Chapter 17.

I’D NEVER LOST CONTROLof my wolf before or felt ashamed of myself... but as I paced the hospital hallway outside of Stacey’s bedroom, I had to admit to being both and it smarted in a way I was distinctly uncomfortable with. When the door opened and my brother walked out a second later, I rushed over to him. “Is she okay?” I asked, the question rushing out of me in a whoosh along with the breath I’d been holding.

“At the moment,” he said, his eyes shadowed with worry.

“And the baby?” I prompted, my heart racing.

Oh, my God. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to the baby.

“All good for now,” he assured me. “I’ve called Dr. Morton and he’ll be in this evening.” Despite the reassuring news, Tommy’s brow was furrowed, and his lips were pinched.

I crossed my arms over my chest defensively, my anxiety over our mate still unconvinced it could chill out just yet. “What aren’t you telling me, brother?”

Tommy sighed. “I don’t think she’ll be allowed to come home again. After this episode, they’ll want her on permanent, supervised bed rest, at least for the next few weeks. I had to put her in the Trendelenburg position because she started to cramp up and I was worried she was going into pre-term labor again.”

“Holy fuck,” I breathed as I pressed my fist to my mouth. I hadn’t understood half of that, but it couldn’t be good. Basically, my takeaway was that special precautions were being taken, which meant our mate was facing trouble. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Well, you could go in there and try and undo the fucking damage you caused by practically calling her a whore.”

I blinked at him.

What the fuck is this, then?

“But I didn’t...”

“You did!” my brother growled at me. “What would you call it? You basically said she got pregnant by her ex, then tried to fob the baby off on us. You implied she was some kind of cunning bitch, and you know that’s the damn furthest thing from what she is! She’s our damned sunshine, David.”

My throat tightened and my wolf rose to the surface again, offering me respite from the emotions coursing through me. “I...”

Tommy pushed past me and headed off down the hall. “Just get in there and fix it. I’m not losing my mate because you couldn’t keep your temper under control,” he threw over his shoulder.

I inhaled sharply through my nose and pushed open the door to Stacey’s private room.

She was lying down in her slightly inverted bed wearing a plain, open-backed hospital gown. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was continually rubbing her belly in circles.

I wasn’t sure if she was trying to calm herself down or the baby, but the frantic energy in the room was electric and not good for her. “How are you doing, sweetheart?” I asked, coughing to clear my throat.

“Um...” she mumbled as she gulped and looked up at the ceiling, avoiding my gaze.

I sat down in the chair opposite the bed, not wanting to upset her anymore than I already had. “I’m so sorry about wolfing out on you, Stacey. I didn’t mean to, I swear. I haven’t lost control like that in, well, ever actually.”

Our parents had taught us early on how to control our shifter, and they were going to kick my ass when they found out what I’d done. I’d compromised our mate by losing control. A pregnant human woman did not need the added stress of discovering wolf shifters out of the blue for the first time when she was already in high-risk territory and had just discovered her ex-husband was stalking her.

She nodded and wiped at the tears on her cheeks, ever the trooper. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, crushed by the pain she was so evidently experiencing—and it was all my fault, or at least, a good half of it. “Not what I did and not what I said. I’m really sorry.” How did I explain that I was mortally ashamed of what I’d said and done? How could I convey in mere words that I no longer cared whose baby was in her belly. And all that mattered at all was that she was ours, no matter what.

“I’m grateful for one thing,” she said, though her voice wavered with a note of uncertainty. “Tommy assured me that you guys are strong enough to stop Jamie if he tries to take me. He said you won’t let it happen.”

A growl rolled through my vocal cords which I quickly shook off, slapping my inner wolf down and asserting control. “Sorry. Yes, you’re absolutely right. That asshole isn’t getting within twenty feet of you ever again. We have your back, the entire family.”

She nodded again, offering me a small smile, but she had shut down. She wasn’t about to tell me anything. She was still hurting and not ready to let down her walls again any time soon.

I slid to the edge of my chair and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, unwilling to let her lock herself down and shut us out entirely. “Stacey, tell me about your life before us. When did you get married?”

“Ah...” Stacey looked up again, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes of more tears. “You don’t want to hear about my past,” she said quietly.

“I do,” I said. “It’s my fault for not asking before. Tommy knew you’d been married, but I didn’t. I should have laid down proper foundations for us. I should have learned everything there was to know about you. So, please? I want to know you. All of you. The light, the dark, and everything in between.”

She sighed and shifted a little, making herself more comfortable before she spoke. “I filed for divorce a few weeks ago, now, through a lawyer back in California. I imagine he probably found me through all of that.” She shook her head as if she should have known better than to flee a monster and leave behind a necessary paper trail.

