MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

33. DEVON: SENDING OUR MATE AWAY

I carefully move the strands of hair from her face. She was sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to disturb her. Once she woke up, she'd want to know what had happened and it would make her worry. Worrying was the last thing she needed to do right now. My eyes darted down to her stomach. I couldn't resist. My chest tightened.

Pregnant.

Val was pregnant. We weren't sure how far along she was yet. We could've lost her. Val wasn't safe in her own pack. They wanted her gone and after what happened yesterday, it was clear that they'd do anything possible to get rid of her.

I pressed my lips firmly together to stop the growl from escaping. Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Once I had calmed down somewhat, I opened my eyes and stared down at my hand on her still flat stomach. One of these days it would be swollen with our baby inside.

The bedroom door opened, making me tense. I sat up and turned to flash sharp teeth at the intruder. David paused in the doorway. I slowly relaxed and turned back towards Val. The door closed softly behind him when he entered the room. His footsteps made no sound as he crossed the room to the other side of the bed. David hesitated and then took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Did you talk to Alark?" I asked him softly.

He nodded. "Yeah. He'll be here by tomorrow afternoon."

I nodded and glanced back down at Val. It could be months before we saw her again. I didn't want her to leave, and I was sure David felt the same, but we both knew that it was the safest option we had right now. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"It doesn't feel right."

"It's the only option we have now," I muttered.

"I know." He stared down at my hand on her stomach. "I just don't like the fact that we have to send her away to protect her."

"I know."

I slowly pulled my hand away and straightened. As I leaned back in the chair, my eyes darted up to her neck. She still had a white bandage on her neck from where she was cut with the knife. We still didn't know who wanted her and why, but we were aware of the danger that lurked in our pack. My father had almost killed my baby. It was why the doctor was so panicked when the results came.

"Has he said anything?" My eyes darted up to David.

"Only what he told us last night," he muttered. "Your father threatened his family if he didn't give her the poison, but he swears that he hasn't given it to her. He got the test result before that."

"What would've happened if he gave it to her before. . .?" I trailed off.

"According to him, he was planning on giving it to her after we left and then saying that her condition deteriorated during the night."

The growl that fell from my lips couldn't be stopped. I gripped the arms of the chair tightly. He would've killed her and then we would never have known. My father needed to leave. I felt bad having to banish them from the pack, but what other option did we have? We couldn't take that risk. He hated her and even if he said that he had learned to accept her, we couldn't take his word for it.

"We need to eliminate the haters. With them still among us—"

"I know," I interrupted. "She won't be able to return until then."

My eyes darted back to her. I took in her small button nose and soft pink lips that were slightly parted as she breathed. I couldn't wait for her to open her eyes and give me that beautiful smile that lit up the whole room.

We've only known each other for a short time but she had become my world. I couldn't imagine being without her anymore. And now she was giving us the most precious thing an Alpha could ask for; a baby.