Alpha's Pregnant Mate

10 - Big Bad Wolf

Lila woke up feeling confused and alone on the couch. It took her a moment to understand what had happened and how she ended up there. The first reminder was the soreness she felt in her muscles, the beautiful aching pressure between her legs. She had no idea what had gotten into her to let it go this far. Did she regret it, though? Not even a little bit. It was worth it. Even though she woke up alone, she felt a smile on her lips. It was like she found something she didn’t know she was looking for.

Ethan had left her a note on the coffee table next to the couch. He told her he’d be back in the evening and that she shouldn’t leave. He had prepared wood in the fireplace for her to light if she got cold. She loved that he did. It was nothing, yet it felt like a lot. A simple gesture that let her know he cared about her well-being. Should that freak her out? Probably. He was, after all, something else. Half man. Half wolf. He was different. That much was for sure. But she didn’t fear him. She wasn’t afraid he would harm her, so she waited for him to come back home.

To pass the time, she made the bed, cleaned the kitchen, and rearranged the furniture so that the couch was sitting in front of the fireplace, not next to it. It didn’t make sense to her that way. After making herself a cup of tea - Ethan only seemed to have various sorts of tea, but no coffee - she made herself comfortable on the couch and started reading one of the books she found lying around the cabin.

She was surprised by his small book collection. To be honest, she didn’t expect any books around there, but Ethan seemed to be the type - despite his very manly and outdoorsy appearance - to read classics. She picked "To Kill a Mockingbird". She had read it once in school, but she couldn’t remember whether she liked it or not.

Her heart started pounding faster before she could hear the truck pulling up to the cabin, announcing his return. Should she play it cool? She probably should, but her legs had different plans as they jumped up from the couch and hurried to the door.

He just unloaded a backpack and a couple of paper bags when she carefully set foot on the small veranda, watching him curiously. He looked good in his black jeans and that black and red woolen jacket he was wearing. He looked like one of those men cutting down trees somewhere, the kind who make it into a tree-cutter calendar. Ethan should decorate each month of the year, shirtless.

“Hello,” she awkwardly lifted her hand to wave at him. She had no idea how to act. Should she kiss him? She kinda wanted to. Should she tell him thank you for last night and leave? No. She didn’t want to go. He told her to stay, and she did. She still had a million questions, and he needed to answer them.

Ethan stepped closer and set down the paper bags at the foot of the stairs. He was at eye level with her that way. “Hi,” she tried again. He just lifted his hand and brushed her hair out of the way, running his fingers down the length of her neck.

Last night did leave its mark. A pair of fingers left a bluish bruise on her neck, and by the way, Ethan’s eyes darkened, he didn’t appreciate the sight of it.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she nodded, “I’ve had worse.”

“Not anymore,” he growled under his breath as she leaned into his touch.

“You can’t make such promises,” she sighed, “I don’t even know you!”

“Yet you are here,” his fingers pushed into her hair, pulling her close. He craved her kiss. He had all day long. A simple touch, her scent, her smile. He had missed her, and it made it very hard for him to concentrate on his tasks.

Her tongue licked his lower lip, asking for more, and he gladly gave it to her. Kissing her deeply, exploring her mouth, fighting for dominance. He could feel his grip loosening around the bag he was still holding in his free hand. He heard it drop to the floor, pulling him back into reality.

“We need to talk!” he breathed against her lips, his hand still holding her in place.

“Now?”

A low growl rumbled through his chest.

“Does that mean you’re happy or mad?” she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“It means I want you!” His thumb brushed over her lower lip. “But we need to talk!”

She sighed but nodded in agreement. “Can I get that?” She pointed at one of the bags on the floor.

“I got it." He gestured for her to go back inside, and she did. All of a sudden, she felt awfully nervous. It was easier to just waste their time kissing, getting naked, and spending the rest of the day wrapped up in each other. On the other hand, she needed to know what was going on. Where did he go all day? How is it possible to turn into a wolf, and why did she feel like she was falling in love with him for no apparent reason other than that he's hot and kind?

