“I did,” I answer, trying to stay as calm as possible in front of my rival.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because our mate bond reached out for me, telling me Kaylee was in danger,” I reply.
Marco steps back in shock, hurt crossing his eyes before he masks it.
“That’s a lie. There’s no way your mate bond could be that strong after you rejected her,” he scoffs, and it takes everything in me to suppress a growl. Marco is my superior. Growling at him would end badly for me.
“Whether you believe it or not is your decision,” I snapped, stepping away from the red-headed wolf. “You can ask Kaylee about it, though, and she’ll tell you the same thing.”
I decide that I need to walk away before Marco and I get into a fight. Marco must sense that he’s getting under my skin, and he allows me to walk away without another word. I know he’ll go to Kaylee’s cottage next to confirm things with her, and I’m fine with that.
The mate bond is whole again, and there is nothing Marco can do now—unless Kaylee is the one to reject me this time. I won’t be making the same mistake twice.
Pushing the doors to the training facility open, I feel all eyes turning towards me. I pause inside the doorway, feeling the unease in the air. It seems I left a bad impression the last time I was here.
“Well, well, well, look who came back.”
Turning to the person approaching me, I chuckle when I see Simon coming to my side.
“Kaylee sent me a link. Did the bond really call out to you?” he continues, making me grimace.
“Yeah, it did,” I admit, motioning for Simon to follow me to the changing rooms.
“Well, I am glad to see you’re no longer a pissed-off jackass. Do you need a sparring partner?”
“I do, actually. Care to get your ass whooped?” I banter, and he growls playfully.
“You’re on, Lucas,” Simon agrees before leaving the changing room. I laugh as I throw on my workout clothes and follow him outside. I’m glad Simon isn’t mad at me, considering the person the bond had called dangerous at that moment was his mate.
2
Kaylee
Curled up in bed, hand on my flat stomach, I wonder if I am truly pregnant. Lucas could be lying—but my instinct tells me he wasn’t. He’d been so overprotective and possessive lately.
The worst part is that the bond became whole again as soon as he announced I was with pup. I can feel it even now, humming with new vitality, as if the rejection never happened.
[Hey Kaylee, are you okay?] Simon’s voice rings through my mind, taking me out of my thoughts.
[I...I’m dealing with something,] I answer hesitantly.
[Does it have anything to do with how Lucas behaved?]
I sigh, turning to lie on my back and looking up at my ceiling.
[Unfortunately, it does.] I then apologize to Simon about how Lucas behaved with his mate, Evette, and explain that the bond threw out a danger warning that set Lucas off. Simon is silent for a moment.
[Something happened between the two of you for it to warn him of danger when there wasn’t any,] he speculates, his tone filled with curiosity.
[Something did happen, but I don’t want to talk about it,] I admit. My left hand moved to rest on my stomach.
[Well, let me know if you need someone to talk to. Evette and I are here for you.] His voice is full of love and reassurance, and I close my eyes. Times like this remind me how nice it is to be in the same pack as Simon again.
[I will, Simon. Thank you.] I close the link before Simon can respond, needing more time alone to think. I know Simon means well and is worried about me, but my decision doesn’t involve him.
It’s been just over three hours since Lucas gave me the news—three hours since learning that my forced heat caused a pregnancy. I can’t help but wonder if I should include Lucas in my decision. The pup is ours—half him and half me. I feel like I can’t decide alone, even if he did say the choice is up to me.
