Page 46 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

Tess trailed one of her hands down his torso and took hold of him. Her touch was soft, gentle, and just right. He hardened beneath her hand as she grew wetter with his. Their groans mingled as their bodies twitched, wanting more. Needing more. But not wanting this to end.

“You are beautiful,” Ryder told her, cupping her face with his hand. “I want you to be on top, love. I want to see how you move.”

“Yes,” Tess moaned. “I want that too.”

Ryder positioned himself over her. He pulled his fingers out and coated himself with her wetness, then pushed into her entrance. She welcomed him in, her eyes dark with lust and affection. Once he was fully seated into her, he rolled them both, so she was on top. The weight of her body was soothing. He felt so safe with her in ways he didn’t know how to put into words.

Tess leaned back, bracing herself on the headboard. She rocked her hips and moaned. The pleasure on her face was more than he could take. He murmured encouragement to her as she moved faster, taking him deeper. Ryder did not like to give up control, but he was helpless before her at that moment. Anything she wanted, he’d give to her.

I was wrong.

He knew it had been a terrible mistake as he watched her move and felt himself grow closer to the edge. He never should have left her. He was afraid of the man he would become. That alone was enough to stop him from being that sort of man. They were true mates, or at least they had the chance to be once.

Maybe it would have been rocky, but they could have made it work. He never should have left her.

And now it was too late. Tess didn’t want him that way anymore. His hands clutched her tighter to him. This was as much as he’d get. And oh, he would savor every second.

Chapter 25 - Tess

Tess woke with a start, utterly alone. The space where Ryder had been was cold. No doubt he’d snuck out some time ago. Her stomach twisted. Was this how he felt when she snuck away when he was sleeping?

She rolled to her back, cold despite the blankets piled on her. He was gone, and she doubted they would speak again before tonight’s meeting. When everyone would find out she was pregnant, and Ryder would have to leave to face the demons. Her wolf was oddly quiet, subdued. Maybe because of this cold, grim acceptance that weighed her limbs down.

Even when her parents kicked her out, she didn’t feel this alone. Then, she knew she could go to Mica and Echo, even if she didn’t know them well at that time. Even though she knew she had people who cared for her, she felt utterly alone.

“Ryder, I want you as my mate,” she said aloud, her voice ringing in her ears. “I love you. But I can’t tell you any of that because… because why? I’m afraid of further rejection?”

Or because she was afraid of forcing him into something she didn’t know?

One thing was clear. She had two choices. The first was to lay here wallowing in her self-pity and fear. Let the crushing weight of it all render her paralyzed and helpless, so she was nothing more than a huddled mess at the window, watching for Ryder to come back.

Or she could actually do something. Find something that would help him come back home safe and sound.

It was an obvious choice, really. She didn’t have the luxury of lying around feeling sorry for herself.

She got out of bed, rolling her stiff shoulders to loosen them. Then, she showered and got dressed in the clothes discarded throughout the room. After running her fingers through her hair to remove any knots, she left the room behind, walking with determination.

Hayden was in his study, working through a few stacks of papers. They looked like pack bills. Strange to think that with the threat of demons around every corner, the Alpha also had to take care of such mundane things as keeping the lights on.

He looked up as she approached. “Tess. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping I could speak with you, Alpha,” Tess said.

He nodded. Tess shut the door behind her and faced Hayden.

“Ryder told me you agreed to the plan for tonight,” he started.

“I did. I’m here to see what else I can do to help weaken the demons,” she said, straightening her back.

Hayden’s frown deepened. “There really isn’t anything you can do, Tess. Continue to help Mica look through the texts—”

“We’ve been through them too many times already,” Tess interrupted. “We’ve picked through it and learned everything that we can from those texts. I need to actually do something. I can’t just keep sitting around, Hayden. You’re sending Ryder to collect information, but in the meantime, we can still do something to either capture or take out more of those demons.”

Hayden shuffled the bills into a file folder that he slid into his desk. He gestured at an empty chair, and Tess slumped into it, breathing hard.

“Ryder told me that the last time demons attacked you, you dragged one over the salt line, and it killed the host,” Hayden said evenly.

Tess winced. She had been trying very hard to forget about that. “The demon killed the host. It wouldn’t have done that if the host wasn’t already dead.”

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