Bay raised her chin and gave a cool smile. "Adam is right. I don't think that will be necessary either. After all, I'm approaching my due date, and I shouldn't be on my feet that much. Plus the whole reason I'm here is not to settle in but to make sure my baby is safe."

Tension crept through Adam's shoulders again, and he wanted to reach out and brush the stray red curl behind Bay's ear. The mating urge rode him hard, harder than he'd expected. Yes, he'd already had her and marked her, but his wolf still wanted her. Wanted to show her that everything would be all right, and that they would work it out.

Willow's smile died, and she looked between the two of them with sorrow on her face. He hated that. Willow had been one of the only ones who hadn't shown pity toward him daily. She'd known he hated it without him saying anything about it. But now. Here she was, unable to hide her emotions. This redheaded stranger was ruining everything.

Bay gave a quick nod and started to eat her breakfast, mindlessly.

"It tastes delicious, Willow," Bay said, no emotion in her tone.

"Thank you, Bay," Willow said, sorrow in hers. "Well, I don't want to bother you guys any longer. I'm going to head out and go back to see Brie and Jasper. I left him alone with her, and I'm a little afraid to see what will happen to the house."

Adam gave a reluctant smile at the image of the big bad Beta and the little bitty baby. Oh, he knew who would win in the fight; he just felt bad for Jasper. Again, that ache entered his heart and threatened to rob him of his breath. He didn't want to think about babies, daddies, and all that came with that, but, apparently, he didn't want to think about a lot of things.

He stood up and walked Willow to the door. She placed her palm on his cheek, and he froze, not letting himself lean into it. He couldn't rely on her. She wasn't his, nor did he want her to be.

"Be careful, Adam," she whispered.

Adam gave a wry smile, knowing that no matter how low she whispered, the wolf in the room behind them would hear them. "You know me; I always am."

Willow lifted her brow and looked behind him. "Oh, I don't think that's the case, is it?"

He didn't say anything and kept control of the range of emotions plaguing him for he was afraid he might say something he'd regret.

Willow let out a sigh and shook her head, lowering her hand. "You can't just be careful with yourself anymore, Adam. It isn't just about you anymore."

He glared, not wanting to have this conversation. "Thank you for breakfast."

Willow bit her lip but didn't say anything. "Let us know if you need anything, Adam. You know we're here for you." A statement, not a question.

He nodded, afraid of what he might say.

With that, she walked past him to her car and drove off. He heard the sound of dishes clattering in the background, knowing Bay must be cleaning up after them, tossing away the uneaten food. Neither of them had been that hungry.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the doorjamb. How the fuck had he gotten himself in this situation? Oh yeah, he'd given in and been an idiot. What the hell was he going to do about it?

Chapter 6.

Bay dried her hands on the towel and took a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting a conversation with Adam and his sister-in-law and a whole meal where she could sit awkwardly and not feel like she belonged when she'd woken up. In fact, she hadn't expected to sleep as long as she had. She'd wanted to wake up before Adam that way she wouldn't disturb him and start a fight she wasn't ready to have. But, apparently, she'd been more tired than she thought and had slept like the dead. She hadn't even woken when Adam had gotten up. She had no idea what he could be thinking at that very moment or what he had thought when he saw her sleeping next to him.

She closed her eyes and sighed. This was not at all like she'd planned. All she had wanted was to make sure she and her baby were protected. And here she was, feeling like she was out of place and unwanted, though as she thought about it, that's what she'd thought would happen. She didn't know these people, and they didn't know her. In fact, she was used to people not knowing her and, in return, not trusting them.

Damn, she hated this. She was thinking in circles, not getting anywhere. She squared her shoulders and waddled out to the living room. Oh, yeah, that's the way to work it. Try to look fierce and know what you're doing and end up waddling. In times like these, she hated being pregnant. The baby rolled, and she put her hands on her stomach, closing her eyes.

"Sorry, little one," she whispered. Damn, she was already a horrible mother. Thinking she didn't want to be pregnant. What would her baby think of her?

Bay sank into the cushions and inhaled the lingering cinnamon scent. She gave a small smile as she thought about the woman she'd met. Willow seemed like such a warm soul and had a strong spirit. She bit back a laugh at what she had thought when she'd first heard the woman's voice this morning. She'd been deep asleep when she heard Adam's rumbly voice and the softer one answering. Nervous, and only a little jealous, she had quickly gotten out of bed, got dressed, and ventured outside of the room to see who it had been. She had the lingering feeling it was someone close to Adam. And she'd been right. Willow was not only Adam's sister-in-law but a true friend to Adam, and frankly, that scared Bay a little too much. She didn't know the intricacies of their family, nor did she know everyone's past histories, but she knew she was missing something between Willow and Adam. Though she had been relieved to find out the woman was already mated, Bay had been worried the woman had been a past lover or, worse, the current one. Bay knew that had not been the case, thankfully.

