Page 3 of Forbidden Pregnant Mate

“And miss out on whatever happens next here?” I asked. “Nah. The moment I leave is gonna be the moment something way more interesting happens. And I’ll be damned if I miss it to go camp in the woods for a few weeks.”

“Suit yourself,” Evelyn said. “Though I’m taking a break for a bit, anyway. There isn’t much action, and it’s nice to be in town for more than a handful of days.”

Glancing over at Oliver, I could read on his face that he was rather happy that Evelyn was staying in town, too. Not that I was exactly surprised. Oliver and Evelyn were smitten with each other.

“Trust me,” I said. “It’s nice for us, too. I don’t think you know how mopey and pining Oliver gets when you’re not around.”

“I do not,” Oliver said.

“Agree to disagree,” I said cheerfully. “Anyway, it’s always nice to see you around for more than five minutes, Evelyn. I’m glad you’re sticking around for a bit.”

I strolled out of the kitchen, walking over to talk to Alek and kill time until Malcolm decided to share his announcement.

Except it turned out, I didn’t have to wait for him to announce anything to figure out the surprise.

As I leaned against the wall, chatting with Alek, footsteps came down the stairs to my right. I knew who it was before I saw them. That intoxicating and familiar scent of pine and mint hit me like a speeding truck. I hadn’t caught that scent in years, not since before I’d joined the Silver Wolves.

I spun around on my heels, fully aware that I probably looked like an idiot, considering my jaw was dangling close to the floor.

A stunning woman about my age stopped as she rounded the staircase. Her large hazel eyes locked onto me, and her entire body froze. She had grown out her blond hair, which fell in gentle waves to her shoulder blades. Her face had lost that final bit of teenage fat and was now soft angles. Her full lips parted slightly in surprise as she took me in, and I could see a familiar fire burning behind her eyes.

I finally managed to find my voice. “Hey, Jenn,” I said.

Chapter 2 - Jenn

Shit. I’d forgotten about Klyte.

After years of carefully avoiding him, of only visiting my dad when I knew Klyte wouldn’t be there, I’d screwed up and here he was. With everything going on, I’d completely forgotten that when Dad decided to move, he had chosen Brixton partly because it was close to his old crew. Which included Klyte.

I looked Klyte up and down. I remembered him as a gangly but still muscular kid with a cocky smirk and glasses. Well, the glasses were gone, and he’d grown into his body so the muscles looked more natural on his long frame. His sandy hair stuck up all over the place, but it suited his lean face and dark green eyes. He still held himself with that almost cocky swagger, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from raking all over him or keep my body from jerking with longing. God, he was hot.

Based on the dumbfounded expression he was currently giving me, I had to guess Dad hadn’t told him I would be here.

“Hey, Jenn,” he said.

“Hey, yourself,” I said. I glanced at all the other shifters, who were currently looking at the two of us with varying stages of bemusement. “So you’re the guests Dad said were coming.” I cut a glare at Dad, who was leaning by the kitchen doorframe, looking rather amused. “You could have given more details than ‘a few old friends,’ you know,” I said to him.

“And where’s the fun in that?” Dad said cheerily. “Let’s see, you know Klyte already, but I don’t know if you’ve met any of the others.” He pointed at each of them, rattling off names as he went. “And you already know Klyte.”

Of course I knew Klyte. How could I not know Dad’s protégé? The kid he’d trained since he could shift and more or less taken in? The teenager I’d spent half my life arguing with and the other half avoiding?

What was worse was that I could feel my wolf pacing back and forth inside me, excited as she smelled his scent of sandalwood and leather.

“I didn’t realize Malcolm had a kid,” one of them—Alek, I think—said. “Let alone a daughter.”

“It’s because I do my best to keep her away from guys like you,” Dad growled, only slightly joking. “She’s visiting for a while.”

“How long?” Klyte asked. He was staring intently at me, as if he had seen a ghost. Something about that intense scrutiny sent electricity through my body—a not unpleasant sensation. I did my best not to think too hard about that.

“She won’t tell me,” Malcolm said, chuckling. “So if you can get it out of her, let me know.”

“She won’t—” Klyte began, then looked at me inquiringly, head cocked to one side. I shot him a glare. The inquiring look changed to something more like familiar amusement. “Well, she always was the secretive sort.”

“You’re one to talk,” I shot back instinctively. “I still remember the time you had to sneak that one girl out of the training barracks when Dad came in.”

A spark of wicked delight flashed behind Klyte’s eyes, and his lips curled upward. Something about that playful smirk made the electricity inside me crackle and intensify.

“Well,” Klyte said, “if we’re going to play that game, then there are a lot of things I could recall right now, but I don’t thinkyour dad would like hearing them. Wasn’t there that time when—”

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