I could feel the guilt and blame rolling over her. “He said he’d hire a private detective, if need be,” I said, giving her whatever information I had gleaned from the asshole. “This isn’t your fault. He’s a punk and clearly, he was never going to let you get away without a fight. But you have us, now.”

My mate gulped and sniffed, reaching for the Kleenex box. She looked so fragile and so beautiful, even in her compromised and delicate state.

“Tell me,” I urged. “Anything at all that you think we should know. Tell me everything.”

She blew her nose and heaved herself up to a higher sitting position, which was difficult given the angle of the thing. “Okay... but you aren’t allowed to get mad, okay?”

I can’t promise that.

But I had no choice. I wasn’t going to get the truth out of her unless she trusted me and my word. “Go for it,” I encouraged.

She stared down at her hands for a moment, then started talking. “I studied interior design, barely making ends meet on a scholarship, while also working full time. Both my parents are older, and they never put any money aside for my education. But despite that, I made it on my own. Unfortunately, I happened to meet Jamie one night during my final year. He was charming and had money, and he just kind of... sucked me into this vortex. He proposed after six months, and before I graduated he told me that he didn’t want me to work because he could take care of me.”

She stared down, the red blush of shame coloring her cheeks. “I know it sounds horrible and like a cop out, but after struggling with money my whole life it seemed nice to be looked after; to have someone that even wanted that kind of life for me.”

I clenched my teeth so hard I heard them cracking inside my head. I knew what was coming next, but forced myself to nod. “Go on.”

She shrugged, deflated by the haunting story of her past which was far too typical of many others I’d heard. “We got married and the day I signed that marriage license he immediately started wanting me to change. It was little things at first, like my hair and the way I dressed. Then he didn’t want me going out so much, then he got rid of the cleaner and said it was my job now. To cook, to clean, to keep the house to the level he was accustomed to. And at first, I didn’t mind, I really didn’t. I wanted us to be happy. I wanted to do my part... but nothing I ever did was ever good enough. And I just,” she sighed. “I can’t explain it. It just all went to hell, and before I knew it I was trapped.”

I got up and moved over to the seat next to the bed to close the distance between us, to offer her the security of my presence and strength. I didn’t know a lot about controlling, manipulative men firsthand. My dad was a great man, as were most of the men in my pack. But Stacey wasn’t lying, that was obvious. So, what had been the trigger point? “Tell me more. Why did you eventually leave?”

She stared at me, meeting my gaze with a fire I hadn’t expected to see. “Because he told me that he was going on a business trip and that he’d planted cameras in our house so he could watch me while he was gone.”

I groaned, appalled. “Are you fucking with me?”

What a fucking psycho, insecure dick.

She shook her head. “No. He always dropped little hints that he knew where I was. Or he’d call and tell me that he had people everywhere. He’d even introduce me to people, then tell me afterward they were hitmen. Men who specialized in making sure wives stayed loyal to their husbands.”

She visibly shuddered. “The day he went on his business trip, despite the fear and the threat of hitmen, I ran away. I took some cash, and a few clothes, but that was it. And just so you know, we honestly hadn’t had sex in months. Months. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t stand the thought of him touching me. I told him I had infections, made up excuses and just... you know... put him off.”

“I believe you,” I told her, because really, it didn’t matter. And I had to extend my trust to her if I expected hers in return.

She blinked at me, her gaze searching. “You do?”

“Of course I do,” I answered, reaching for her hand. “And it doesn’t matter to me, anyway. This baby is yours, and I want you. We’re a package deal, all of us—together—sweetheart.”

Her eyes shimmered again with unshed tears, then she nodded. “You’re right,” she said, but then looked away.

I couldn’t help but feel like I’d done or said the wrong thing.

Shit.

“I do believe you, Stacey. I just meant that the baby is obviously biologically Tommy’s, and we’ve already made our own little family, haven’t we? The three of us and our child—our daughter? I mean it doesn’t matter to me that it’s not mine... I’m here for you all, regardless.”

She nodded, but she didn’t say anything else and gently withdrew her hand from mine.

With every passing second of silence that eclipsed between us, I began to feel like I was intruding on her time. She didn’t want me here anymore and I didn’t know how to take back my words or reword them any better. I’d fucked up again even as I bloody well tried to fix it!

With a quiet groan Stacey slowly slid down the bed and lay on her side, her back to me.

I stood up, hands in my pockets, feeling like a boy in trouble. “Do you want me to go?” I asked.

“I might try to get some sleep,” she answered simply, closing her eyes.

I glanced toward the door. Our town hospital was small, and there were no full-time security guards. So, there was no way I was going home if there was even a remote possibility that her ex-husband would show up. “I won’t be far, okay?” I promised, leaning down to kiss her hair. “And I have my cell phone if you need me.”

She didn’t respond and it felt like a bucket of ice water on my soul. So, I left the room with my heart aching and my guilt heavier than ever.

Fuck me. How am I going to fix this?