Even now, the cuts on his leg were mending. He reached out and ran the pads of his fingers across her jawline, making sure to keep his bloody knuckles away from her skin. She would never have anybody else’s blood on her. But he needed to touch her to center himself. Her skin was so soft, and her jaw was so fucking delicate. The woman was everything to him and always would be—and her warrior spirit called to him as strongly as her sweet heart, sharp brain, and beautiful face did. But in his world, warrior woman or not,hewas the killer. Never her.
She sighed. “They were scared of you. I could see it.”
So could he. “Good.” They’d been smart to be frightened, and stupid to stay and try to fight him. The delivery of their bodies—or parts, anyway—back to Copper Pack territory would be public. The entire pack would know how he’d defended his home. Hopefully, if Yassi tried to send out another squad, somebody would be smart enough to stop him.
If not, Seth would send those bodies back, as well—with even more damage next time.
Mia looked closer at the deepest wound on his shoulder. “I think you might need stitches in that, Volk.”
“No, it’ll heal. I just need a bandage.” He frowned. “They were after you, sweetheart. I don’t know why. It doesn’t make any sense, but I promise I’ll find out.”
Even if the other packs didn’t like that he’d mated a human, they wouldn’t kill her over that. It didn’t matter to them if his lineage went one way or the other.
She looked down and then took a step back. “Yes. Well...”
His instincts started to hum, and he tilted his head. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Usually.” A small smile ticked up her lips.
He brushed her hair away from her face and set a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Mia.” It was one word, but he conveyed his meaning.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around her waist in a way that caught him off guard. His Mia rarely felt vulnerable, yet she was all but emoting fragility right now.
“Tell me what it is, and I’ll fix it.” He meant every word. He would. He’d take care of any problems she could ever have. Even if she tried to stop him.
She swallowed. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you tomorrow at breakfast.” She was still pale and looked so small and defenseless he wanted to cuddle her close, but first, he needed to get rid of the blood still covering his hands.
“Just tell me,” he said. “I’ll take a shower, and we’ll figure it out.” If he had to go hunting again tonight, he would. He just needed a direction.
She licked her lips and swallowed, uncharacteristically nervous. His irritation began to morph into concern. This wasn’t like her. She took a deep breath, and he gave her a second to settle.
“All right. So, I’m pregnant.”
He heard the words, and then a clashing sound echoed through his skull. “What?”
She looked up and met his gaze. “I’m pregnant, Seth. That’s why I haven’t been feeling well. Or at least one of the reasons, I guess. I took a test earlier today. It’s also why I went to Seattle to buy the test. I was trying to avoid gossip in town.”
A feeling roared through him that he’d never felt before, hot and wild and full. Everything he’d ever wanted was standing right in front of him. He grabbed her close and kissed the top of her head, no longer caring about his jeans. “Oh, Mia.” He tilted her head back with his hands on her face and kissed her. “This is good news, sweetheart.”
Tears filled her eyes.
His gut twisted. “Aren’t you happy?” It was probably frightening to discover that she was carrying a wolf pup. The woman was so new to his world.
She gulped. “I don’t know what I am. This is unexpected. I figured we’d have kids someday, but this is early.” She placed her small hands on his chest, careful of his wounds. “But that’s not my concern right now. My worry is that the Copper Pack came after us because there’s a chance I became pregnant before we mated.”
The elation in him turned to pure, raw, and unadulterated fire. He knew the legends. He’d heard whispers of babies born of a human and a wolf. He didn’t give a shit. He kissed her hard on the mouth, finally understanding why the Copper Pack had attacked. Oh, most of them probably didn’t worry about the old legends, either. It had only beenan excusefor them to come after him. If it hadn’t been the baby, it would’ve been something else. But the fact that they’d come because of his offspring, because of his mate, was unforgivable. He should have been even more brutal when he’d dispatched the bodies.
He leaned in and kissed her again, cupping the back of her head. Then he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “You and this baby are safe, Mia. No matter what. I’ll go through anybody, and I’ll take out anybody who even thinks of becoming a threat to us. I promise.”
The relief that filtered through her stunning green eyes centered him.
“I know,” she whispered.
Chapter18
Erik had to take out three guards to get himself inside the Nightsom mansion. They lived about four hours south of his place, and he had decided to drive instead of traveling in wolf form in case he needed to bring Emily back to the safety of his territory. So long as she was protected as her father insisted, Erik could take his time. He even waited until six in the morning to infiltrate the estate.
He’d been refused entry at the main gate and had disabled the shifter easily. The guy would only be out for a couple of hours, but he’d awaken with a hell of a headache. The two at the front door had been more of a challenge, but now they lay flat on their backs, looking up at the clouds. Well, not exactly looking since they were unconscious. They’d be okay, too.
