves in their faces when I walked them into a conference room instead of my office. Jo and James were already waiting there for me, frowns on their faces.

“What is this, Cory?” Violet asked, seeing what she must feel was an ambush waiting to happen. She wasn’t fully wrong.

“I want to know everything that happened after I left Redmon Moon,” I told her as I sat down between my friends, and waited for them to take their seats across the conference table.

“You already know everything that happened, Cory.”

My sister looked annoyed, and that was fine. I needed to do this for my own peace of mind.

“Not everything, Bug. I sent my best warrior to guard my little sister, who can’t stand being touched by anyone outside of family, let alone men, and they come back saying they’re chosen mates and she’s pregnant? Something’s fishy here.”

“What happened between me and Chris is our business. It has n—”

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