Page 26 of Pregnant By the Alpha Wolf

“You done?” He asks, “You feel better?”

We stare at each other for a moment in silence before I shake my head, “No, as a matter of fact. I don’t.”

He finally rubs his jaw. “Well, neither does my face.”

“You shouldn’t piss me off about her then,” I snap. “Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve punched you.”

Some of the tension dissipates as we stand there, and I can’t help chuckling darkly at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Not even the first time you’ve punched me over a girl,” he reminds me.

“She’s not just a girl, though, Grif,” I say, leaning against the truck.

He sighs. “Yeah, I know.”

There’s a long pause between us as we both consider what that means. “Seems like things are going well, though. She’s bonny and smart enough to keep you interested.”

I smile at his choice of words, a throwback to his Old World heritage that no matter how many years pass living here, he never loses.

“No, they are.” I think. Willow has been quieter the last couple of days, and I think the thought that someone at the lab is betraying us is weighing heavily on her. Or does she suspect I’m not being fully honest with her? “Does it matter how good things are between us if the truth could ruin everything? What is the point of finding my mate if I lose her?”

He stares at me for a moment, contemplating my words. We both know that is exactly what happened to him. Griffen lets out a breath, rubbing his jaw. “You gonna tell her?”

“Not until I can trust the outcome,” I reply. “I have to think of the pack, too.”

Griffen shakes his head and chuckles, “Sure, it’s all about the pack.”

Fighting the urge to punch him again, I walk around the truck and open the door. “We’re late for the meeting, let’s go.”

I’ve already started the engine before he climbs in. We drive in silence for a moment, but I can feel his brain whirring next to me. “Look, we don’t have to talk about it, and I’m in no mood to get hit again because you’re in a bad mood.” I grip the steering wheel but don’t tell him to shut up. “If the bond is strong, if she loves you, she will hear you out. Times have changed.”

“And how did that go with your witch?” I ask, feeling a wash of emotion I’m not familiar with and don’t like.

I almost don’t hear his reply as he stares out the window. “Well, I guess she didn’t love me. And that’s that.”

Suddenly regretting this entire conversation, I look at him. “She’s a fool, old friend.”

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Griffen laughs, and I feel some of the tension in the truck dissipate. He’s not wrong. I just don’t want to take the risk.

We reach the clearing and spot the other alphas, along with a couple of their betas. Alder and Cade are standing near their trucks as we park.

“How are you always late, Rowan?” Alder laughs.

I greet them both, Cade simply nodding. “We’re here now. Better late than never, right?” I say, slapping Alder on the shoulder.

Brooks, Kayden, Jet, and Grayson are standing by the fire. The alphas all nod in greeting as we walk toward them.

“I know, I know. We’re late,” I say, accepting a beer from Grayson.

Kayden shrugs, “You’re always late; I’m thinking of telling you these meetings start an hour earlier.”

Jet retrieves some food from the truck and offers the wrapped sandwiches around. “Senna sent me with these; if you’re late again, we’ll just eat them before you get here.”

“And I thought we were all friends now,” I say with mock offense.

The jovial mood quickly fades as we settle into the meeting and begin to give individual pack updates. Graysonconfirms hunter activity; Alder’s pack killed two hunters who attacked two she-wolves out running, and Jet shows us footage from several of the new security cameras that shows humans moving in groups around the pack border.

“They’re not attacking as before, though,” I ponder, watching the screen. “What are they doing?”

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