Page 46 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

“They all freaked out. Except for Brynne, because Brynne is the only shifter female in the group. Do you know what she said?”

“What did she say?”

“She said,I don’t think you’ve been poisoned. I think you’re pregnant.”

Levi’s jaw dropped. His eyes shone. And his entire body lit up from the inside out. “Are you serious? Can I come over there now? Oh my God. Sofia! Are we having a baby?”

She whipped this positive pregnancy test out of her pocket and showed it to him. “Yes. Come here.”

He didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her and scooped her up. “We’re going to be parents. I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t believe it either.”

He pressed a thousand kisses all over her face. “And before you said you were pregnant, you said some other stuff. Tell me what you meant.”

He put her down and led her over to the couch he kept in his waiting room.

“I finally realized that it’s worth it to let you in. To give you the place in my life that you deserve.” She held her hands out, and he wrapped both of his around both of hers. “I was letting the clan I grew up in dictate all of my choices. And as I stood there this morning, I realized I didn’twantto go stay with Rhett. I don’twantto go live in the Canadian wilderness as a bear. But I felt like I should.”

“And you didn’t know about the baby yet?” he asked.

“No. I had no idea.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “If Brynne hadn’t mentioned it, I’m not sure I’d know yet.”

She scooted to the edge of her chair. “You have proved yourself over and over. You are nothing like my family. I trust you.”

He lifted her and settled her in his lap. “I love you,” he said. “You’re my mate, and we’re going to be a family.”

24

Levi

For the next few days, Levi was walking on air.

Sofia was his mate, and she’d finally acknowledged that. And most importantly, they were going to have a baby.

He couldn’t believe how much his fortune had changed in just one day’s time. When he’d woken up, he’d been alone.

When he’d gone to bed, he had not only a mate, but a child. A family.

During lunch that day, Brennan stopped by the clinic during one of his patrols. He whacked Levi on the arm. “You can’t stop grinning, can you?”

“Not even for a second,” Levi said. He wasn’t embarrassed one bit. He had spent too many sleepless nights obsessing over whether or not Sofia would ever get over her fear of commitment. So, he was going to cherish this euphoric, cloud-nine sensation that had taken over his brain.

“It’s good to see you so happy,” Brennan said. The rest went unspoken—they’d thought he would sink into a deep depression if Sofia had left. And the truth was, he probably would have.

“I’m going to propose to her tonight,” he said.

“Oh damn. You move fast,” Brennan said.

“When you know you’ve found your mate, why wait?”

“You are exactly right. Trust me, as someone who had to chase his mate quite literally through the ocean to Cuba, don’t screw around. Lock her down now, while you still can.”

They both laughed, and then Brennan congratulated him again.

He had a proposal to plan. He already had the ring. It was a plain silver band because he’d heard her express admiration for Brynne’s once. Just like Brynne, she’d also have a chain to wear it around her neck, so that it didn’t get lost when she shifted.

He just needed a place. They hadn’t had a chance to establish any special places in Cedar Lake yet. After the battle, he’d been injured, and then after they’d laid low on Kellan’s ranch. He sure hadn’t wanted to ask her out on a date at that point.

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