The Wolf’s Pregnant Rejected Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #2)

Chapter 23 - Tess

Denzel gurgled nearby, laying on his blanket while he kicked his feet into the air. Tess smiled at him, absently stroking her belly. She wasn’t showing yet—she wasn’t even sure how far along she was—but she still imagined she could feel the little life inside her. It wouldn’t be recognizable as a baby yet, but she felt connected to it when she realized she was pregnant.

A binder lay on her lap. It was filled with transcribed notes from ancient texts that the special ops team had discovered a few years earlier. There was always more to learn about the demons.

Unfortunately, Tess wasn’t reading very quickly. Her stomach sloshed uncomfortably, that strange feeling of being desperately hungry and like she was going to throw up all at once.

“Are you okay?” Mica asked. “You look a little green.”

“It’s the morning sickness,” Tess said. “I couldn’t keep anything down this morning.”

It had been the morning sickness that tipped her off. She wouldn’t have thought much about skipping her period these last two months. But she didn’t get sick. She’d never even caught a cold before. So the nausea and throwing up had caught her off-guard.

Elin got to her feet. “I’ll go grab some soda crackers from the kitchen. Hopefully, it will help soothe your stomach.”

“Thanks,” Tess said awkwardly.

Elin smiled and hurried from the room.

Mica watched her go, then scooted her chair closer to Tess. “How are you doing? Emotionally, I mean. I know that you’ve been going through a lot.”

“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Tess answered. Her shoulders slumped as she ran her fingers over the pages in the binder. “I think I’m starting to accept what’s happening. I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do with everything. I made a list of the things I need. It’s a start, right? The thing I’m most worried about is when my parents find out. I’m not looking forward to that.”

Mica nodded her sympathy. “If you need Hayden or Ryder to be the ones to tell them and to enforce a barrier between you, I can talk to them. Or you can. If you’re comfortable with that.”

“I need to be comfortable talking to Ryder since this is our baby. I’m just trying to give him some space, you know?” Tess winced. She was giving herself space, too. Honestly, the idea of being a single mom terrified her. Even though she knew Ryder would step up as the father.

“Elin seems more eager to help than usual,” Mica said.

Tess wrinkled her nose. “Um… yeah. She’s been very attentive and helpful. I haven’t done any cleaning in the house since I told her. And she’s been hovering over me with anything she thinks will help me feel better. It’s sweet, really. And I am glad she’s around.”

Mica gave her a knowing smile. “But?”

Tess smiled gratefully at her friend. Mica knew her well. “But it’s a strange place to be in. I’m still holding a grudge—I know, you told me to let it go. But I’m still holding that grudge. While at the same time, I am grateful for her. I don’t know how I could do this alone.”

“You’re not alone.” Mica took her hand and squeezed lightly. “You have all of us. You have Mom and Ryder, too. We’ll all band together to help you with the baby. Never think you’re alone, Tess. You’re a part of our family, and we’ll make sure that you’re taken care of.”

Tess blinked back tears. Part of her wondered what she’d done to deserve such a support network. Growing up, this was the sort of family she’d always wanted. Someone, it had become real. Not the way she’d expected, but Mica was as much of a sister and Echo as much of a mother as she’d ever wanted.

She didn’t need to be mated to Ryder for his family.

No. Now, her reasons for wanting to be with him were completely different from when she was five years old.

Elin came back into the room with a tray of crackers, a handful of apple slices, and a fresh jug of water.

Tess smiled at her. She’d apologized to Elin for thinking she had blabbed about her and Ryder being together. Elin had been frank and told her she didn’t blame her. They were in a strange place in their relationship. Out of all the women in the pack, they were the two who Monroe had publicly declared his intentions of taking as his mate. It gave them a strange bond that Tess didn’t know what to do with.

The door opened once more. Hayden entered, followed by Ryder. His eyes met Tess’s, and her wolf snarled, demanding she throw herself into his arms. Tess nearly got to her feet. She kept her eyes on Ryder, and his remained on hers as well. It wasn’t until Hayden cleared his throat that they broke eye contact.

“Elin, please give us a moment,” Ryder said stiffly.

Elin started to stand, but Hayden lifted his hand. “Stay. You’re going to be a part of this, too.”

