Page 44 of Forced Knocked-Up Mate

Anything to distract me from what’s going on between me and Lucy.

“Hey, glad you made it!” Rider greets me, giving me a slap on my shoulder. “Let’s head inside. Since you’re going to be sticking around, we all want to make sure you fit in and have a place in the pack.”

“Uh-huh,” is all I can say.

This is torture.

We head inside, Lucy following a step behind. Sitting at the long table is a group of guys and two women. Rider introduces Jack, Kyle, Kelta, Gina, Dane, and Alpha Bailey.

“Sit down,” Bae says to me and Lucy, smiling warmly as he gestures to the empty chairs. “We have the alphas of two packs here, as well as my luna and beta, with Kelta and Dane asrepresentatives for the wild scout group. Between us, we’ll find you a job to do that fits your skills and makes you valuable to the pack.”

I can feel sweat trickling down my sides already. I can’t imagine what kind of work they’d have me do, and I don’t think I’ll find it pleasant.

“Well, we’re kind of tethered together right now,” Lucy says, laughing. “And I can’t go running around in the woods, so his skills might be limited.”

“I know about that,” Bailey says. “From what Rider has told me, Peter, you’ve lived rough most of your life. That means you could be an asset to the wild packs once the tether is broken.”

“We want strong ties with the town pack,” Kelta says. “If a member of Bae’s inner circle was to work with us, we would feel much more included in pack business overall.”

“I want you to feel included, Kelta,” Bae says. “A match between packs would be an ideal way to concrete our ties.”

“Not many of us are unattached,” Kelta says thoughtfully. “But my brother has just come of age.”

Dane blushes right up to the roots of his pale blond hair. “Don’t start this again,” he groans. “I told you, my place is in the forest, not sitting at a desk in town.”

Feels, bro.

“Alright!” Bae waves his hands. “Let’s get back on track. Since Peter can’t leave town, we have a couple of other ideas for him to think about.”

“Excuse me?” Lucy asks. “But why does Peter have to have a particular role? I’m just curious.”

“Wolves without a specific rank often become rogues,” Rider explains. “Having a job to do that serves the entire pack ties them more closely to us. It’s good for everyone in the family because all the pack members are pulling their weight. And it’s good for the wolf because he feels connected and important.”

“Oh,” Lucy says, smiling. “Interesting.”

“Okay,” Bae says, turning back to me. “My idea was to have you work at my store. You’d be with me all the time, so I could guide you through pack business. I thought maybe you’d like to work on becoming a personal trainer.”

Jesus fuck, no.

“Is that, like, a privilege?” Lucy asks. “Having the alpha make an offer like that?”

Bae smiles at her a little indulgently. “No, Lucy. I really could use a hand, and I thought Peter might like to take direction straight from me.”

No fucking way.

“This is all really interesting,” she says, smiling. “I had no idea you guys were so organized. I thought the rankings were just, like, titles or something.”

I barely refrain from groaning and dropping my face into my palm.

“No, Lucy,” Jack says. “Our ranks are important. I’m beta, so if Bae is ever unavailable, my word is law. In any kind of situation, crisis, celebration, or peace, the alpha’s word is always respected and obeyed.”

“And what if someone doesn’t?” Lucy asks.

“There are a number of punishments,” Gina answers. “I don’t think I should go into all of them right now, but trust mewhen I say these rules have existed for hundreds of years, and they keep packs running smoothly.”

“Oh, okay,” Lucy muses. “Sounds a bit primitive.”

“Then you should see how wild ones handle things,” Kelta says, her eyes glowing.

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