Staring at Brynlee held in a headlock, I stalk towards the training ring she is in. Caspian’s mate tentatively lets her go as the power and anger inside my blood courses out in waves. I watch as Brynlee stands, worry in her eyes as she places her hand on my shoulder.
“Rune, we were just sparing.” She states, her scent wrapping around me. Something has changed about it. It has grown sweeter and warmer. The urge to protect her grows stronger and without thinking, I scoop her into my arms are walk out of the training facilities with everyone watching. I note the scrapes and bruises left on her as she silently lets me carry her, knowing they are from her sparing and will heal in no time but that doesn’t stop the feeling of wanting to turn back and thrash that she-wolf for giving them to her. The broken bond hums with satisfaction at my thoughts of wanting to take revenge for my Mate no matter how misguided they may be. But I can feel Brynlee growing angry at me for taking her away without consent.
“Rune, put me down.” She orders, her voice imbued with a Beta command. My blood hums, wanting to obliged to the command but the Mate Bond pushes back. I decide to ignore Brynlee, afraid I might say something I will regret while I carry her through the forest. Every part of me is telling me to take her to safety, to find a den where we can be alone.
Brynlee wiggles in my grasp, trying to get free but I growl, holding her tighter to me. She growls back, glaring at me but I ignore it. I know I am crossing a boundary with her at this moment but I can’t control my reactions right now – not when I feel every fiber of my being demanding me to protect her.
After realizing I am not letting her go, Brynlee reluctantly accepts her fate and I continue carrying Brynlee to the one place I know she will be safe in as long as I am with her - her cottage. It seems she understands that I am moving out of instinct and settles against me, muttering about stupid males and our stupid hormones. If I wasn’t so worked up from the danger alert the bond sent to me, I would find this amusing.
Pushing the door to her cottage open and walking inside, Brynlee starts protesting once again for me to set her down and get out of her house. But something nags at me, like a feeling of something else is happening. I carry her to where her scent is strongest in the house and find her bedroom. She once again tells me not to go in, but it is too late as I hold her closer and cross the threshold. My steps lead me to her bed where I gently lay her down before I trap her with my hands on either side of her head and burry my nose into her neck. Something is off about her scent and the urge to learn what the cause is is too strong to ignore.
“Rune, let me go!” Brynlee growls out, her hands on my shoulders and pushing against them. She manages to surprise me for a moment as I am pushed away before I can get to the bottom of why her scent is off.
Frustrated, I grab her wrists and hold her hands above her head. She glares at me as I do this but I ignore it as I go back to sniffing her. The scent of cinnamon-sugar is still there as sweet and delicious as ever. I am tempted to run my tongue along her skin and have a taste but the Mate Bond urges me to sniff further down. Brynlee shivers as I move down her body, sniffing along her clavicle to below her breasts. They seem slightly bigger than what I remember from helping her through her heat but I make sure not to touch them or risk facing her anger.
“What the hell are you doing!” She demands, kicking her feet at me. I let her go of her wrists and back away before she can connect her foot between my legs and hold my hands out in surrender.
“Your scent is off.” I state, dodging to the side as a pillow is thrown at me and getting ready to lunge at her and take the lamp she grabbed from the side table from her hands.
“What do you mean off?” She asks, her glare turning into a confused look as she lowers her arm. Stepping closer, I gingerly take the lamp from her hand and set it back on the bedside table.
“I don’t know how to put it.” I confess with a huff of breath, running my hands through my hair.
“But the Mate Bond keeps telling me something is off and I can’t ignore it.”
“Is that why it called out to you when Odette had me in a head lock?” Brynlee fiddles with a bracelet on her wrist that I never realized was there and I sigh, unsure if I should say anything. The urge to get to the bottom of her change is strong and it takes everything in me not to push her back onto the bed and find out what it is.
“What ever is going on, the bond wants me to find it.” I try to reason with her, carefully taking her hands in mine.
“Please Bryn. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch. I need to find out what is going with you.” I plead, staring into her deep blue eyes. She stares at me, her eyes searching mine most likely trying to see if I am lying to her. I can feel the worry Brynlee has since it’s only been a few days from her last appointment where her Doctor gave her a clean bill of health. Me saying that something is off must be causing her to panic.
“Fine.” I breath a sigh of relief as she relents, carefully removing her hands from mine as she lays back down.
“You can sniff all you want but nothing is wrong with me.” She mutters. I am not sure if she is trying to convince me or herself, but even I can sense that her words waver slightly.
I carefully lean over her body, feeling her shudder from how close we are and the bond hum to life. It is almost healed now to the point all I would need to do is bite here where my mark would sit and she will be mine. But I stop myself and shake the thoughts from my head. Right now I need to figure out what the bond is trying to tell me.
I start once again at the top of her head, sniffing down the side of her face to her neck. Her scent is still the same there with just a tinge of warmth. I close my eyes, focusing on the task at hand as Brynlee lets out a small gasp when my nose grazes the skin above her breast. With a quick apology, I move down her body, the change in her scent becoming gradually stronger.
I go lower and lower, finding myself on my knees while I sniff the area just below her belly button. Shocked, I pull away and look at Brynlee for a moment before returning to sniff the area. She shivers, telling me to give up and that nothing is wrong with her but I know what I smell.
“Brynlee.” I call her name, my tone filled with happiness as I stand to my knees.
“I think I know why your scent has changed and why the bond called to me.” I add, helping her to sit up.
“Is it because you’re a possessive idiot that wont let me move on?” She asks sarcastically. I roll my eyes as I sit beside her, my hand cupping her face to make Brynlee look at me.
“No. I mean, yes to that accusation, but its not the reason” I answer, giddiness building inside me.
“It’s because you are pregnant.” Brynlee’s face falls as shock replaces her sarcastic smile. She pulls away from my touch, standing from the bed and paces the floor.
“I…I can’t be pregnant.” She mumbles, wrapping her arms around her. My smile faulters as I stand, pulling Brynlee into my arms and placing a hand on her flat stomach.
“Brynlee, you are pregnant.” I reiterate, looking into her eyes.
“How can you be sure, Rune?” Her voice is a whisper as her fingers grip my shirt. I can see she wants to deny this, deny the fact our pup is growing inside her.
“Because Brynlee, I can smell my pup inside you.” We gasp, my words become the catalyst to mending the bond completely. Sparks dance along my skin where we touch and the urge to mark her becomes undeniably strong as my fangs grow and my blood hums.
It seems that thee Mate Bond is whole once again all because Brynlee is pregnant with my pup.