Page 29 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
She looked hopefully at the coffee, so innocently hopeful that I might make her a cup. It was pathetic. Her shoulders slumped.
“Zephyr, can we talk about last night?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I told her. “It was a one-time thing.”
“Was it?” she prompted.
“Yes,” I answered through gritted teeth.
“You don’t have to do this,” she urged. “Shut me out like this. Don’t you… Feel anything about what we did last night?”
I feel a whole host of things, but I can’t talk about them, I thought. Out loud, I answered, “No. Help yourself to coffee.” With that, I walked away from her into the cavern.
***
The rest of the day passed like that. I heard Adalyn rummaging around in the other room. Pots clanged, bags ripped, and I wondered which of her witches kept this place stocked.
She hummed as she moved around the cavern, which I tuned out, trying to focus on translating the wall’s paragraphs. So far, I had worked out two words.Unityandblood. Both of them sent shivers down my spine.
I told myself that I only kept thinking about her because I couldn’t get away from her. I'd never get a break if she was everywhere I tried to turn. But I needed one—desperately.
Halfway through the day, I wandered into the main part of the cavern, looking to fix something to eat. Adalyn sat pouring over a map, her brows furrowed.
“What’s up?” I asked, pulling out a small pan. I could fix something up. A mini fridge held containers of food. I pulled one out and dumped the contents in. It was some sort of meat stew. Adalyn didn’t look up.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she muttered. “You see only what’s in front of you.”
“So?” I asked. “No point worrying myself about what I can’t yet see.”
She spared me a brief glance. Her eyes fell onto the stove, where I heated up a stew. Then she saw me only grab one bowl. Her jaw tightened, but she said nothing. I raised an eyebrow, daring her to.
“If I’m stuck down here, I can’t continue my shields.”
“Okay, but let’s be real. Are they actually doing anything? I saw the way that demon smashed right through them.” I shrugged, that cold defense rising in me. “When will you realize I’m right, Adalyn? Wolves are back on this island. We can be therealprotectors.”
“You can’t all be everywhere at once,” she snapped. “At least I’mtryingsomething!”
“It’s not enough!” I shouted. “Your stupid little shields are not enough!”
“I know!” she yelled.
The admittance seemed to fly from her mouth without her permission. She gasped softly, covering her mouth. Tears shined in her eyes. Quieter, she whispered, “I know, Zephyr. They need to be stronger, bigger, but I am justone witch. My coven is either dead, old, or too scared of demons to hone their powers. But I can never just give up.”
“You have to let the shifters take over,” I told her, not bothering to soften my voice. I stirred my dinner in the pan until it bubbled away, and poured it into a bowl. “We’re stronger. There are more of us. Hell, Alex can have more teams down here in half a day if we need them. But wedon’t. Not yet. Not according to Hec’s intel.”
“I don’t fuckingcareabout shifters!” she shouted. “This ismyisland, Zephyr!”
“Shifters were here first,” I snarled. “Don’t forget that. Azure Cove should be grateful that we even came back.”
“Oh, don’t pretend like it was planned,” she snapped. “You wanted your little vacation hotspot and stumbled into your history. Don’t try to pretend anything else.”
“Do you believe in fate?” I asked her. The question caught her off-guard. Alex did. Alex thought that was why we had decided on Azure Cove, that some invisible hand of fate was pushing us back home to where my bloodline belonged, at least.
“Shifters are everywhere.” Her voice was a snarl. “Don’t try to take the island from us.”
“So are witches.” I grabbed my bowl. “They are in every damn city I’ve ever been to because they love one home sanctuary, it seems, but can’t seem to nail their feet to their homes. They take other places for themselves. I amsickof your fucking clan popping up everywhere I go. If I had the choice, I’d eradicate both witch and demon everywhere.”
Adalyn’s eyes flared. “You don’t mean that.”
