Page 62 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
But that was the thing. She might not trust me, but I realized I had come to trust her.
My palms shook as I launched myself down the tunnels, eating at the distance until I saw the circular tunnel entrance up ahead. I flew through it, bursting out onto the Green Trail, which led down to the island's northern part.
I didn’t have backup reliably. I had no phone, my only instinct was to find my mate. I had once chased her through these woods, hunting her down to kill her. Now I hunted her to find her and protect her.
Nothing would keep me from protecting Adalyn and ensuring her safety.
Desperately, I scented her through the trees, momentarily distracted by the smell of the forest after the rain, the muddy, wet earth smell. Animals and people—all their scents mingled in a confusing haze until I picked hers back out.
I panted as I hurtled down the trail, leaping over fallen logs and slamming low-hanging branches out of my way. Leaves kicked up behind me as I slid and slipped down mudslides until I finally found her.
Adalyn had her back to me, her knees to her chest.
Her hands wove patterns in the air as she poured a line of liquid over the treeline.
“Adalyn?” I called out. She didn’t even flinch. I slowly walked up to her. That rage of trying to find her that had left me unsettled finally calmed down as soon as I approached her. Nodemons were in sight. I hadn’t even thought to protect myself from them on my way to her, my only thought being her.
But she was safe.
She was right here.
I heard a small sniffle and rushed to her side. In the distance, the lights of cottages and island homes lit up against the dark sky. It was cold, and I immediately wrapped my arm around her shoulders. To my own surprise, she let me. Adalyn slumped into me.
“Why won’t you let me do anything alone?” she whispered. It was an angry murmur. She didn’t look at me. I craved her, too. I was desperate for those deep, gorgeous eyes to look at me. “You still don’t believe in me.” She shook her head, angrily wiping away her tears. “Aftereverything, Zephyr, you still don’t trust me.”
“I do,” I said, pleadingly. “Oh, Adalyn, I do. Idotrust you. It’s the world I don’t trust. I don’t trust it not to harm you.”
“Yeah, well, news flash, I did a good job of it before you showed up.” Her voice was harsh, cutting through the dark night. She still held her shoulders rigidly, her hands placed on her stomach. Concern shot through me.
“Your stomach—”
“I felt a little sick again, is all,” she muttered. “Stopworrying. Stop hovering, Zephyr.”
“Don’t act like I’m overbearing,” I snapped. “You know just as well as me that whenever we’re apart, we’re struggling. We’re so tuned into one another. You move from me, and I feel it. I know you do, too.”
She fell silent. Then, she slowly nodded.
“I know,” she whispered. “And that’s what terrifies me. I don’t… I don’t understand any of it.”
“How scared are you?” I asked her.
“Very,” she said. “I’m scared of how much I feel. It’s overwhelming, Zephyr. It’s… It feels so much bigger than I was ever prepared for, meeting you. Lo—knowingyou.”
My heart rose in hope at the word she almost said, but she swallowed it back, and I let her.
“But I can’t have my life restricted,” she said. “You can’t tell me I can’t do things I have always done. I’m not defenseless, and I’m not some damsel in distress. If I hurt myself, then it is only me who will behurt.”
“It isn’t,” I snapped. “There isn’t only you anymore to think about.”
The hint slipped out before I could stop it. Finally, she looked at me. Her eyes shined with tears. “What do you mean?”
“I can detect scents,” I whispered. “The sickness, the new feeling connecting us, my need to protect you and keep you out of harm’s way even more… I think you’re pregnant, Adalyn.”
The words hung between us, and I smiled, my eyes prickling. “I think you’re carrying our child.”
Her face paled, her lips parting. For a moment, she only blinked at me.
Then, her hand slid over her stomach, still flat.
