Condemned Mates (Destined Mates Book 2)

by James Wolfe

  “We already have a werewolf-human couple in the village, Alexander and Daniel. And they’ve had a child of their own.”

  “Are you serious?!” I said excitedly. “They were able to have kids of their own?! And we will be, too?!”

  “Yes, babe, humans and werewolves are biologically compatible,” he said, as he pulled me in close to him while I lay on his chest.

  I felt like I could cry. “Baby, that’s so wonderful. I can’t believe that we could have children of our own one day,” I patted his stomach gently. “But, sorry I’ll have to put a baby in there. I’m sure it’s not pleasant.”

  He patted my belly in return. “Or, I could put a baby in there.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, babe, I think that’s a little much to hope for. We may be biologically compatible, but my body is not compatible for a baby. I’m still human.”

  “Daniel is a human, and he’s the one that carried Alexander’s baby.”

  I shot up in my bed. “What?!”

  “Yeah, Alexander got him pregnant. He had to have a c-section because he doesn’t have the same birthing tract as we do, but the baby was still completely healthy.”

  “So you’re… you’re saying that you could potentially put a baby into me at any time? Like… one of the last two times we’ve had sex?”

  Now he shot up in bed, too. “Oh my, Lyle, I’m sorry! I didn’t even… I didn’t think…”

  “You seriously failed to mention that having sex with you could knock me up?!” I practically shouted. “Cecil, my god, how could you forget to mention something like that!?”

  “It’s just… I hadn’t thought about babies when I thought of sex in a long time! Because Sam and I had sex for years, and I never got him pregnant. So, I just… I never thought about it! I kind of just thought I might be sterile, and… and maybe I am!” he said quickly. “Maybe I can’t even get you pregnant, I never did Sam!”

  “Or maybe there’s some weird werewolf-y rule that you can only get your true mate pregnant. Because, I mean, nobody would ever know if that wasn’t the case right? You guys don’t sleep around. You only sleep with your true mate, so…”

  He put his hand on his chin. “Huh, yeah, I never thought about that. I wonder if that really is the reason it never worked for Sam and me…”

  “Baby, focus!” I yelled at him.

  “Right, right, okay, yes, it’s maybe a possibility.”

  I buried my head in my hands.

  “Well, don’t panic!” he said. “We will just have to have you take a test. No sense in worrying until we know.”

  “It’ll be weeks before any test would show up as positive!” I told him. “How am I supposed to stay calm and not stress for weeks?!”

  “Not in my species!” he said quickly. “It only takes about twenty-four hours to confirm a pregnancy. So, I mean, we could find out very soon.”

  I looked at him. “Really? So, like, you think I could go take a test right now? I mean, do you think human pregnancy tests will even work for me?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. But I know I’ll have to talk to Sam before I can get you back to the village, which will take at least another day. So… you might as well try?”

  I nodded. “Okay, yes, actually… I think I have some here.”

  He looked at me weirdly. “You have… pregnancy tests? Here in your house?”

  “Maybe,” I said, as I got up and walked toward the bathroom in the hall. “I used to have a female roommate a year ago,” I called out to him. “Not that I needed the money. She was just an old friend who was down on her luck, so I let her stay for six months while she got back on her feet. But after she left, I remember going through the drawers and seeing her leftover tampons and pregnancy tests—”

  A year was a long time, but I never used the hall bathroom. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d cleaned it out. I had no recollection of ever throwing away tampons or anything, so there was a chance they might still have been there.

  Sure enough, right next to a box of tampons was two pregnancy tests. I took one quickly and ripped open the package.

  “I’ve got one!” I shouted, but I didn’t bother walking back to take it in my own bathroom. I just wanted to know now. I knew these tests took a few minutes. I did my best to pee both on the stick and in to the toilet. I didn’t have a perfect shot on it, but I was sure I got enough pee for the test to read. After I did, I laid it flat on some toilet paper and carried it in to the room.

  “You already took it?” Cecil asked.

  I nodded but didn’t answer verbally. I couldn’t, I was too preoccupied with thoughts of possibly being pregnant.

  As happy as I was to potentially have biological kids, I didn’t want to do it now. I had barely met Cecil, and I wanted time for us to get to know each other without children being involved. And, frankly, I’d rather not be the one to carry those children because pregnancy seemed absolutely miserable.

  Cecil ran a gentle hand on my bare back. “Hey, babe, it’s going to be okay.”

  “Is it?!” I said frantically. “I mean, how can you say that? How can you know that? I might be pregnant, and—”

  “And if you are, that’ll be okay,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Easy for you to say! You won’t be carrying around a baby inside you.”

  He laughed. “Yes, true, and I do think that makes it easier. But also, because if you are pregnant, I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of you completely. When your feet hurt, I’ll rub them. I’ll get you every craving you want. I’ll make sure you don’t lift a finger. I’ll be there every step of the way during delivery… and, as scary as it’ll be, it’ll be okay. Because, like you said, it’s fate, right? So, how could it not be?”

  I smiled at him. “That actually has calmed me down a bit,” I admitted.

