Page 17 of Bullied Pregnant Mate (Silver Meadows Wolves #7)

Wrapped around Jenks in the dark, I keep my breathing slow and even, stroking his side gently as he drifts off to sleep. I want him to get a proper rest. His mind and body have been stretched to the breaking point tonight.

I can’t imagine how devastating it must be to get news like this.

Finding out about his childhood helped me understand him better, and my heart went out to him after I found out about the pain he’d lived through. I was even more touched that he opened up to me, trusting me with the deepest secrets of his heart.

Now, right when he’s learning how to hold his own in the pack and open up to me, he gets approached by strange wolves claiming to be his family.

I tighten my arms around him, listening to his breathing. When I reach out with a faint trickle of power, I sense that he’s in a deep sleep. I push some positive feelings through his aura, making sure that when his dreams come, they will be pleasant.

He needs rest. His mind, heart, and body are beyond endurance, about to snap. It’s not easy for anyone to change themselves. He doesn’t need more challenges on top of that.

Once I’m sure Jenks is truly under, I allow the more uncomfortable thoughts to surface in my mind. I find it surprisingly easy to shield myself from him, and keep his energy stable and peaceful while my own begins to swirl like a strong current in a twisted river.

The same guys who attacked me are his brother and his father!

The news really can’t get any worse than this. The most obvious answer is that those wolves are lying, just to gain access to his house and hunt witches for Decker. I’d like to believe this, but I sense Jenks’s doubts are real.

He lived in Silverton for a while, and the big attack happened at his house. He knows the reasons they might be working him, and how badly it could go if they are.

With reluctance, I consider the idea that Jenks is making excuses because he wants to believe these two wolves are exactly who they say they are.

It’s a chance to learn about his heritage and make family connections. It could be a vital part of his self-discovery. He might even find out more about his mother, and that could bring him peace.

I snuggle up to him a bit closer, still stroking his back. I can feel how exhausted and overwhelmed he is, and my heart goes out to him all over again.

Bae and the others won’t have any sympathy for Jenks’s long-lost family. They’ll just see them as the enemy.

There’s an excellent chance that Bailey and the top circle would accuse Jenks of being sentimental, too. He has very little experience with patrols, and has never been in a situation like this.

Bae would probably even blame himself for putting someone inexperienced like Jenks in such a vulnerable position.

As I start to drift off, my confused thoughts settle until only one thing remains.

All I can do is trust Jenks—stay by his side and hope he makes the right decision. All he needs is time.

And that’s the one thing we don’t have.

When I wake in the morning, Jenks and I are haphazardly stretched across different sides of the bed, twisted up in the sheets. I reach out with a thread of energy to check on Jenks. He seems content.

His dreams might be lively, but they are happy ones for a change.

Being able to give him a break from his pain so he can rest fills me with joy. I know the only thing I can do to reconcile the bully in my past is to heal the man who lies beside me right now.

I slip out of bed, careful not to wake him. Jenks has made breakfast for me every day since the wedding, so I decide that today, it’s my turn.

He’ll be hungry after last night. He came back exhausted and hurt, and his mental state is about as wrecked as it gets.

After putting on a big pot of coffee, I fry up sausages, bacon, and eggs, making a stack of toast to go with it. I’m humming quietly to myself as I spin around with a spatula, ready to flip an egg onto a plate, when a dark shadow materializes in front of me.

“What the—” I shriek, the egg bouncing on the spatula and splatting on the floor.

“Sorry,” Jenks says, grinning. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

I narrow my eyes, almost glaring at him. It amuses me that this is an active reversal of our usual routine, but I’m also confused.

How did he sneak up on me?

“How long have you been standing there?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Not long. I came down the hall and heard you in here. The only thing I was really thinking about was that I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You were cloaking,” I say, amazed.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a form of magic where you draw a curtain around yourself that hides you physically. It can even cover your aura and thoughts, if you’re good enough. You’re not invisible or incorporeal—like, if someone walks up to you, they’ll still run into you—but it’s a way of going unnoticed.”

“Cool!” he says excitedly, looking at his hands. “Will it work in my wolf shape?”

“It might,” I reply, shrugging. “Really, I have no idea. I’m just surprised you can do it at all.”

“It’s a witch thing, isn’t it? Wolves can’t do it?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Wolves definitely can’t do it.”

“Is it because my mother was part witch?”

“That’s got something to do with it, but I think it’s actually my fault.”

“Oh?”

