Page 19 of Forbidden Pregnant Mate

***

The moon was full, and a summer breeze whipped my hair around my head as I stared out into the woods. The scents of the forest beyond were enticing and made my wolf stir restlessly inside me.

It was close to two in the morning. The Silver Wolves, including my father, had left ages ago to start preparing for the mission. Right now, it was just me, Freya, and Klyte alone in the house.

Well, Klyte and Freya were in the house. I was outside on the balcony, letting the warm night air caress my skin. I’d tried going to sleep earlier in the evening, but I had only tossed and turned for hours until finally giving up and coming out here to clear my head.

Except, clearing my head wasn’t going as well as it should have been. Everything was a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions that I couldn’t fully process. I groaned and leaned forward against the wooden railing.

The door behind me opened, and warm light from inside the house spilled onto the balcony. I didn’t need that delicious scent of sandalwood and leather to tell me who had just come out to join me.

“What the hell are you doing out here alone at night?” Klyte growled.

I turned to see him standing in the doorway, his silhouette outlined in the light behind him. He was shirtless and in loose shorts. His hair was messy with sleep, but his forest green eyes were alert with frustration and smoldered with something I couldn’t quite place.

My eyes moved to his chest, and I could feel my wolf twitch with interest and excitement. His body was even better than I’d imagined, all angular muscle that rippled under his tan skin. His arms were folded, making his biceps look even larger. It was impossible for me not to imagine what it would feel like to be wrapped up in them.

My breath caught in my chest, and it took me a minute to remember how to speak or the fact that I was still angry with him.

“Nothing,” I said, pushing myself off the balcony. “Am I not allowed to have insomnia and come out here to think?”

“Not when you have a psychotic shifter after you,” he growled, stalking forward. “You saw what he did to Freya.”

“Of course I saw what he did to Freya,” I hissed, not backing down.

Klyte approached until he was within a foot of me, irritation radiating off him in waves. “Then why would you risk your life by coming out here alone?”

“It’s not like he’s here yet or anything.”

“For all you know, he might be,” Klyte said, eyes narrowed. “How the fuck am I supposed to protect you if you do shit like this?”

I gave a harsh, biting laugh that echoed through the night. “Don’t pretend you give a shit about my well-being.” I knew I should keep my voice down to avoid waking Freya, but in my anger and anxiety over the entire situation, I couldn’t help it. “Not when you’ve hated me since we were kids. Be honest—you’re only doing this because you want to make my father happy.”

Klyte’s mouth fell open. His arms uncrossed and flopped to his sides as he looked at me with slack-jawed disbelief, and…was that hurt in his eyes? The look on his face was enough to stop my tirade mid-speech, and I hesitated.

“What?” I managed to croak out.

“You really think I hate you?” he asked.

I’d never seen him look this vulnerable. Something about it struck something I’d never even realized I had. My heart stuttered slightly at the sight.

I snorted, but it didn’t come out as derisive as I’d hoped. “What else would I think?”

He licked his lips, looking off to the side. He looked torn, as if he was having a massive internal debate.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You are the most frustrating, densest person I have ever met,” he growled.

Chapter 9 - Klyte

“Excuse me?” Jenn spat.

I stared back at her. She’d always been gorgeous, and it was impossible for me not to think about how stunning she was when she was angry. I was fairly certain it was the reason I’d antagonized her so much when we were younger.

My own irritation had ebbed. I was still annoyed with her for putting herself at risk, but it was impossible to stay mad at her for long, especially when she was accusing me of hating her. And there were deeper emotions behind the anger and frustration on her face that had been there since I’d first offered to watch after her and Freya: worry and pain. Looking down at her, I could sense my wolf whimpering inside, wanting to brush up against her and comfort her, to entwine our scents.

“You want the truth?” I asked.

---