Page 49 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

I sighed. "It's just confusing."

"Do you feel something for him?

I thought about it. I had in the past. A want when I first realized he was my mate, but that quickly changed into fear, knowing to stay away from him. He didn't want anyone to know I was his mate, and I didn't want to be targeted.

And now…now, I guess I wanted to be around him. I found myself looking forward to our evenings and talking about anything. I found myself trusting him, and it scared me shitless.

"Possible," I admit. "And then I think I'm a fool."

Wendy gave me another soft smile. "We always do," she said softly. "That's the price of opening up and letting people in."

Chapter 20 - Lucas

I stared at the tree line, wishing something would happen. It would be better than sitting here with my mind going everywhere.

I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion starting to set in. It was a little past five now, so my shift was almost over. I would have to go back to the house and see Gina. Neither of us has spoken much since the news.

My wolf growled, irritated at me. And if I was honest, I was annoyed at myself. How did I get here? I knocked up my mate, yet we weren't really together. I'd had a fight with Miles, which I'm sure he was still sour about.

"Hey," I turned, spotting Cayden getting out of his car and walking to where I was sitting, staring at the trees. "Anything happen?"

"No," I said, turning my eyes back to the trees. "Another quiet night."

"Well, that's good, even though you don't sound happy about it," he said, stopping next to me. He stuffed his hands into his pocket, leaning back on his heels. He was quiet, but I could feel he wanted to speak.

I scowled. "What?"

"Just want to make sure you're okay. You haven't said much since your fight with Miles."

"I'm fine," I snapped, looking at him. But Cayden didn't show emotion on his face. It remained neutral, and he simply raised an eyebrow. "So, Mile's face was what exactly? A spur-of-the-moment thing just for fun?"

I knew Miles was probably pissed, and Laura was going to rip me a new one the next time she saw me. I wasn't lying when I said I felt bad. As much as we argued and didn't get along, I crossed a line.

We were allowed to fight, though Ayden advised against it. But that fight had been fueled by rage, and I’d had the upper hand and used it to my advantage.

"How is he?"

Cayden clicked his tongue. "Broken nose, busted lip, and bruised eye. He's starting to heal up, but he's going to look like that for a couple of days."

I inhaled slowly. I could picture the face Laura probably made when she saw him.

"So, what the hell has gotten into you?" he asked, "Miles taunts everyone, and you just snapped."

I sighed, trying to find the words. Any other time, I would have ignored him, but it was because he brought up Gina. It was the fact he said I was getting what I deserved.

I had been thinking about my past and how terribly I treated Gina. I thought about all the times I could have helped her, but instead, I stood on the sidelines, or I said shit that I knew would hurt her.

His words sparked something deep in me, and I badly wanted to shut him up because he was right. I was getting what I deserved.

I frowned. "She's pregnant."

"Yeah, I gathered that," Cayden said.

"She's my mate, and I rejected her years ago. I.." I ran a hand through my hair, shaking my head. "I don't know what's going to happen."

"What do you want to happen?"

I hadn't thought about that. I just thought about helping her. I never imagined we would get here, let alone have a child together.

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