Part of what? Tess shared a quizzical look with Mica. Hayden went over to Denzel and picked him up. The baby kicked and cooed excitedly, a massive smile on his face. Tess imagined a chubby-faced baby with Ryder’s dark blue eyes smiling at him as he rocked back and forth. Her heart squeezed.

“Ryder is going to infiltrate the demons’ camp,” Hayden said, looking up from the baby. “It’s a risk that he’s agreed to take on. But for this to be convincing, we will need all three of you.”

Ice washed through Tess’s veins. She opened her mouth to protest. Mica squeezed her hand, and she stayed quiet.

“I’m calling a pack meeting tonight to discuss the situation with the demons,” Hayden said. “At this meeting, Elin will reveal to the entire pack that Tess is pregnant with Ryder’s baby.”

Shock rippled through her. “But that’s not… my parents will be there! I don’t want them to find out like that. I don’t want them to find out at all.”

“I know,” Hayden said, his tone surprisingly gentle. “And I’m sorry you won’t have more control of the situation. You must remember that this is for the good of the pack.”

How? Tess held back further protests. He’d explain soon enough.

“Once the pregnancy is revealed, Ryder will ask Tess to be his mate so they might raise their baby together,” Hayden continued. His voice grew firmer as he spoke.

A ball of dread hit Tess. It made her clutch at her stomach, feeling like she was about to vomit. They weren’t going to put her in a position where she had to take him as a mate, even though she’d already told him no?

Her heartbeat quickened. No, that wasn’t it. It was even worse. She started to shake her head. Ryder glowered at the floor. Why wasn’t he speaking up? He couldn’t think this was a good idea, could he? He wouldn’t want to do this!

“Tess will then reject Ryder. She’ll refuse to take him as her mate,” Hayden continued. “Ryder will then demand that I force him to mate her. Mica will intervene and use her authority as Luna to refuse to allow any sort of forced mating. Ryder will insist that I decree it. When I refuse, he will challenge me to the right of Alpha.”

Elin’s eyes were wide. Both of her hands were pressed over her mouth. “But… but why?”

Tess was grateful she’d gotten the words out. Why? It was a mad plan!

With a sigh, Ryder picked up where Hayden left off. “I need to be ejected from the pack in disgrace. Hayden will accept the fight right there, and I’ll be defeated. It will be very public. We know that some packmates are working with the demons, and they’ll hear what happened. Which means they’ll also know when I flee to the mountains.”

This was insane. Tess squeaked but couldn’t get any words out.

Ryder refused to look at her.

“Once Ryder has fled the town, he’ll find the demons. Since they’ll know what happened, he’ll be able to convince them that he’s willing to make a deal with them. That he’ll side with them in exchange for the ability to bring me down and soothe his injured pride,” Hayden finished. He carefully handed Denzel to Mica. “It will put him in the position where he can find out more information about them, including what they ultimately want from Bluebell Valley.”

“But what if they don’t believe it?” Mica asked, rocking Denzel. “What if they just kill him?”

“It’s a risk I have to take,” Ryder answered.

Mica shook her head. “They’ll never believe you would turn against Hayden and the pack.”

“They will if we make it convincing enough.”

Tess got to her feet. The cracker still in her hand slipped to the floor, which cracked in two. “You’re forgetting something important in your plan.”

Hayden arched an eyebrow at her. “What’s that?”

“Me! Your plan hinges on me making a public spectacle of myself. Of rejecting Ryder and humiliating him in front of the whole pack. I won’t do it. I won’t let Ryder risk his life like this. It’s not happening. Find another way. I won’t!” Tess’s voice rose with every word. She stamped her foot on the ground like a child.

The emotion swirling through her was just too strong to contain. How could they ask her to do this?

Ryder met her gaze again. His expression was hard and cold. “Why not? You’ve made it clear that you don’t want me as your mate, Tess. You can’t stop me from protecting this pack. You have no claim over me.”

Tess flinched back from his words. They cut deeply, each one like a knife. But he was right. She had no right to dictate what he did. So what could she do? Desperation swept through her. She had to stop it… but how?

“Ryder—”

“There’s no discussion here,” he said, cold as ice. “You’ll reject me at the meeting tonight.”