“I’m sharing my energy with you, and it might have triggered your abilities.”

Jenks looks at his hands for a bit longer as I scoop up the egg from the floor and put it in the garbage, then pour two cups of coffee and put them on the counter.

“You’ll have to be careful, Jenks,” I caution him gently.

“Why?” he asks, taking a sip of coffee.

“You might not want to display witch powers around the other wolves. It’s not common knowledge about your mom, is it?”

“No. But I think Carla knows.”

“Maybe we should have a talk with her. I just don’t want you bringing any extra attention to yourself with everything that’s going on.”

Jenks frowns, and I immediately regret my words, but I also know we have to get back on the subject sooner or later.

“I’m sorry,” I say regretfully. “But we can’t ignore it.”

“I know,” he mutters, moving to the table to sit down. I bring over the plates, and he immediately perks up when I put the big plate in front of him.

“I could get used to this,” he says mischievously. “You’re a good cook!”

“Actually, you got lucky,” I counter, smiling. “I’m usually pretty terrible, but I used a little magic to help me. It’s the only reason most of it isn’t burned.”

“Well, I think it’s amazing,” Jenks says, scooping up a huge piece of sausage. “Thank you.”

There is a deep sincerity to his words, and a look in his eye that tugs at my heart.

No one has ever taken care of him before.

As the thought flits through my head, Jenks looks away and focuses on his food, almost as if he doesn’t want to hear my thoughts.

I have to be really careful now. I’m much stronger than I’ve ever been, and it looks like Jenks is a medium, too.

What are we going to do with another wolf/witch hybrid? What will the rest of the pack say?

“I haven’t thought about my—I mean, the other two wolves,” Jenks says, still staring at his food. “I just can’t make a decision, you know?”

“I know,” I reply. “I want to say you can have all the time you need, but it just isn’t true. The conflict between the packs is pretty serious.”

“Yeah. It is. I just… I believe them, Alisa, and I’m sure it’s not just because I want to. Well… pretty sure.”

And that’s the problem, right there. We can’t be certain.

Jenks looks up at me, and I see dark circles under his eyes. Even though I made sure he had a good, restful sleep, his demons are back in full force now that he’s awake. I can sense the turmoil rising in him as he thinks about everything that has happened in such a short time. He turns his face back down to his food.

He can’t look at me. His thoughts are too disturbed, and we’re so open to each other right now.

Even though I’m very sensitive to the fact that this could be his family—the missing piece of the puzzle for him—there is an icy wave of fear flooding through my bones.

They attacked me. Decker pack is already dangerous for wolves, but it’s downright deadly for witches. They’ll kill us on sight. I got really, really lucky.

It disturbs me that Jenks might be putting this fact aside or pretending it isn’t as bad as it looks when I’m sure those wolves were out to get me.

I trust him. He won’t let anything happen to me, I’m sure of that.

I’m trying to think of anything I can say to break the silence when Jenks’s phone buzzes on the counter. Both of us jump as if we just heard a gunshot.

“Jeez,” I whisper, putting a hand over my chest. “That scared the life out of me.”

“Me too,” he says, getting up to grab it. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“It’s Bae. Fuck.”

No!

Panic clutches my heart. Even if this isn’t about what happened the night before, it’s got to be bad news.

It’s only a matter of time until Bae finds out something is going on.

“What do I do?”

“You have to answer it, Jenks.”

“Fuck,” he grumbles. “Alright, then.”

He taps the screen and puts his phone to his ear. I listen to one side of the conversation, pretty sure that I’m getting the gist of things.

“Okay. Yep. See you soon,” Jenks says, ending the call. When he looks at me, his eyes are wide and glittering, almost afraid. “We have to go in,” he says. “Bae is calling a meeting.”

“Did he say why?”

“No. Just that he wants us all in as soon as possible.”

“Do you think he knows?”

“I don’t know,” Jenks answers miserably. “Either way, it’s going to be absolute hell on me. I still have no idea what I want to do.”

“It’s okay.” I jump up and give him a brief hug. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

He puts his arms around me and squeezes me back, stroking my long hair. “You know, when most people say that, it just sounds like bullshit,” he murmurs. “A platitude that people regurgitate without even knowing what it means. But when you say it, it sounds true. I believe you.”

“That’s because I do mean it, Jenks,” I say, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “We will be okay. I promise.”

He hugs me even tighter, and through the power of his embrace, all I can feel is love.

I just hope I can keep my promise. After all he’s suffered, he deserves happiness and peace in his soul.