Page 36 of Rejected Pregnant Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #2)

I knew I was fully back in control of myself when I resisted the urge to throw Nayeli over my shoulder and run with her until we were far away from that dark house.

Somehow my mate had ended up in the place she wanted to avoid more than any other place on the planet, and she was still being so damn brave.

I didn't know what she'd seen when she was in the dream state before I found her, but it had shaken her to her core. Despite that, Nayeli still stood tall, ready to banish whatever horrible thing had been haunting her and fucking up her magic for years.

Jayce and Joe watched her every move, and I could tell neither trusted her. At least not fully. I didn't blame them, but I also didn't care. I trusted Nayeli, and I knew I'd never let anything happen to her.

"Do you need any supplies?" I asked her, and Nayeli shook her head.

"No. There isn't really a spell for this. I will just draw the dark energy out of the soil and banish it."

"Where? Into the air?" Jayce scoffed. "Won't that just spread it further?"

"No," Nayeli said patiently. "The darkness is strong enough to linger here but not strong enough to survive on its own for long. It's feeding off the leftover negative energy in the house, the grief that I left behind. Once it's gone, the darkness will dissipate on its own."

"And you can do that?" Joe asked, eyebrows raised. He was looking at her in a different way now, more interested than suspicious.

She nodded. "I know I can. I just might be weak afterward." She turned to look at me, a soft smile on her tired face. "But Scott is fine with carrying me. He's proven that a few times already."

The idea of her banishing the darkness and draining herself to the point of fainting didn't sit well with me. Hell, it pissed me off. "No. That's not going to work."

She frowned. "We can't just leave it like this."

"I felt you pull on our bond for some of my strength earlier. This time, let me be your anchor. You're not doing this by yourself."

"You're sure?" she asked, a tremor in her voice. I nodded.

"Absolutely."

With that, we went to the center of the living room, Nayeli's hands in mine while the other two Alphas bore witness.

I wanted to get her out of that house so damned bad.

There were memories of her old life in every corner, from the dusty furniture to coupons still attached to the fridge with magnets.

The darkness was tangible, but beneath it, I could also sense the warmth of good memories.

Maybe once this was done, Nayeli could return here and reminisce without it shattering her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her magic glowing around us. She pulled more of my strength, and I felt my wolf's excitement at being so close to her again.

"Ready?" She whispered. I nodded, and she began pulling on the threads of darkness that had made their home here.

It was slow going. For every thread she drew from the land, more seemed to pop up in its place. But I could tell she was getting tired, and my wolf was itching to help her somehow. Finally, I let him take a bit of control, and his strength and determination flowed through me.

"Stay with me," I whispered to Nayeli, "I'm here. You've got this."

She nodded, but her face was scrunched with the effort she was exerting. Just as sweat began to break out on her forehead, the darkness struck at us like a gust of cold air blowing through the room. Nayeli made a soft, determined sound, and I could see her grit her teeth.

"You're stronger than this," I promised her. "Keep going."

The threads of darkness grew weaker as she drew them out, and it wasn't long before they started fading on their own.

I knew she could sense the difference too, because she started drawing less of my energy to make up for her waning magic.

The living room was glowing with Nayeli's magic, and the air around us felt cleaner. Lighter.

Finally, there was a final snap, almost like a rubber band breaking, and then everything went still.

Nayeli collapsed against me, her hands trembling in mine. "It's gone," she sighed. "The darkness is gone."

"You did it." I smiled down at her, holding her close. "You really did it."

Jayce cleared his throat. "I can tell." He looked around, nodding slowly. "I can't sense it anymore."

"It should be safe to come back here now," Nayeli said quietly, looking around the room.

There was something strange in her expression, and I wondered if she was seeing the house through different eyes now.

It had been a long time since she'd set foot in here.

I remembered what she'd told me about it before, how much it had hurt her to see it after her parents' death, and I wondered if it still hurt.

If anything, she looked wistful now, like she wanted to go back to an earlier time.

Nayeli must have felt my emotions, because she looked up at me and gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, Scott," she said. "Really."

