Page 43 of Forbidden Pregnant Mate

“Sort of a do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do type of situation,” I said. I reached out and took her hands, halting her mid-stitch. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

She paused, and something like worry or hesitation flared up in her hazel eyes. God, you could drown in those eyes.

“I love you,” I said. And now that the words were out, it felt so good. Like a stone had been lifted from my stomach. “I should have told you ages ago. I love you, and I love our cub. I can’t wait to raise them with you. I want you as my mate.”

Jenn’s own face broke into a smile, and she reached up and pulled my mouth to hers.

“I love you, too,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. And I’d love to be your mate.”

Giddy excitement slammed into me. Internally, my wolf howled triumphantly. I wanted to scoop her up and take her to the bedroom right that minute. But then I looked down, finally remembering my wounds, and figured that probably wasn’t the best idea.

“What about your father?” I asked.

Jenn didn’t hesitate. “We’ll tell him,” she said. “I mean, we have to because of the cub. He’ll either accept it or he won’t. And if he won’t, then we’ll go at it alone.” Her eyes were full of fiery stubbornness. “I’m not giving you up. Not for him. Not for anyone.”

Something about those words made me smile like an idiot.

“But for now, let’s get you sewn up before you bleed all over Dad’s couch.” Her lips quirked upward. “I’d rather not give him more reasons to get mad.”

I hadn’t even had the chance to shower by the time Jameson and the rest came running back to the house. When they came in, I was still caked in dried blood and dirt, looking even more battered than I felt.

“Hey,” I said to my alpha. “You can be pissed off all you want for me running off, but only if I get to say I was right.”

“I’m still pissed you disobeyed orders,” Jameson said, and the coldness in his voice told me he meant it. “But I get why you did it. And based on the dead body in the living room, yes, I would say you were right. But if I hear one ‘I told you so’—”

“Hearing I’m right is vindication enough,” I said. “So, what happened with the other shifters?”

“When we got to the camp, about half of them ran off,” Jameson said. “We killed two of the others and captured the rest. They told us Isaac wasn’t there, at which point I realized he’d managed to track down Jenn and Freya. So we hurried back here.”

Behind Jameson, the other wolves had varying injuries. Luke had a cut above his left eye, and Sam had a bite mark on his shoulder. But that was it. Clearly, I’d gotten the worst of it.

But those thoughts left my mind as I saw the shifter at the back of the group. Malcolm was sniffing the air, confusion etched on his face. Then his eyes widened in shock, and his gaze locked on Jenn, who was now half hiding behind me.

“Jenn?” He pushed forward. Jameson took a big step back, clearly knowing what was about to happen.

“Hey, Dad,” Jenn said hesitantly. “Good to see you.”

“You’re…” He glanced at her stomach. Behind him, all the shifters but Jameson looked dumbfounded. Oliver exchanged looks with Sam while Luke glanced over at Jameson, who remained stoic. Then Malcolm’s gaze darted between me and Jenn, and his eyes widened with comprehension.

“Yeah,” she said, stepping forward to stand next to me. “Surprise?”

“That’s one way to put it,” Malcolm said. He glanced over at me. “I suppose there’s really only one option for the father.”

I nodded. Malcolm nodded back, his expression unreadable. I waited with bated breath for him to try to tear my throat out for daring to touch his daughter.

Then Malcolm’s face contorted into the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “Well, then,” he said. “I guess we’ll have to get some baby clothes.”

Jenn and I exchanged bemused glances. “You’re not mad?” she asked her father.

“How could I be mad? I’m going to be a grandfather.” He laughed. “This is great. I’ve been wanting a grandkid to spoil for years.”

He came forward and enveloped Jenn in a great bear hug. She returned it, more than slightly taken aback. After a long moment of embracing his daughter, he turned to me and crushed me in another hug.

“You told him to stay away,” Jenn said as Malcolm stepped back.

“Yes, I did.” Malcolm sighed, running his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair as he looked at the two of us. “And I might have gone about it the wrong way. Jenn, I was trying to keep you away from all this.” He gestured behind him at the Silver Wolves. “I wanted you to be able to live a normal life. I didn’t want you to go into the black ops or have anything to do with it. I knew what Klyte would be doing, and I didn’t want you hurt. So, I told him to stay away, which, I guess, failed miserably.” He smiled at me. “Truth be told, I regretted it for a while. I realized I wanted the best for Jenn, and I couldn’t think of anyone better for her than Klyte. I’ve never been happier to be disobeyed.”

“That’s good,” I said, taking Jenn’s hand and squeezing it. “Because she’s going to be my mate.”

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