Page 62 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Lycan King

I had a pup. He was nuzzled against my mate, and instead of doing the right thing by making her feel appreciated and telling her how amazing she was for bringing this life into the world, I argued with her instead. What the hell was wrong with me? That was not how I should have responded.

It wasn’t until Kylie left that I realized I was in love with her. When it was too late. That must be the curse Zephyrine had cast on me, and now I had to fight my way back into Kylie’s heart. For all I knew, the curse wouldn’t allow that to happen.

No.

I couldn’t think like that.

I just needed to figure out a way to do this. Zephyrine wanted me to see what it was like to have everything I ever wanted in my grasp but couldn’t hold on to it. Fucking hell. That’s what was happening. Kylie, my fated mate, and a beautiful pup to be my heir. The family I had craved since my father’s passing was right in front of me, and I couldn’t hold on to it.

Then, go back and fix this.

My lycan was right. That’s exactly what I needed to do. No more feeling sorry for myself. If I wanted to bring my mate and my pup home with me, then I needed to repair the damage I’d caused.

I needed to change, so I found the bag I brought and changed. The cuts from the tree had already healed, so I needed to wash up. It didn’t take long before I was walking through the doors of the clinic again. It wasn’t easy to see how many people were struggling in this place. The building was big enough to handle even the rogues that passed through. They didn’t have enough supplies either, so I was even more grateful to know they had enough to care for my mate.

This area wasn’t much, but it was enough to help those who passed through here. If I wanted to be known as a great king, I needed to do something to help this place. My kingdom was more than well off to provide assistance. If they wanted to remain a territory for rogues, that was fine. I didn’t need to absorb it into my kingdom to help them. I could still provide support to improve operations and help more people in this area.

See what happens when you focus on things that matter?

If I could strangle my lycan, I would. I didn’t need to be reminded of how much of an ass I had been.

The nurse I had been arguing with glared at me as I approached the check-in desk. “You again,” she growled.

“Yes. I apologize for my attitude earlier. I wish to see Kylie again.”

Her eyes narrowed further, her eyebrows furrowing. “Is the patient aware you are here and okay with you visiting?”

There was a moment of hesitancy before I found the right words. “She told me to come back when I was ready to act like an adult. I think I can fit that bill now.”

She rolled her eyes but allowed me to walk past the desk and to Kylie’s room. I knocked first and heard her say “Enter.” When she saw me, she growled and opened her mouth to say something. I cut her off.

“I don’t want to fight.”

The warm scent of caramel and vanilla wrapped around me, and I wanted to sink to my knees. Catching her scent made my mouth water. If I could bask in her essence all day, I would. I thought I wouldn’t ever get to smell it again, and now that I have, I didn’t want to let it go.

She didn’t say anything to me, just watched me walk further into the room. My nerves about talking to her again made it hard for me to want to sit down. This was going to be a difficult conversation, but one that needed to happen.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to be around me because of what happened. That shouldn’t have gone down the way it did. Nova was never going to be my bonded mate, in case you wondered.”

Another growl escaped her, and this time she bared her teeth at me. I couldn’t blame her for that, and I mentally slapped myself for even mentioning her name.

“Why did you keep the baby a secret from me?”

She shook her head. “You are such a dumbass. Why would I tell the person who broke my heart anything? I wasn’t good enough for you, remember? So why would I think my baby would be good enough for you?” Her eyes glistened with tears, and I wanted to hug her. I whined at the sight, but I knew better than to try to approach her. “I was never good enough for anyone, Maximus. Not even my father. So why would I give you the chance to make my child feel the same way someone made me feel? Over my dead body.”

My head dropped to my chest as I absorbed her explanation. Gods, did I fuck up. To feel that way about yourself and not want that for your child… that had to be awful. I didn’t know what that was like. My father never made me feel unworthy. It was always hard for me to understand what Kylie went through because I never felt that way. But hearing her speak like that gave me an idea of what it could be like.

“I can understand that. There aren’t enough words in the world for me to express how sorry I am that you felt that way.”

She scoffed. “Like you care.”

“I do. Don’t you think it was hard for me to know you disappeared? Even if I rejected you, which I shouldn’t have done,” I said with a sigh, “I didn’t stop loving you. It was hard for me to wonder if you were alive or dead.” My voice cracked. It was difficult for me to recount feeling like that. My fists balled, andI tried not to let all these emotions get the better of me as they raged inside.

“I’m not buying this, Max. You have no idea what I’ve gone through since I left.”

“No, I don’t.” I deadpanned. It was hard not to let the anger building inside me take over. I was trying to talk to her, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to engage. We were supposed to be communicating like adults, but now, she was the one holding onto her rage. “So why don’t you tell me?”

She snarled, and I realized how much of her lycan was on the surface as her eyes glowed. This wasn’t the same Kylie as before. She was more in tune with her lycan, something I didn’t know she could achieve! Whatever she did while I was away broke through whatever barrier had been holding her back.

---