"Are you sure?" I asked, taking her hand. "We could leave, if you want. Or stay a while longer."

She shook her head. "No, I don't need to stay longer." She looked around again and let out a breath. "I thought this would be harder. The darkness is gone, and it feels...better. Cleaner, in here. Like it's a new house. I can't believe I avoided this place for so long."

I nodded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Good." She was still standing on her two feet, but I could tell she was exhausted. "Let's get you home, mate. It's been a long fucking night."

We left the house, the other Alphas behind us, and I was relieved that Nayeli didn't look back. There'd be time to deal with her emotions regarding the house, but for the night, I just wanted to rest and to hold her close.

We'd come on four legs, but I didn't want to force Nayeli to shift after such an exhausting spell, so I'd called Samson while the other two Alphas ran back to their territories in wolf form. Samson arrived quicker than I expected, and he looked worried as I helped her into the car.

"Nayeli, what the hell happened?" He demanded, his voice sharp.

She shook her head, leaning against my shoulder as I slid in beside her. "It's okay, Sam. I'll explain later. I just want to go home."

I'd expected Samson to insist on an explanation then and there, but instead he looked between the two of us and frowned. "Alright. Later." He glanced at the house, and the frown faded after a second. "It looks exactly the same as when we were kids."

"Yeah," Nayeli sighed, leaning her head on me. "It does, doesn't it?"

***

The next few days passed in a blur. The fight against the darkness had drained Nayeli more than we had anticipated, even with me acting as an anchor. She slept almost an entire day afterward, and even after she woke up, it was a while before she felt up to leaving the house.

Kiera checked in on her frequently, bringing food and water and fussing over her like a mother hen.

I was relieved that she had someone with magical experience to talk to, and when we finally told Samson and Kiera about the pregnancy, they were over the moon.

Well, for Nayeli, at least. I wasn't sure if Samson could ever be happy for me about anything.

Kiera promised to be there for both of us, whatever we needed, and I could see that Nayeli was touched by her excitement.

Once I was sure that my wife had recovered, it was time to deal with pack politics.

Everything that had happened with Jayce, his wolf Aaron, and Nayeli made it clear that we couldn't just wait around and hope that things would work out on their own.

Apparently, the Blacktide pack wasn't going anywhere, so me, Samson, and Joe had to figure out the next steps.

We hadn't heard much from Jayce after that night, but when we called an alliance meeting and requested that he attend, he did so without complaint. He was wary as he walked into my cafe, but he stood tall and kept his chin up, refusing to give an inch.

"Thank you for coming," Joe said politely, motioning for him to sit down.

Jayce hesitated for a second before sitting across from the three of us.

I noticed he kept eyeing me, but I only gave him a smirk in response.

The three of us had already decided how to move forward with Jayce's pack, and now we just had to make sure he was on the same page.

"Your pack has been settled here for months, and until recently, you haven't caused any trouble," Samson began. "But the incident with my cousin and your wolf has changed things."

Jayce tensed at that, his eyes narrowing. "It was an accident, and it's already been resolved. It wasn't Nayeli's fault, but that doesn't mean it was Aaron's, either," he bit out. "What more do you want?"

Joe held up a hand, shaking his head. "That's not what this meeting is about.

That incident is settled, but it showed us that trouble within our territories can bleed out and affect everyone.

We can't just have your unaffiliated pack right on our borders when clear, open communication is so key to our success. "

Jayce leaned forward, and there was something like hope on his face. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"A trial period," I said, pushing a stack of papers and a pen towards the newer Alpha. "For one year, you and your pack will be a temporary addition to the tri-pack alliance of Crystal Creek. If the arrangement works for all of us, then we'll formalize it."

"What if it doesn't work?" Jayce asked.

"Then we reassess, or eliminate you." I shrugged when Jayce bristled. "But I think we should all give it a chance."

"If you join us," Joe said, "it means sharing some information. You'll be included in our meetings, you'll have to make reports. There's no hiding. We need to know what's going on with your pack, and vice versa."

"I'll have to tell my pack about this?"