Page 69 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
The shield flickered in and out.
His attention was snagged by more attacks.
I’m sorry, I thought.I should be helping you.
I tried to pour more energy into the shield.
And everything went dark.
***
As I went under, I thought of every witch who had come before me. The original Lindell witch—not the mate of the shifter who had first come to the island but another Lindell, who had been born here, the bonfire where legends said she was crafted from the embers of Azure Cove’s fire that wiped out the last of the shifters once our feud with them had begun.
The fire was a lesser-known part of our history—one only written in an ancient witch language, the one written on the sanctuary's walls. Without knowing it, Zephyr had read stories of his own kin being wiped out from Azure Cove by the witches.
It was the true reason why I couldn’t hate him more for hunting down Lindell witches. We both had blood on our hands in the same of the feud.
But as I went under, I swore I felt the hands of every witch in my coven, both present and past, reaching out for me. Their chorus rose in my ears as they carried me to a place that felt safe. I felt the shield around me burst and brighten.
I thought of my mom, my grandmother, and all my foremothers before her. Centuries of witches that had lived in Azure Cove were dedicated to protecting it even when the threat died down. But now fate was proving itself read.
A witch had risen up, a shifter had returned, and we were uniting our bloodlines.
Azure Cove could be stronger—together.
In my haze of subconsciousness, I saw what my life might look like. A future where I raised my baby as a witch and a shifter. A combination of the two kinds. A unity.
I saw myself in that cottage I had always dreamed of, wading in the shore on a summer’s day, Zephyr’s body warm and soft next to mine as we watched our child play on the sand. A beach that was safe becausewewere stronger together. A new future coming to Azure Cove.
I saw myself waking up to Zephyr every day and him settling here.
I saw two dark wolves, one notably smaller, tearing through the hiking trails, yips and barks of joy filtering through as I tried to keep up. I saw Zephyr comforting our child after their first shift. I saw myself teaching them spell work and about their history. I saw Zephyr staying—staying for me, for our child, of being claimed as his mate.
And my heart was so full.
It wasn’t a future I had thought originally for myself, or was possible, but it was a future I could see so clearly now.
I wanted Zephyr. I wanted him to stay, and I wanted him in my life.
I loved him, I realized.
My hatred had turned to love. My lust for anger turned to lust forhim, in every possible way.
My hand reached for my stomach as I cradled it. I wanted to be claimed by Zephyr and raise our baby together.
Tears slid down my cheeks as I let myself finally believe in the future I could have. Not one forged from trauma and heartache and grief, as my life had been, but one infused with new hope, love, and a shared bond that would never break.
“Zephyr,” I murmured, trying to get his attention. “Zephyr, I need—”
I need you.
But before the words could come out, I was knocked back into reality. The thoughts of my future splintered apart. Demon nails raked down my shoulder, and I screamed, throwing up my shield again instinctively. When had it fallen?
I saw Zephyr panting, his back legs giving out, his wolf’s body weighing down and struggling to get up. The shadows of more wolves darkened the Emporium’s doorway. I was bleeding. I could feel a trickle of blood spilling from my wound—but also from my head somewhere. I pressed my body in various places, panicking.
“My baby,” I mumbled. “My baby.”
I curled up, cradling my stomach still. And when Zephyr collapsed once, twice, and surged upwards for a third time, I threw the last of my strength at him. A new shield formed around his body as he roared, leaping forward, back into the fray.
