Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter 19 Mate Bond Awakens
Bella’s POV
Tears blurred my vision as I paced anxiously by the window, waiting for Hugo to bring my son home. My heart hammered against my ribs with every passing second. Whatever had happened, whatever had led my child to him, I needed answers.
The sound of his car engine cutting through the evening air sent me rushing to the front door. Before he could even knock, I flung it open. There he stood, my little boy cradled securely in his strong arms. Without hesitation, I reached out and gathered my son against my chest, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks.
I turned away immediately, carrying my child to his bedroom where I tucked him safely into bed. After a moment of watching his peaceful face, I steeled myself for the confrontation waiting in my living room.
Hugo stood there with that infuriating confidence of his, looking entirely too comfortable in my space.
"Clearly, you’re struggling to manage your children," he stated bluntly, his tone dripping with superiority that made my hands ball into fists.
"How exactly did my son end up at your place?" I fired back, refusing to let his judgment cut me down. The virus affecting werewolf children wasn’t my fault. Parents everywhere were dealing with the same terrifying symptoms, married or single.
The irony wasn’t lost on me that he was questioning my parenting when the only reason I was here alone was because of him and his pack brothers.
"The kid was pounding on my door. Face it, you can’t even protect your own babies. And those guards you insisted on bringing? They’re completely worthless," he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest, towering over me with that trademark arrogance.
My glare could have melted steel.
"Parker told me he’s their father. So you did lie to us that night." Something shifted in his expression, a darkness I couldn’t quite decipher. His eyes held depths I’d never been able to read.
"Why does any of you care if I lied? Isn’t that exactly what you wanted to hear? I gave you the story that would make things easier for everyone. I knew what you’d do to me otherwise," I snapped, my voice climbing as fury coursed through my veins.
My fists rose involuntarily before I forced them back down, trembling with restraint.
"What exactly did you think we’d do?" he asked, genuine confusion flickering across his features. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Maybe you’ve forgotten, but let me refresh your memory. You were the one who offered to help me ’get rid of the problem,’" I reminded him, watching recognition dawn on his face.
The confident set of his shoulders sagged slightly. "I said the choice was yours," he mumbled, his earlier bravado crumbling. freēwēbnovel.com
"It doesn’t matter anymore. That’s all in the past. You’re in the past. All of you are," I said, fighting the tears that threatened to break free. I’d learned long ago that showing vulnerability to these heartless alphas only invited more pain.
"The facts haven’t changed though, have they?" he shot back, deflecting from his own cruelty. "You were carrying Parker’s child. Tell me, was it worth it? Because from where I’m standing, you look pretty desperate."
Rage vibrated through every cell in my body.
"Seems like those kids of yours could use a father, since you clearly can’t give them the protection they need." His words struck like physical blows, and something inside me snapped.
My hand flew toward his face, but he caught my wrist effortlessly. In one swift motion, he pulled me forward until my palms pressed against the solid wall of his chest.
We’d never been this close, not even during that fateful night months ago. The storm outside seemed to pause as we stared at each other, neither moving, neither breathing.
Through my palms, I could feel his heartbeat racing erratically beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. When I tried to step back, his grip tightened, holding me in place. His other hand found my waist, pulling me impossibly closer.
Those steel-gray eyes bore into mine with an intensity that made my own pulse stutter and leap. Heat radiated between our bodies, creating an electric tension I’d never experienced.
Then I heard his sharp intake of breath at the same moment my wolf stirred to life inside me, stronger than she’d ever been before. The word that changed everything echoed through my consciousness like thunder.
"Mate!"
My wolf’s recognition rang out clear and undeniable, awakening something primal and desperate within me.
I saw the same shock reflected in Hugo’s face, but instead of the rejection I expected, instead of the anger he’d shown when I’d first told them about my pregnancy, he surprised me completely.
His hand cupped the back of my neck, and he lowered his mouth to mine in a kiss that felt like coming home and falling apart all at once. My body responded instinctively, my wolf singing with recognition and need.
But just as our lips met, just as I began to understand the cruel irony of finding my mate in the man who’d tried to destroy me, agony shot through my leg like liquid fire.
I tore away from him with a scream, collapsing to the hardwood floor as my knee gave out completely. Pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced radiated up my spine.
"What’s happening to me?" I gasped, looking up at Hugo through tears of anguish.
The concern in his eyes was unlike anything I’d ever seen from him before.
"Your first shift," he said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that made my blood run cold. "It’s beginning."
