Page 96 of Ruthlessly Mated

“We haven’t actually been mating lately, Kita. You haven’t been in the mood.”

“Oh, that matters, does it?”

“Of course it matters,” I say. “I care about you, no matter what. We all do. I know the breeding is a lot, and I know you have mixed feelings about it, but we’re not here to hurt you. We love you.”

“Oh. You do.”

“Yes, Kita. You know that.”

I am trying to maintain my temper. I don’t know what the hell is going on with her, but I know she is pushing me deliberately.

“Do you want me to beat you? Is that it? Do you need to be punished?”

“No! And if you try, I’ll fucking kill you.”

She says that sentence with so much ferocity I find myself believing her. Something is very wrong with our mate. She is not herself.

Her eyes fill with tears and she storms off into the forest, angry and irritable and full of… something I can’t quite identify. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My instincts would usually be to whip her ass for disrespect, but something is staying my hand.

I see Damon following her, sliding through the shadows, ensuring she is not alone.

Tailor steps forward next to me.

“There’s something going on with her. Maybe it’s something to do with women. Maybe it’s some kind of female emotional… something.”

“Maybe it’s exactly what she said. We’ve locked her down. We’ve taken her freedom. Her life as she knew it is over, but there’s nothing to replace it yet. And she didn’t choose it. This has all been forced on her.”

Tailor puts his hand on my shoulder. “You’re being very caring,” he says. “I’m impressed. I know you must have wanted to whip her ass. I did.”

“She doesn’t smell the same. Did you notice that?”

“I was too busy being thoroughly annoyed to notice, but I will take your word for it,” Tailor says.

CHAPTER 21

Kita

I go to see the doctor. It’s something to get me away from my mates and stops me from doing something I might regret at some point later on. I know, deep down, that none of them are doing anything wrong, but every time they open their mouths I have the strangest impulse to rip their fucking throats out. I am so upset with myself. I didn’t want to be as mean as I know I was, but I also couldn’t really help myself. I am just so angry.

“How are you feeling?” Mandy asks me the well-meaning question, and I do my level best not to freak out on her.

“I’m feeling like… I don’t know.”

“Any nausea?”

“Not really. I’m hungrier than I have ever been.”

“Any other unpleasant symptoms? Anything relating to mood?”

“I don’t think so.”

“No? Okay. Good for you.” She pauses for a moment. “It’s very important that you’re honest with me. I won’t judge you, but pregnancy can really knock you around sometimes. So if you are feeling more tender than usual, or angrier, that’s all normal, but something to keep an eye on.”

“Thank you. I will keep that in mind. Can I see them again?”

“Of course,” she smiles. “Sit up on the bed and we’ll have a look.”

I pull up my shirt and wait for the gel and the little wand and the view on the screen. For a horrible moment, I think I might not see them. What if something happened? What if they were never actually there at all? What if…