Page 27 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

“I’m fine. I don’t need your help,” Tess snipped back. Her blue eyes narrowed at him. “Especially since you sound so thrilled to be talking to me. Did Mica send you? Is that why you’re being so…?”

She trailed off, biting her tongue. Ryder was quiet as they made their way down the street. Tess moved quite efficiently on the crutches. He had to admit, there was something sexy about her stubbornness. As for her attitude, he understood where it came from. His tone had been brusque from the moment he opened his mouth. What was wrong with him?

“Well?” Tess glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Did Mica send you?

Was that a hopeful lilt to her voice?

Ryder shook his head. “I wanted to give you the talisman myself. It’ll keep you from being possessed, so you can leave town again without being afraid.”

“Not really.” Tess shrugged as they got to a crosswalk. Despite vehicles being used rarely in town, she paused at it. “It’s going to take more than this to stop me from being afraid. But I’m serious. I can walk myself home. You just take care of yourself, okay?”

“I always do,” he muttered in answer.

He hesitated as she kept staring at him. The words kept getting tangled up on his tongue whenever he opened his mouth. There was something he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure how to say it. He wasn’t even sure what it was that he wanted to say. Was it to apologize for his tone? Apologize for not putting it together that when she asked him to be her mate, Was she really trying to escape Monroe? Did he want to defend himself, to explain that he was so afraid of turning into an angry, bitter, and violent man that he had to leave the pack all those years ago?

Tess started to cross the road, and he walked with her, unwilling to leave. She gave him a sideways glance, her shoulders tensing.

“You don’t have to feel obligated to me,” she murmured when they reached the other side. “I meant it when I said I didn’t want anything from you. Other than what you already gave me. And I don’t regret it. I thought I was going to when Elin started…”

“What did Elin do?” Ryder asked, his wolf growling.

Tess winced. “She asked me if we were mates. When I said no, I felt her silent judgment. But that’s beside the point. It’s my body, and I wanted it. But now it’s over. You don’t owe me anything.”

“That’s not it,” Ryder muttered.

Tess came to a stop. She turned to him, her chin raised. Her long, shiny black hair hung down her back, glistening in the sun. “Then what is it?”

“I… I’m not good with talking,” Ryder growled. Frustration at his own inability to find the words welled in him.

He sighed and stepped back. But just as he thought he had the right word—

“Get the fuck away from my daughter, you bastard!” howled someone behind him.

Ryder turned, startled, only to be greeted by a fist to his face. The blow sent him sprawling on the sidewalk. He looked up into the furious expression of Tess’s father. But there was a gleam of triumph in the man’s eyes, too.

“You’re going to mate her,” Lenard howled so loud that people on the other side of the street turned to stare. “You fucked her, so you’ll mate her!”

Chapter 15 - Tess

Tess backed away from her parents, her wolf cowering. Her leg throbbed, and her crutches came off balance. She tilted but managed to stay upright. Her parents glared between her and Ryder as Ryder got to his feet, rubbing his jaw.

“You’ll take her as a mate since you made her a slut,” Lenard yelled even louder. He was trying to get as many people’s attention as possible to force the mating.

“Stop it,” she tried to yell, but her voice only came out as a squeak. Her heart hammered, and a sick feeling crawled up her throat. How did they even find out? This was meant to be something secret and sacred between her and Ryder!

Elin—it had to be Elin. Finn and Blayke wouldn’t gossip about what they found in that cabin. But Elin? She sure as hell would.

Heat crept into her cheeks as Ryder stood there, not answering back. She wished he would say something. Demand that Lenard not call her a slut. She hated that word! Always had. Echo was a slut for having a son without a mate, but the man who fathered Ryder wasn’t a slut. All the blame was on the she-wolves in this pack. And she hated it.

“Aren’t you going to say anything, boy?” Lenard roared. “After you defiled my daughter?”

“I’m not your daughter. You said so yourself,” Tess managed. Her voice was little more than a mumble. If they heard her, they ignored her.

Footsteps approached, and Tess peered over her shoulder. Relief flooded through her as Mica and Hayden came toward them. They’d put an end to this. Mica’s sea-green eyes were steely as she marched up next to Tess and put an arm around her.

“What is going on here?” Hayden asked, his voice even. “Lenard, what is this shouting about?”

Hilda lowered her head toward the Alpha, but Lenard did not.

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