  It was weird because nobody had ever really been able to calm me down before. When I’d freaked out about work or stressed in my personal life, I’d had friends who’d tried to help, but it had never done anything. Their words had meant nothing to me, because whatever advice they’d had, I had already thought of it myself.

  This was probably the first time in my life that another person had actually said something that made me relax. I felt so much more at peace after hearing that.

  “Would you really get me anything I want? Even if it’s, like, two in the morning?” I asked.

  “Well, we don’t have any food places open in the village that early, but, yes, if I can make it myself, you bet I’ll wake up and do that.”

  I liked the idea of being pampered by him. I’d never had that before. I mean, that didn’t take away all of the difficulties of pregnancy, of course, but it was a nice thought.

  A few minutes later, he looked over at me. I was covering the test with the toilet paper.

  “You need to look at it,” he said.

  “I’m scared,” I told him honestly.

  “I know,” he answered. “Me, too, but we’ve got to find out. Besides, maybe this test isn’t even accurate for you. Maybe you will need a test with our doctor in the village, and this won’t tell us anything.”

  He was right, that seemed like the more likely option. And it made things easier to feel like I wasn’t holding the answer to my future in my hands. With that in mind, I got the courage to flip back the toilet paper and look at the test.

  Apparently, I was holding the answer to my future in my hand.

  “I’m… it says I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

  “You’re pregnant?!” he gasped in shock.

  It was obvious neither of us had really opened our minds to this being an actuality.

  But, in some weird way, I was less fearful now. It was crazy. A few minutes ago, I’d felt terrified by the possibility that I might be pregnant, and, now as I looked down at the test, all those fears had seemed to dissipate.

  “I’m pregnant!” I turned to him and said it again, this time with excitement reverberating through my voice.

 
"You're glad?!" he asked in a tone that was just as shocked as when I’d said I was pregnant the first time.

  "I... I think I am!" I said, just as surprised myself.

  I couldn't explain it. But the knowledge that there was a life growing inside me calmed me down. More than calmed me down, I guess. It thrilled me! I was carrying a life. A life that had been created with the man who was my soul mate.

  It all felt so perfect.

  Suddenly, I didn’t need time with just Cecil. We were going to have the rest of our lives together. It didn’t matter to me. The only thing that mattered was that I felt so much love in my heart for both Cecil and this new baby that I couldn’t handle it.

  “We’re going to be dads!” he grinned at me, holding me tight.

  “I guess we are,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.

  I couldn’t believe how quickly everything had seemed to change for the better.

  9

  Cecil

  After hearing the news that we were going to be having a child, Lyle and I had spent a lovely night together. I’d planned to go home late at night, as I usually did, but I’d unexpectedly fallen asleep and didn’t wake up until the next morning.

  Oh, shit.

  I jumped up out of bed in a rush, packing my clothes in my bag, so I could shift in to a wolf and run home as fast as I possibly could.

  This alarmed Lyle. “What are you doing!?” he asked quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve got to get back to the village. I shouldn’t have stayed gone this long. Everyone is going to wonder where I am.”

  “Well… when are you coming back?” he asked worriedly.

  “Tonight,” I assured him. “Now that I know you’re pregnant, I’ll make sure Sam knows it’s over and explain to my family that I’ve met my new mate. I’ll tell them everything and then come back tonight to plan more with you, okay?”

  He nodded slowly, like he was unsure of this plan.

  I leaned over and kissed him on the head. “Baby, don’t worry, everything will be fine. I’ll be back a soon as I can. Trust me, I won’t be away from you any longer than I have to.”

  “Okay. I love you,” he answered.

  “Love you, too,” I gave him one more peck on the lips before I left through his front door and, after I made sure nobody else was around, shifted in to a wolf on his porch,.

  I really was going to be back as soon as I possibly could. It had already been hard to leave Lyle before I’d found out he was pregnant, but now that he was, I felt the intense desire to protect him against anything.

  Handling things with Sam was part of protecting him, though. I needed to have him safe in the village with me, and the only way I was going to do that was to get this figured out with Sam. It may hurt, and I’d feel awful for that, but I had no choice. I had to protect my mate.

  I ran home as fast as I could, and, when I finally got there, I realized that Sam may not have even known I was gone.

  He wasn’t home. It was definitely early enough that he wouldn’t have been at work yet. Had he ever even come home? Or had he just stayed with his fathers all night?

  My question was quickly answered when there was a knock at the door.

  I figured it was Sam. I was prepared to see him. What I was not prepared to see was both my fathers standing behind him, as well as Sam’s fathers.

  As soon as Sam saw me, his mouth opened wide, and he wrapped his arms around me.

  “Oh my god, where were you?!” he asked, as he embraced me. “I thought something happened to you. I got so worried.”

  It felt wrong to have his arms around me, so, before I knew what I was doing, I pushed him away from me. His relieved face fell. Both my fathers looked confused.

  “I just… can’t hug you,” I told him.

  He looked worried. “Wait… where were you, Cecil?”

  I looked at him, then at my fathers. “I think you might want to talk to me alone,” I told Sam.

  “Son, what’s going on?” one of my dads asked me.

  “Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of our fathers,” Sam told me. “We’re all family.”