But when Willow had spoken to her, Bay hadn't felt any jealousy on the woman's part. No, all she'd felt with happiness and a bit of sorrow wafting off her and maybe something else... acceptance?

Adam still stood at the front door, his head resting against the frame. He hadn't moved for ten minutes, not since Willow had left. Suddenly, he growled and stalked toward her. Bay tensed, her hand instinctively covering her belly.

Adam stopped short, a frown on his face. He tilted his head, just like a wolf would, his gaze studying her.

"I'm going to have to deal with you," he growled.

Annoyed, she lifted her lip, showing her canine, or what would have been a canine had she been in wolf form. Some instincts she couldn't ignore.

"I get it, okay?" she spit out, exasperated. "You don't like me, and I don't really like you." Liar. "But that doesn't really matter, does it? We're going to have to learn to deal with each other." She held up her hand when he wanted to speak. She needed to get these things out before they ended up internalizing everything and then combusting. "I'm not here for you to fall in love with me." He growled again, this time more menacing with a layer of hurt. They were already too connected if she could feel the intricacies of his feelings. She ignored it, like she ignored everything else. "I'm here because my baby needs help. I'm in trouble; I know this. Something's following me, but I don't know what. I can't stop it, and I can't protect myself and my baby without help. That's where you come in. I don't need you to hold my hand or say nice things. What I need is for you to be there to protect me. I know that's not something you want to do, but it's something I need you to do."

Adam glared at her and sat down on the coffee table, their knees brushing. "I'm sorry, Bay."

She blinked, not knowing what to do. Of all things he could've said, that had been the last thing on her mind. "For what?"

He shook his head and rubbed a hand on his face. "I'm sorry I'm being such an ass. I know you didn't ask for this, and I know this isn't your fault. But I can't help it. I'm just in a pissed-off mood, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Well, there sure was something he could do about it, but she didn't think he would do it.

"But, Bay, we're going to have to figure out what is stalking you. I don't think you're making that up. You wouldn't come here if you didn't have to be. I know that much."

She nodded, the words heavy on her tongue so she couldn't speak. Hope bled into her heart, but she tamped it down. No, she couldn't think like that. He was just saying he was sorry. He may have trusted that she wouldn't have come to town for any other reason, but that didn't mean he trusted her for anything else. And frankly, he shouldn't.

"I'm glad you believe me."

Adam nodded. "Good, then we got that out of the way. What I want to know is why someone would be following you."

She did her best not show any reaction to that remark. Yes, she had an idea why they would be following her, but she didn't want to tell Adam. No, she couldn't tell Adam.

"I don't know why, Adam."

Adam narrowed his gaze, and she raised her chin, not letting the Enforcer get beneath her skin. "Why is it I don't fully believe you, Bay?"

"Maybe because you're the Enforcer and you don't believe anybody who's not your own flesh and blood?" She gave a wry grin and tried not to let her hands shake.

Adam gave out a surprising dry chuckle and shook his head. "I don't even tend to trust them when it comes to protecting my Pack."

"That's a really sad thing to say, Adam."

"Yeah, well, I'm the Enforcer. I don't get to choose family ties over their own well-being. I'll do what I have to protect them."

It sounded like a warning, and Bay sat straighter.

"Understood."

"Do you know how to protect yourself?" Adam asked.

"I'm a wolf. I can fight," she said, her chin raised.

"But what about if you can't shift? Can you use a gun?"

She shook her head, feeling inadequate.

"Fine, let me show you." He stalked off, rummaged through something in the back, then came back with a gun she didn't know the name of and a clip.

He showed her how to load it and how to turn off the safety.

"You aim and shoot for now. You're a wolf, you'll be okay. But I will show you how to actually shoot and not blast your foot off later."

She nodded, thinking she hoped she would never have to use a gun.

"Tell me about your life before you came here," Adam ordered.

"You saw what my life was like that night." She didn't want to go into it and have him look down on the fact that she had nothing. He had everything-a Pack, a family, a home. She had nothing.

He shook his head, and then put his head in his hands, clearly not wanting to remember that night. Too damn bad. She had to live with the consequences daily. In fact, the consequences were currently trying to play a nice song and dance number on her bladder. If they didn't finish this conversation soon, it might prove embarrassing.

"I remember you in the bar that night. I don't remember much else. And frankly I'd rather hear it from your lips."

She let out a sigh and shifted on the couch to try to get more comfortable. Well, at least as comfortable as she could get looking like a freaking beach ball. "I'm a lone wolf, Adam. I've always been that way. I don't have a Pack, and I don't have any responsibilities. No, wait, I mean had. I've never had responsibilities. I never used to have any of that, and I didn't want it. And now it looks like I have just a little bit more, don't I?"

