Page 61 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
“It is,” I insisted. “The way you talked back in the store…”
“No, Adalyn—” he sighed, pressing his forehead to mine. “I didn’t mean that you’re weak or that you’re not capable of fighting. I only want to keep yousafe. And you going into that store alone, or without knowing what was there, wasn’t safe.”
I gritted my teeth. “I can’t be kept under your protection forever, Zephyr. You’re not going to stay in Azure Cove, are you? How can you talk of safety and protection when you’ll be leaving here again? This isn’t your home.”
“It could be.”
The words came quiet in the silence of the cave. It was so quiet I thought I had imagined them.
“What?” I whispered.
Zephyr’s eyes met mine. “Itcouldbe my home.” He paused. “With you.”
I didn’t know what to say. Every thought left my mind, leaving only the urge to kiss him.
“You would stay here?” I whispered. “For me?”
“Forus,” he said. “I’ve never… Adalyn, this isn’t just a—I don’t know. But this isreal. You and me.” He took my hand and pressed it to his chest. “Isn’t it?”
“It is,” I murmured.
“Do you feel it, too?”
I nodded. Because Idid.
“It’s like a tether,” I whispered. “Connecting us. Through dreams, through this week… Through everything. Even our initial hatred and resentment.”
Zephyr’s expression turned soft. “I was always meant to find you. Fate didn’t bring me to the island to fight. It brought me toyou.”
Tears prickled my eyes, and a giggle slipped from my lips as he folded himself over me.
“Don’t go,” he whispered, kissing me gently. “Don’t leave my protection tonight, Adalyn. Please.”
“I won’t,” I said, although it was a lie. I wanted this—everything he was saying—but I wouldn’t be weak in his eyes. I didn’t need to rely on his protection. I needed to prove my own strength to myself as well as him. Zephyr kissed me, and I almost let myself stay languishing in it, in the gentle affection, until he pulled away.
When we went to sleep, I stayed awake.
I slipped from the circle of his arms, grabbed my phone, and left the sanctuary.
Chapter 20 - Zephyr
I knew something was wrong when I woke up, and the sheets were cold where Adalyn had been lying. My arms weren’t around her body, warm and tucked close to my chest, like when we’d fallen asleep.
Her scent was faint in the air, present but long gone.
My instincts kicked in, a rage barrelling through me, a need to find her.
“Adalyn!” I yelled, throwing myself from the bed. I didn’t waste time shifting. I could track her in human form. If she had gone to where I suspected—the place I thought I had convinced her away from—then I wanted my human form to talk to her without worrying about shifting back.
“Adalyn!” I shouted through the tunnels. That tether between us stretched and grew taut, constantly aware of her. After all, we had talked about—after I had finally voiced my thoughts of moving here for good—she had betrayed me and left. She had gone out there alone, where it might not be safe.
All because I hadn’t been brave enough to tell her why I wanted to keep her safe.
I hadn’t meant to belittle her. I had only wanted to protect her from jumping head-first into a dangerous situation. I needed to protect Adalyn—my mate. Adalyn, who carried my child.
The two mingled scents combined, and I went crazy, sprinting down the tunnel, my heart pounding. I let every bit of training hone in my mind. I followed Adalyn’s scent right out of the furthest tunnel entrance we could find. She had been clever, leading me away from the main entrance where I could have stopped her instantly. The magic in the air would haveroused me from sleep from that near, but at a distance, using the furthest way out, I hadn’t detected a thing.
I cursed myself for believing her.