  I couldn’t help but think this was a way for Sam to protect himself. He thought there were certain things I wouldn’t say in front of our dads. Well, he was wrong, because my fathers were going to find out eventually. Why not now?

  “You remember what we discussed yesterday?” I asked him vaguely.

  He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for the way I stormed out, but I’m willing to forgive it all,” he told me. “I know that relationships can be hard and confusing and—”

  “I’m not confused,” I told him sternly, “and I don’t want you to forget it. I meant what I said. And… I’m ending this.”

  All our fathers looked horrified. One of my dads looked particularly angry.

  “Son, what are you talking about?!” he asked. “Sam is your mate! We mate for life!”

  “I’m sorry,” I told him, before turning back to Sam. “I really am very sorry. But I meant what I said. You’re not my mate.”

  “How could you know that?!” Sam gasped. “You’re just frustrated that we’re going through a rough patch, so you’re doubting us. I get that, I really do, but we are mates, Cecil. And that means we are together even when things are rough.”

  “Son, I know that things can get hard. Things have been difficult plenty of times with your father and I—”

  I cut him off and shook my head, looking at Sam’s parents, who were standing silently.

  “No!” I argued. “No, okay, it’s not like that. This isn’t a rough patch. I don't want to be with Sam because he’s truly not my mate. I know that’s disappointing to you all. I know you’ve always pushed us to be together, so I’m sorry. But it isn’t going to happen. And there’s nothing you can say or do to force me in to this.”

  “But how do you know?” One of Sam’s dads asked. “How do you actually know he isn’t your mate? There has never been a mate for either of you in the entire village, so how can you explain that he’s not your mate when there doesn’t appear to be a mate for either of you?”

  “Right,” said my other father, who was a lot calmer, “and there has never been a couple that has split up in the history of our entire species. We’re never wrong. You may be confused, but that doesn’t mean you were wrong when you first felt that Sam was your mate.”

  “But I didn’t feel it!” I told them. “I wanted to feel it because you all wanted me to feel it and because Sam was claiming he was my mate, and I… I went along with it. I told myself I felt it, too, but I didn’t. My feelings were nothing like what you guys describe when you first met your mate.”

  “Maybe things do feel a little different for you, son,” my dad suggested, “but that doesn’t mean that Sam is not your mate.”

  Sam looked at me desperately. “Really, Cecil, how can you be sure?”

  “Because I’ve found my mate!” I blurted out.

  The room went silent.

  “What?!” Sam gasped. “But… but who is it?! How did… you not know this sooner?”

  I sighed. “I met him when I was at the farmers’ market. He’s… he’s a human.”

  My dad shook his head. “Let me get this straight, you don’t think Sam is your mate because you’ve imagined there is a human mate for you? Is this all just stemming out of that weird, human obsession you have?!” he asked accusingly.

  “No!” I shot back. “Maybe my obsession stemmed from the fact that there was a human out there for me, I don’t know, but I know that he’s my mate. When I saw him… I felt everything you guys always told me you felt when you met. My heart was filled with passion, love, joy…” I glanced over at Sam, who looked distraught. I grabbed his hand. “Sam, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you, but… I just can’t control the fact that this man is my mate. I truly am sorry.”

  Sam nodded slowly.

  “You’re sorry?!” my dad stomped up to
me. “What does this mean for Sam?! He’s been your mate since you guys turned eighteen! I… I can't believe this!”

  “Honey…” my other father tried to calm him down.

  “No! No, he’s abandoning his true mate, and he doesn’t even see it! Sam is your true mate, son. This isn’t how we work. If Sam felt that you were his mate, you must be! It is always reciprocated! And you will regret it if you leave Sam now!”

  “I won’t,” I said seriously.

  “I hope you don’t think you’re bringing this human into the village!” my dad spat.

  “I am!”

  “I will never, ever respect him as family!” he snapped at me. “Sam is my only other son, and—”

  “Stop!” Sam finally shouted. “Stop yelling at him, please.”

  Now we were all looking at Sam confused. Why would he defend me? He was the one getting his heart broken right now. I’d thought for sure he would have sided with my father and insisted I’d made a mistake.

  “This isn’t Cecil’s fault…” he continued. “It’s mine.”

  “What are you talking about?” one of Sam’s dads asked him.

  “Cecil is right. He isn’t my mate. And I’ve been denying that a long time, but—”

  His other father cut him off. “But when you saw Cecil on his birthday, I mean, you said he was your mate—”

  “They were just words,” he said sadly. “I didn’t feel it, either. And you and Dad had made this huge deal about how Cecil will definitely be my mate. By that time, I had been eighteen for months. And I met everyone else in the village, and I hadn’t found my mate. So, I really started believing it would be Cecil, too. When I saw him, I knew it wasn’t true… and I meant to say that, to all of you. But the words that came out of my mouth were the exact opposite. I was afraid of disappointing everyone and even more afraid that I was going to be alone. It had only been a few months, and I was so lonely…”

  As the anger melted off my father’s face, the irritation seemed to increase on the faces of Sam’s fathers.

  “So, because you were lonely for a few months, you lied?!” one of his dads yelled. “A horrible lie that changed the course of both your lives?!”