Page 16 of Awakening His Mate

I glance toward the door that leads into the living area, unsure if I should yell for Abel. This is his domain. I don’t have the first clue how to console an upset pregnant female, but when he doesn’t burst through the door, I exhale and step toward her.

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Tess. We’ll protect you and your baby.”

The flinty steel in her eyes surprises me. “I’m not scared for my baby, Jackson. I’m scared of what I’ll do to protect my child. Me and the others… We’re ticking time bombs. We have this power within us, and all it takes is one little spark to light it up. I don’t want to become the monster the Order claims I am, but there’s no line I won’t cross when it comes to my kid.”

What do I say to that?

There's nothing I can say, because I would feel the same. If it were Dove carrying my pup, I would walk through fire to protect her and my baby.

And it would be mine. There is no world in which I would allow Dove to be with someone else. Even thinking about it makes me want to break shit.

So I don’t offer Tessa any platitudes or false words. I just nod in support, and she smiles.

“Do you want me to call Abel?”

She shakes her head, lifting her chin as she sucks in a breath. “He can already sense what I’m feeling. He’s giving me space.”

Something I probably should have done.

“Right.”

He feels her pain. I hate that I can’t do that with Dove. I want that connection. I want to feel what she’s going through. If she were herself right now, I would tell her how I feel, I would ask her to be mine and then ask Cade about a chosen-mate bond. It would put an end to any uncertainties, and it would ensure we were tied together in an unbreakable way—though I’m not sure Cade would do it for us. He’s made it clear that he doesn’t approve of Dove.

I reach for the door handle, but Tessa’s voice stops me. “No one thinks Dove is your mate.”

What. The. Fuck?

My shoulders square, and irritation flashes through me. I’m fucking sick of having this same conversation. I figured we’d put it to bed already.

“Excuse me?” I spit as I turn around to face her.

“I wasn't finished,” she chastises me. I raise a brow. Pregnant Tessa isn’t the sweet girl she was. Her edges are sharp. “No one thinks Dove is your mate, but I do.”

I step back toward her, my heart thrumming in my chest. Did she see something? Tessa has the sight. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but some of her visions in the past have helped find hunted females.

“What do you mean?” My throat is dry, and I brace for whatever she’s going to throw at me.

Her brows draw together as she leans back against the counter. “I don’t tend to see too far ahead, or behind, but I saw you and Dove with a little girl.” Her words are careful, her expression guarded. “She was yours.”

I knew words could physically wound you—and I’ve had a lot of that—but Tessa might as well have cut open my chest. She saw us with a daughter? That bounces around my brain like a ball in a pinball machine.

“Explain.”

Her nose wrinkles. “My magic’s kind of wonky at the moment, so I’m not sure if it was a vision in the usual sense of it, but I am certain she was your daughter.”

I stare at her, trying not to cling to the hope that I might be proven right—that Dove and I are connected by more than just my need to protect her.

“Only bonded pairs can have pups,” I say pointedly, then hold my breath as I wait for her reply.

Tessa grips the counter behind her as if her legs are suddenly weak. “I know. There’s every chance it doesn’t mean anything. Like I said, my power’s been really off since I got pregnant, but I don’t think that’s the case. I see how you are with her, and that’s not a male taking care of a female. That’s a mate looking after his woman.”

She chews on her bottom lip, her gaze never leaving mine as I struggle to grasp the gravity of what she is suggesting. She’s right, and it could mean nothing, but I can't help myself from hoping that Dove and I are meant to be. That this connection I feel between us isn’t a fantasy.

Dove feels this connection too. I saw it when I kissed her knee and her skin broke out in goosebumps.

“Did you see anything else?”

Tessa shakes her head, her dark hair bouncing around her face. “I wish I had more to tell you, but Abel and I are on your side, Jackson.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com