Page 50 of The Wolf's Pregnant Rejected Mate

Tess forced herself to whimper and drop her gaze the way she did as a child. Fighting back would only make him angrier. If he got angrier, then he’d put his hands on her again. If he was so disgusted at her being pregnant, what would stop him from trying to make her miscarry? Her heart squeezed—she didn’t trust her father, couldn’t risk him hurting her more.

“Don’t you talk back to me!” Lenard shouted. “You’re lucky that I’m trying to make you see reason. By the Goddess! I should use my legal authority to make you pay me back for the damage you’ve done to my reputation.”

Tess hunched her shoulders and lowered her head. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. It was what he wanted.

“Do you think sorry will be enough?” Lenard roared. “You pathetic—”

“Hey!” Elin’s voice rang through the air. She skirted around Lenard and Hilda and put an arm around Tess. “Stop yelling at her. You’re the one that disowned her. You lost all rights to act like this long ago!”

Tess gaped at her. She was shaking, her eyes wide, but her chin had a stubborn tilt. Elin breathed heavily, her arm tight around Tess. Was this the same Elin who had been a shaking mess in the forest? Sure, facing demons was different from facing Lenard, but not by much.

“Stay out of this, girl,” Lenard hissed at her. “This is private business between me and my daughter.”

“Not very private when you’re yelling for the whole world to know,” Elin pointed out. “Besides, Tess is the Luna’s best friend. If you think that treating her like this is going to be—”

“Shut the fuck up, you bitch!” Lenard backhanded Elin across the face.

She yelped as she tripped over her feet and went to the ground. She half-dragged Tess with her. Tess tried to pull her back up, but Hilda was suddenly on her, dragging her back away from Elin. Lenard advanced on Elin, claws emerging from his fingertips.

“It’s not your place to intervene,” Hilda yelled, but Tess didn't know whether she was yelling at Tess or Elin.

“Stop this,” Tess howled. “Violence against members of the pack isn’t permitted!”

Lenard ignored her. “You bitches have lost your place in the pack. It’s no wonder with that fucking human as—”

He choked off, backpedaling. Tess twisted herself free of Hilda and gasped. Elin held a gun in her trembling hands, pointing it at Lenard. Wolves didn’t use guns. It was a mark of honor among them to never lay hands on a human-made weapon. Where had Elin gotten a gun? When?

“Back off,” Elin wheezed. She staggered to her feet, aiming the gun at Lenard’s head. “I mean it. Get the fuck away from me!”

Several sets of footsteps approached. Tess twisted to find Finn, Blayke, and Maverick heading their way. Her hands shook as she freed herself from her mother. “Elin, put the gun down.”

Elin shook her head. “Not until he promises never to come near either of us again!”

“You little bitch,” Lenard snarled.

Blayke stepped up next to Elin. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay. We’re here. Let’s put the gun down, okay?”

Elin shot him a wild, almost frenzied look. He put a hand over hers and slowly lowered the gun toward the ground. Elin let out a soft gasp, and it seemed as though all her strength had fled. She sagged into Blayke. He carefully took the gun away from her and pocketed it while Finn and Maverick put themselves between the women and Tess’s parents.

“I want that crazy bitch locked up,” Lenard said, pointing toward Elin. “She’s a danger to the pack and ought to be cast out.”

Finn snarled. “Oh, so you want us to handle this your way?”

“I do! I—”

Finn’s fist lashed out. It caught Lenard on the jaw and sent him flying several feet. He smashed into the pavement and lay there groaning. Hilda gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. When Finn glanced at her, she whimpered and backed up a few steps.

“Blayke, get Elin and Tess to the Alpha’s house,” Finn ordered over his shoulder. “Hilda, go back to your home. We witnessed the entire altercation. Your husband is under arrest, but you are not at this time.”

Her eyes wide, she nodded once and hurried away—but not before sending Tess a black glare. Tess’s ears rang as Blayke pulled Elin away. Tess followed them, swells of guilt and shock washing over her. It had been bad enough that this even happened, but she could have been less confrontational. Now, it was even more of a disaster than it had been, and it was all her fault.

They reached the Alpha’s house quickly. Blayke took them to the Luna’s parlor and told them to wait while he informed Hayden about what happened. Before he left, he placed the gun on the table.

Tess sank into an overstuffed chair, staring at the weapon. “How long have you had that?”

“Since last year. After Monroe was defeated, I went into the town and got it,” Elin mumbled. “After Monroe tried to claim me as his mate, I tried to run away. It made me realize that I can’t fight. I got it so I can shoot dead anyone who tries to hurt me.”

“But you haven’t used it on the demons.”

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