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Rowan had taken it with equanimity, but Juniper could see that she had broken something in him. She didn’t care. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to be alone. She made to get out of the bed, but Rowan stopped her, placing a hand gently on her arm.
“No. Stay. You should rest a little bit more. I’ll go instead.” He looked at her with sad eyes and without saying another word, he got up and left the room, shutting the door silently behind him.
Juniper watched the door and felt a heavy feeling of loss. She felt a million things at the same time, pressing against her mind. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die, the weight of the whole world crushing down on her.
As she wept under the duvet, she remembered that Rowan had returned home with flowers the previous day. She cried some more.
Chapter 12 - Rowan
Rowan could still hear Juniper’s sobs through the shut door. He felt her sorrow and pain wash over him relentlessly, soaking him and threatening to wash him out to sea.
He felt the urge to rush back into the bedroom and spread his arms around her. To tell her again how sorry he was for hurting her. He wished he could take the pain away from her. He wished he could rip it out of her chest and place it in his instead.
That was impossible though, and he knew it. He was the one who had set the wheels in motion that led them to where they were currently. He was responsible for her hurt and her suffering, and there was nothing he could say, or do, to justify how he had treated her.
What had he been expecting? That she was just going to accept him back because she discovered she was pregnant with his child?
He should have known her better than that. Hedidknow her better than that. And that was what made it so much worse.
He bit his lower lip as he listened to her whimpers. He had to find a way to fix this. That was all he knew. The stakes were too high for him. Juniper did not deserve to keep suffering on his behalf. That had to end.
There was only one thing to do. Softly, he stepped away from the closed door and headed toward his study a floor below. He reached out with his mindlink and sent a message to all the pack members.
He called for an urgent meeting of the pack in the town square with immediate effect. He could hear the concerned and worried mutterings of the wolves, wondering what was going on and the reason for the summons from him.
He closed himself off and settled into his chair. He was not one to pass the blame around, but this was their fault. He was done allowing them to affect his decisions, especially as far as Juniper was concerned.
He was done hiding her from them. He wished he had been less afraid all those years ago. He wished that Juniper had not ambushed him the way she had.
He had looked around the room full of wolves, his friends present. In all their eyes he saw their disapproval and distaste for her. He had panicked and had called her a liar. He hated himself for it every day.
That ended today. He had lost her once before, but he wasn’t going to allow it to happen a second time.
He poured himself a stiff drink to cool his temper, and it worked after the third drink he knocked back. He shut his eyes and allowed his thoughts to drift a little bit.
Juniper was pregnant. He had not had a moment to reflect on it since the healer had informed him. He had a mix of feelings regarding the fact. The one that stood out to him was that he had finally found an heir, and despite how sad and afraid Juniper was about her pregnancy, that was still something that Rowan would celebrate.
After she had left Moonwood, he had thought it impossible for him to find someone again. Hanlon had vehemently refused to accept or acknowledge anyone else, and the wolf’s constant whining about Juniper made it hard for him to even think about anyone else anyway.
He had grimly been preparing for a life alone before she’d returned. Now, he was going to be a father. There was going to be a young cub for him to love and protect. An heir.
His wolf had been restless ever since the discovery, and together they had entered a protective mode concerning Juniper. He wasn’t going to let anyone threaten her anymore. They had done it for years and gotten away with it, but it ended now.
He judged that enough time had passed, and that most, if not all of the pack members would have gathered already.
He grabbed a coat and headed out to the town square to claim a mate.
True to what Rowan had thought, the town square was packed with wolves when he parked across the street. He got out of the car and walked toward the vacant space in the center.
A hush came over the gathering as soon as he was spotted approaching, and then there was complete silence. The crowd parted as he walked, stepping quietly out of his way as he snaked toward the fountain.
He noticed the expressions on their faces out of the corner of his eye. Several people were worried, others looked at him suspiciously. He set his jaw and emptied his mind as he got out of the sea of bodies, standing on the ledge of the fountain for better visibility.
He scanned the crowd quietly, taking in the faces as he swept through the gathering. He could feel a deep anger deep in his belly, and he stoked it. Everything he planned to say—he didn’t intend to repeat it.
“You all know Juniper. Some of you call her the witch. I gathered you all here to tell you she is my mate.”
Rowan could see shock on almost every face, and a low murmur broke out in the crowd. He waited for them to settle before moving on. He had expected this from them, and nothing less.
