“We’ll talk about this later, okay? Just don’t make any decisions now.”
“Conall—”
“Let’s just get back to the den, okay?”
She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him this wasn’t right. He could see it on her face. But he wasn’t going to let her. Instead, he’d get her back to the house and then he’d fuck her into submission again and again until she finally got the message she was his and he was hers. Forever.
Yeah. That worked as a plan.
He pulled out of her and was surprised she didn’t say anything about his lack of condom. He knew it was no longer necessary, but she still didn’t. And he wasn’t going to say anything about the pregnancy until he convinced her they should be together. He didn’t need anything else freaking her out. He was coaxing a high-strung mare. Scare her off now and she’d hightail that fine ass right back to Texas. If she were going to accept the fact that she was his, he’d have to play this cool. Well, as cool as he could when just her touch on his shoulder made his whole body throb.
Chapter Twenty-Two
He thought the Van Holtz Pack would toss them out as soon as he could walk. Man, had he been wrong. Instead Niles Van Holtz made them all breakfast. The most amazing waffles he’d ever tasted, eggs, bacon, coffee, orange juice, the works. The man was a genius of the kitchen.
He sat next to Miki as she and Conridge talked about how the university management had already begun to successfully cover up the hyena attacks by dismissing them as a pack of wild dogs that found their way onto campus and then proceeded to wreck havoc. The fire Miki started disappeared so fast that it barely got a mention. And no one had any idea what happened to Professor Leucrotta. Conall forced himself not to react when he heard about the man’s knees, although his Pack seemed to be quietly disturbed.
It seemed his mate had done serious damage. To protect him. To protect his Pack. He kept thinking “She didn’t walk away. She didn’t walk away.” And she could have. She so easily could have.
He looked at his Pack. They all feared her. Even the Van Holtz Pack. And now that they knew she was pregnant, now that they could smell it on her, they were waiting to see what she would do if she realized. Even Niles Van Holtz kept looking at him as if to say “Welcome to my world, buddy.”
As if on cue, Conridge’s kids stormed into the room. The boys were typical wolf pups. Loud, boisterous, with sharp teeth. The girl was different. She didn’t seem more than twelve or thirteen, but she moved slowly. Paced herself. She wasn’t doglike at all, but she smelled like wolf. She would be Pack leader one day. And she already knew it.
She walked serenely after her brothers, heading toward the kitchen door leading to the hallway. But suddenly she stopped and looked straight at Miki.
“You weren’t pregnant last night, were you?”
The entire room of people froze. If Conall didn’t know better, he would have sworn that the entire universe had frozen. That, like them, the universe wanted to see what Miki would do.
Miki slowly looked up and turned to the girl. “I’m sorry. What?”
“You. You smell pregnant. Papa taught me what that was when I smelled that same scent on my aunt. You didn’t smell like that last night. But you do now.” The girl shrugged. “I guess you had a busy night.” Then, after destroying his entire world, the little bitch left.
Miki turned around, but kept her head down, her hands flat on the stainless steel kitchen table. She began to tap both her forefingers against the metal and Conall watched all the wolves jump. Dunwich waved at him, trying to catch his attention. Then he mouthed something to him.
“What?” he mouthed back.
Dunwich held up his hand. Forefinger out. Thumb up. The other fingers bent into the palm. His hand looked just like a gun.
Oh, shit.
Conall glanced over at Miki and that’s when he saw the gun in a holster and attached to her waistband. He didn’t even notice her putting it on as they got dressed after their shower. Conridge must have let her keep one for the ride back.
And when Miki suddenly hit the table with her hands, every wolf but him and Van Holtz hit the floor.
Miki pushed her chair back. She looked at Conall. “I’m going to the bathroom. Then we are leaving.”
“Miki, I—”
“No. There’s nothing to say right now. And I mean nothing.” Miki looked at Conridge. “Thank you for everything, Dr. Conridge.”
“Anytime. Of course, when we take on a clan of hyenas together, I’m pretty sure you can start calling me Irene.”
“Thank you, Irene. I’ll call you tomorrow about your job offer.”
“That’s fine.”
She looked at Van Holtz. “Thank you for everything. I truly appreciate your hospitality.”
Simply from the expression on the man’s face, Conall got the feeling Van Holtz would be retelling this story until the end of time. “You are more than welcome.”
Miki looked around the table and realized that all the wolves had disappeared. She leaned down and looked under the table. Twelve wolves laid out on the floor for no apparent reason—that didn’t seem to distract her one bit. “I just wanted to thank all of you for helping us.”
“You’re welcome,” one of the Van Holtz wolves was brave enough to say.
With that, Miki stood and walked out of the room.
Conall closed his eyes. Like his fever from the night before, he was pretty sure this would get worse before it got better.
Conridge leaned across the table and touched Conall’s arm. “I wouldn’t worry.” She motioned toward her husband. “I stabbed him in the leg and set his Mercedes on fire before I agreed to marry him. She just needs time.”
Conall frowned. “Uh…thank you?”
Miki said nothing during the whole thirteen-hour trip that Conall and the Pack turned into a ten-hour trip by doing some seriously illegal speeding and keeping the bathroom and food breaks to a minimum. But really, what the fuck was she supposed to say?
The borrowed SUVs the Van Holtz Pack lent them pulled up in front of Sara and Zach’s place. The Alpha pair already outside, since one of the Pack called ahead.
Miki got out of the vehicle. She was barefoot because she couldn’t bring herself to wear Doc Martens boots with sweatpants. She wasn’t a fashion maven, but that was too tacky for words. She limped slowly toward Sara, her calf tender but already healing. Her friend’s eyes locked with hers and she pulled away from Zach. Sara knew something was wrong. The three friends always knew when something was seriously wrong with one of them without any of them having to say a single word.
As she reached Sara, Conall walked past her. He didn’t speak, simply went into the house. Zach followed after him.
“Your leg?”
“It’ll be fine.”
Sara stared at her. “What the hell’s going on?”
Miki glanced back at the Pack members behind her.
Sara motioned toward the house with her head. “Go.”
And they did. Once they were gone, Sara turned back to her.
“Okay, dude. What’s up?”
Miki looked at her oldest and dearest friend and burst into tears.
Conall had just punched a hole in the wall when Zach walked in. He closed the door and stood behind him.
Leaning his head against the wall, Conall closed his eyes. “She’s pregnant.”
“I know. I could smell it a mile away.”
“She won’t stay here.”
“She has to. Pregnant with a Pack baby? She’ll have every Pride member in North America gunning for her ass. And who the fuck knows what’s going on with that Clan. Besides, you marked her. She’s yours.”