Page 25 of Forced Wolf Bride

I take a deep breath and start at the beginning. Gina puts me on speaker so Lucca can hear, too, and I tell her about Marcus, the kidnapping, and the fact that I'm staying with Diego. I don't know why, but I don't tell them we're mates or about the baby.

I've wanted nothing more than to talk to Gina, but now that I am, I find myself uncomfortable when they talk about Diego. The feud between the two packs is clearly in full swing, and they're full of anger and understandable vengeance. It makes me wonder if there can ever be peace between the packs, and I find myself wanting to defend Diego. They don't realize how deeply Tyler's death affected him as a father, or that Marcus is the one more responsible for the looting and destruction. Diego wants revenge on Mateo and his friends, not the whole town.

"It's more complicated than you think. Diego's not—" I pause as Diego appears in the doorway. He looks conflicted, like he wants to say something.

"Gina, I'm going to call you back, okay? No, everything’s fine here. I'll call back, I promise."

I put the phone down. Diego doesn't speak immediately, and I wonder if I've said the wrong thing.

"You didn't tell them about the baby yet?" he asks.

I shrug. "Just seemed like a lot to drop on them at once."

"But you are happy?"

"Yes!" I exclaim, moving toward him. "I'm scared of this feud and overwhelmed by how things have happened. Meeting you the way I did. But I wouldn't change this for anything."

I touch my stomach, and he steps toward me, putting his hand over mine. "You don't think I'm too old? I failed once as a father; no one would blame you for thinking I'm unsuitable. I'm not a good man, Quinn."

My mind races with his words. "Diego, I didn't know Tyler, but I've heard the things he did. I've also seen the photos you still have up of you fishing and hunting together, his school achievements, the tournaments, and the trips you took. You don’t seem like a bad father." I pause as tears threaten to spill. "Your pack loves and respects you. I don't think you're responsible for what Tyler did in life."

He turns away from me, looking out over the meadows. I don't think it's easy for any man to have a discussion like this, let alone an alpha.

"And you're not old," I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "I like the salt-and-pepper look. And you certainly have the stamina to chase after a pup."

He scoffs but adds, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

We fall silent again for a moment, and then he says something that takes me completely off-guard. "Call Gina back. I take it that was Lucca on the line, too?"

I nod, waiting to hear what he's going to say.

"I'm willing to sit down and talk with Mateo and the others... No challenge, at least not straight away," he says. He looks me dead in the eye. "I'm willing to talk about a truce if the terms work for me and my pack. I won't apologize, and I'm making no promises. But I'm not so sure a fight to the death helps my pack or this baby."

"Oh, Diego," I say, rushing into his arms. This is more than I could have hoped for.

But will Silverstar wolves agree? Will a meeting end in bloodshed, regardless? Can Diego keep his cool if actually faced with his enemy?

This time, Diego stays in the room as I call Gina back. She picks up on the first ring, and I smile, knowing my friend was literally holding the phone, waiting for me to call back.

I outline what Diego told me to say. He's willing to talk, just him. He'll meet Mateo on neutral territory between the two packs, and they can discuss if there's any way forward. There will be no direct challenge at the meeting, even if it goes badly.

"Are you sure about this, Quinn?" Gina asks nervously. "Is it a trap?"

"No, not at all. I'll come, too." I say, and Diego's eyes flare. He obviously wasn't planning on taking me.

"Then I'll go, too," Gina says, and I hear Lucca in the back yell, ”Hell, no!” It makes me smile. I know Gina will definitely be there if it means we can see each other.

We hang up, Gina promising she’ll call back as soon as Lucca has spoken to Mateo.

I hand the phone back to Diego, something playing on my mind. "It's not a trap, is it?"

He chuckles. "You know, I did think about it. But no, it's not. One of the more astute elders who’s lost most of his family once told me I needed to look to the future and find something to look to. I thought he was just getting senile. But you and this baby make me think about the future of the pack, the best thing for the pack. I want to rip Mason’s head off; that's not going to change. But it might not be the best thing for everyone here. We'll see."

I believe him. At least, I believe he wants to try.

Zack arrives later in the afternoon. As he walks into the kitchen, I greet him shyly and am about to make myself scarce when Diego tells me to stay. "This involves you, too, Quinn."

Zack's eyes widen when Diego tells him I'm pregnant, and his face breaks into a grin. He hugs Diego, and I see for the first time what true friends they are. It goes way beyond Zack being Diego’s second or his loyalty to his alpha. They are brothers.

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