LOGIN"You should be training. Should be learning Beta responsibilities. Should be—" A contraction made me scream. Actual scream. The pain was—unbearable. "I'm exactly where I should be. With my mate. Supporting you through birth. Rose, there's nowhere else I'd rather be." More contractions. Closer to
A sharp pain cut through my abdomen. Different from the constant ache. Sharper. More intense. I gasped. Grabbed Nate's arm. "That—that was—" Another pain. Stronger. Radiating through my entire stomach. "Contractions," Nate said immediately. Sitting up. "Rose, those are contractions. You're—you
The Rejected Mate Rose pov I woke up wrapped in Nate's arms, feeling more relaxed than I had in weeks. Last night had been—perfect. Exactly what I needed. A reminder that I was more than just pregnant. More than just a vessel carrying a hybrid baby. I was Rose. Nate's mate. A vampire who was l
We ate together. Talked about things that weren't pregnancy-related. About books she'd been reading. About pack politics I was learning. About Uncle Cas's latest coven drama. Normal conversation between mates instead of constant medical discussions. And Rose—Rose relaxed. Laughed. Looked like hers
The Rejected Mate Nate pov Rose was four months pregnant now, and I could see the toll it was taking on her. Not just physically—though the baby bump was prominent now, making movement difficult and sleep nearly impossible. But emotionally. Mentally. She'd been so down lately. Crying over smal
"What?" "You're being too hard on yourself. Holding yourself to impossible standards. Expecting to maintain pre-pregnancy capabilities while your body is literally creating new life." He paused. "Rose, pregnancy is hard. Hybrid pregnancy is harder. You're allowed to struggle. Allowed to need help.
The kitchen was absolutely silent. Then Emma made a sound—half laugh, half sob. "They want information about the horse architecture." "Aldric." Cas's voice was barely above a whisper. "He's asking about Grace's block stable." "Five years," my father said carefully. "It's not victory." "No,"
Now, seeing me, the composure dissolved. She walked to me quickly and I met her halfway, pulling her close without a word. Her arms went around me and she held on with the kind of grip that communicated everything words couldn't. "You're hurt," she said against my shoulder. "Healing." I kissed
He was quiet for a moment, something shifting in his expression. "You're asking me to let people die defending me. Defending what we've built here. That's not—I'm not accustomed to being worth that." "Get accustomed to it." Jeremy's voice was firm. "Cas, you've been family for five years. You thin
"We make them defend the indefensible," Jeremy finished. "They'd have to publicly argue that five-year-old Grace is a threat. That families like ours are dangerous. That species integration is wrong." "Most supernatural communities won't support that openly. The Council's held power because they'v







