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“I know.”
I sit on the edge of the bed. “I went to the hospital. Darian took me.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Darian?”
“Yeah. Turns out he knows a thing or two. Having a pregnant mate before and all.”
“What did he tell you?”
“That I've been destroying my pregnant Lycan mate's nest.”
She stares at me. Then she starts laughing. I close my eyes. “Yeah. He thought it was funny too.” She laughs harder. My Lycan is practically vibrating with satisfaction.
Finally. You’re back to your senses.
“Don't start.”
Well, you didn’t listen when I told you.
“I know.”
Selena wipes at her eyes. “You really went to the hospital?”
I nod. “The doctor explained everything. He gave me books.” I show her. She looks at them, then at me. Her smile softens.
“Thank you, Rylan.”
I set the books aside. “There's something else I need to tell you. I know you’ve been asking me,” I take a deep breath, “about what’s been on my mind.” She looks at me. I take her hand. “It's about Elise.” She tilts her head to the side. Her expression changes. I tell her. About the pregnancy scent. About recognizing it on her. About realizing Elise had been pregnant when she died. About the pup I never knew existed. Selena's eyes fill with tears.
“Rylan…”
“I didn't know.” My voice catches. “I didn't know, Selena.”
She reaches for me. I move closer. “I was so afraid of losing you. You and our pup. I kept thinking about what happened to Elise, and I couldn't stop imagining it happening again.” She holds my hand tighter. “I thought if I could control everything around you, I could keep you safe.” I shake my head. “But I should have talked to you. I should have told you what I was afraid of instead of making decisions for you.”
A tear slips down her cheek. “I didn't know you were carrying that.”
“I know. How could you? I didn’t give you the opportunity. I’m sorry.”
I move closer and wrap my arms around her. She cries for me. For my dead pup. For the right to grieve him or her, that’s been taken from me for years. She cries against me, and I hold her gently like she’s the most precious person in the world… because she is the most precious person in the world to me. I hold her and kiss the top of her head.
For a while, neither of us speaks. We just stay in each other’s arms. Mourning the loss of a life we never knew existed. Who never received the chance to exist, because my brother Ronan and Candice schemed for power to grab my title. Apparently it didn’t stop there… someone hid the fact that Elise was pregnant when she died. I just don’t know who or why… yet. Then Selena pulls back, still sniffling. “Rylan.”
My palm finds her cheek. The mate bond sparks , warm, electric , tingling through my hand like current through copper wire. Her skin is flushed, still damp at the temples from where tears dried. I stroke my thumb across her cheekbone, and her breath hitches.
I kiss her. Gentle. Careful. I press my mouth against hers and she opens for me, her tongue sliding against mine, tasting of sweetness and heat. She makes a sound , half gasp, half moan , and her fingers curl into my shirt, pulling me closer.
"Sel," I breathe against her mouth.
I trail kisses down her jaw. Her neck. The hollow of her throat where her pulse drums fast. She tilts her head back, and I follow the line of her body lower, pressing my lips to her collarbone, the swell of her breast, her ribs. Her stomach. I pause there, resting my forehead against her skin, and her hand threads through my hair.
"Rylan." My name breaks in her mouth.
My thumb finds her clit. She jerks , hips bucking off the nest of pillows. I circle slow, firm, reading the rhythm of her body. My other hand slides up her stomach, over the soft curve, until I reach her breast. I roll her nipple between my thumb and forefinger, tugging gently, and she arches into my palm with a strangled cry.
I kiss lower. Her inner thigh. The crease where leg meets hip. She's trembling now, her fingers tightening in my hair. I drag my tongue along her core, slow, deliberate, and she convulses. Her thighs clamp around my head.
"Fuck ... Rylan ..."
