Page 38 of Impregnated By the Alpha

As much as I wanted to follow her and force her to talk, I knew she needed this time to herself to come to terms with my past. I couldn’t rush her. I waited, with bated breath, for her to come to me.

After nearly half an hour, she did. At the sight of her coming out of the forest toward me, my heart started beating faster. We were at a turning point in our relationship. Whatever choice Violet made about our future would be one I had to accept.

She sat back down in the passenger seat and took a breath. “I have two more questions,” Violet said.

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” I replied honestly.

“I’ve been in Pinedale for months. Why haven’t you explained all of this to me before now?” she asked.

It was a valid question. “I’m not proud of how I treated you,” I said. “I didn’t want to relive it unless I had to. But it’salso not an easy topic to bring up. You and I haven’t had a lot of opportunities for deep heart-to-hearts.”

“I haven’t made it easy for you to talk to me,” she admitted, nodding in understanding.

“I know exactly why you didn’t want to,” I assured her. “What was your second question?”

“Your marriage to Jana was an arrangement between you and her father,” she said. “But I need to know what you felt for her as your mate.”

“I respected her and cared for my wife,” I said. “I grieved her death, and the loss of Penny’s mother. But ultimately, I married her out of duty, not love.”

Part of me hurt to know that I had never loved Jana, not in the way she deserved to be loved. She had never loved me, either, but we had been good to each other. It would have to be enough. I hoped that my honesty was enough for Violet as well, but I didn’t have high hopes that she would forgive me for all I had done, and I was braced for her rejection.

“I appreciate you telling me everything that happened,” she said quietly. “When you left, it hurt me more than I can possibly explain. I had fallen in love with you, Nile, and your disappearance has affected me for years.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, tears flowing freely from my eyes. “I never wanted to hurt you. Only to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she said, tears spilling from her eyes as well. “I forgive you.”

My breathing hitched at her words. I hadn’t realized how desperately I needed to hear those words until they had been spoken.

“Thank you,” I said.

She reached out to hold my hand, and I felt warmth travel up my arm and into my chest, as if she had used a magic spell to warm me from the inside out.

“Nile, I want to try to do this right, this time,” Violet said. “We should take it slow, but I want to have a real relationship with you. If you want that, too.”

Her response shocked me even more than her forgiveness. It was more than I ever could have dreamed of.

“I want that more than anything in the world,” I said.

Chapter 19 - Violet

Nile and I were true to our word. Even though we lived in the same home and were already mates, we treated each other like we were dating for the first time. Each day, he brought home a small bouquet of flowers for me, and each night, I wrote messages of encouragement to put in his lunch box for the following day. I was giddy, happier than I had been in a long time.

Penny had picked up on the new atmosphere in the house and was equally happy. We spent long hours doing family activities and generally enjoying each other’s company.

It surprised me when I woke up one morning feeling lethargic and out of sorts. I attempted to get ready for the day, but a sudden wave of nausea sent me hurling into the toilet. When I didn’t come downstairs for breakfast, Nile came up to check on me. He found me curled up in my bed, still in my pajamas.

“Vi, did you miss your alarm? You’re going to be late for work,” he said. He sat down on the bed next to me, petting my hair gently as he attempted to get me to open my eyes.

“I’m calling in sick,” I mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.

“I threw up, and I feel exhausted,” I said. “I just want to lay here for a while.”

Nile put the back of his hand against my forehead, checking me for temperature as I continued to lie listlessly on top of the covers.

“No fever,” he said. “You stay there, I’ll be right back.”

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