He made her a fire.

He gave her a place to sleep.

He saved her life.

“What do you know about Stockholm Syndrome?” she asked before she could stop herself. His brows raised at her question.

“I am not holding you hostage!”

“No, but you aren't exactly... well, you are dangerous, right? So technically... I... why am I here?”

“Because you want to be,” he stated and started unpacking the bags filled with food and all kinds of stuff she had no idea someone could get around here. She thought the next town was hours away. Then again, he was gone for most of the day. To go shopping?

“I didn't force you to stay, did I? I haven't hurt you. What you're experiencing has nothing to do with Stockholm. It's something else!”

“What is it? Magic?” she added the last word in a whisper.

“Yes and no,” he stopped what he was doing and faced her. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Harder than, ‘Hey, I can turn into a wolf’?”

“Yes,” he said, but a small smile formed on his lips, “which doesn’t seem to bother you as much as it probably should.”

“I know,” she shook her head and started helping to unpack the bags he brought, “why is that?”

“Because we share a bond,” he explained, “I believe you would call it soulmates. You can take that quite literally. It’s something that is sacred in our society, especially for wolves like me.”

Soulmates? Was he serious?

“In case you didn’t catch on to it by now, there are more wolves out here. I am leading the West Lake Pack. Jake is part of the Southern Pack and no, we do not necessarily get along. Running into him might cause more trouble than I wanted.”

“You say that like I should have known better,” she pouted and shook her head. “You cannot expect that of me! I don’t understand half of what you’re saying. The only thing... the only thing that seems to make sense is that I must have lost my mind!”

“You haven’t!” He took the apple she had been rolling between her hands from her, without breaking eye contact. “My world is very different from yours, Lila! I have responsibilities, and I have people I have to answer to. There are rules, and you are my mate.”

“Is that short for soulmate or is it just some s****l, kinky breeding term?”

He frowned at her.

“If so, I hate to break it to you, but I am still pregnant! I can’t change that, and I won’t!”

“I am not asking you to!”

“Then... what are you asking me?”

“I am answering your questions,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Someone, somewhere decided that you and I should meet. You can feel it, can’t you? I know it is different for you than it is for me, but you cannot deny that you feel drawn to me.”

He wasn’t wrong. That much was for sure. She could feel his presence before she even heard his truck. She wasn’t afraid of him despite the odds. She could definitely feel something was different about him. Something that made her want to be close to him. Miss him while he was gone.

“So, you are... what? A king?”

He chuckled at her attempt to explain his position.

“Don’t laugh at me. I don’t know these things!”

“I am an alpha,” he explained, and she nodded as if that made more sense. She had heard that term before. “In my world, the alpha is blessed with a mate. Sometimes it takes a while to find each other. Sometimes it’s a fast process. For me, it’s been slow, and until I met you, I didn’t mind that. A wolf is not made to lead his pack alone. The council—”

“Woah, what? No! I am not even... I’m not like you, Ethan!”

“Not yet.”

“Excuse me?” She took a step back. “What do you mean, not yet? And you have a council?” Her head started to throb.

“The council expects me to present my mate the next time they’ll get here to check on my pack. The only problem is that human mates are rare. We don’t really mingle with your kind for lots of reasons.”

“Mingle? Maybe you shouldn’t then,” she shook her head and stepped away from him, needing to create a little distance between them. He wasn't willing to give her that distance and trapped her between his arms and the table behind her.

“Do not back away from me!” he said low, his voice filled with a warning, “I am not your enemy!”

“No,” she whispered, “you’re just a big, bad wolf!”

AN// I am not sure if you guys can see my notes, so I thought I try it this way this time. Thank you for reading "Alpha's Pregnant Mate" and thank you for leaving such nice comments. I highly appreciate it and I hope you'll stick around. Leaving comments, a moon ticket, or sharing the book with your friends would mean the world to me.

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