Adam's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything.

"The Talon Pack threw my mother out when she was pregnant with me. I don't know why." Lie. "But ever since then, we've been on our own. When she died, I became completely on my own." She ignored the pain that settled in her stomach and continued. "I don't know how to function in a Pack, and I'm quite fine being by myself. Usually. I never got a degree, and I never really did anything. I'm forty years old, and I have nothing. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Anger rose with each sentence, and she bit her tongue. She sounded like a loser who'd never had any ambition. But she'd been in hiding her whole life. She just couldn't tell Adam that.

Adam raised a brow but didn't say anything. She couldn't tell if he was judging her, but she didn't really want to think about that.

"I don't know how you lasted, Bay."

"What do you mean?" Did he know? Did he suspect?

"I've been in the Pack all my life. I've always felt them. I'm the Enforcer. Therefore, I have a closer connection to them than most. I don't know what I would have done with myself if I didn't have them. I've always known that, if I failed, I would have them to rely on and they would catch me if I fell. I've never been truly alone, even though sometimes I feel like I'm more alone than ever." He closed his mouth abruptly and widened his eyes, as if knowing he'd said too much.

She didn't say anything but lapped up the small details he let slip and relished them. Even though he didn't want to keep her, she was his mate. As long as they both lived, she'd always be his mate. She'd have to take what she could get.

"You can stay here in this house because that is what the Alpha requests." He growled that last bit, and she felt like crap. Of course, it hadn't been his decision. He would never have chosen her to begin with. But, it didn't matter now; it was all about the baby. "I will protect you because it's my duty. Nothing more."

She curled her lip and let out a small growl, even as pain radiated from her fingers down to her toes. The rejection ate at her, clawing its way through her body like her own wolf.

"Fine, your duty." She bit out the last word and inwardly cursed. Damn, she didn't want him to know what she felt. He had no right.

"It's nothing more. It can be nothing more."

She nodded and stood unsteadily, her ankles aching and swollen. She paced in the living room, resting her hands in the small of her back. Oh, what she wouldn't do to have someone rub her back for her. Oh, God, even a bath would do. But she didn't have time for the luxury. She hadn't had a bath big enough back to her old apartment, and she hadn't felt comfortable using Adam's the night before.

"I don't know what it is you want me to say, Bay," Adam whispered, his voice low and filled with something she couldn't discern. "The night we spent together was supposed to end there. We'd had too much to drink and hadn't been thinking properly. Because if I had, I wouldn't have slept with a wolf and risked something like that."

She turned on him and growled, her wolf clawing to the surface. "Really, Adam? Because you think only wolves can mate to each other? You're an idiot if you think that. You know wolves can mate with anyone, that there are potentials out there for everyone, and if you look, you can often find one."

She took a deep breath.

"After that, the decision whether to mate with them is up to you. Sometimes the mating urges are harder than others, but it's your choice, Adam. You're the one who bit me first. You're the one who decided we didn't need to use a condom. You're the one who mated me. Don't put it all on alcohol. You're a fucking wolf. Your metabolism is high enough that, halfway through the night, your alcohol level would've been down and you would have known what you were doing. But, no, you decided to continue on. And, yes, it's just as much my fault as yours. But, I'm owning up to it. I know I'm about to be a mom, and I know that you want nothing to do with this. Fine. But, know this; I will not let you talk down to me just because you think you're all high and mighty.

"You're the one who couldn't keep his dick in his pants, and I'm the one who succumbed to it. Get over yourself and realize that this isn't going away. At least not for right now. As soon as everything is safe, I'll take the baby and go away. That way you won't have to deal with it. For right now, though, it's in your face, and I understand that hurts. You're going to have to get over it, just for the moment. Please."

She fisted her hands and turned away from them. She hadn't meant to say all that. She knew he was hurting from losing his mate and child. She knew that, and yet she pushed. Crap, this wasn't what she wanted. She didn't know what she wanted, frankly, but this wasn't it.

She heard Adam come up and stood behind her, and she braced for what he would say.

"You have spine. I like that."

She closed her eyes, letting the feel of his nearness envelope her.

"I don't know what we're going to do, Bay. But things will work themselves out. They have to." His voice sounded broken at the end, like he was giving up on something precious. She took a deep breath and tried not to let her emotions get to her. It was her fault he was feeling everything again. She didn't know how long his mate had been dead, but regardless, she knew she was bringing back the memories. And now that she was mated to him, she couldn't see him in pain. Her wolf whimpered for his wolf, and she lit a spark that sent a powerful flare, her wolf rolling over her and becoming more dominant. She didn't understand how she could do this while all the wolves had to change forms in order to be able to let their wolves become dominant, but she had been born different. She could let her wolf see through her eyes and act through her body, though she trusted her wolf enough not to do anything she wouldn't do.

Her wolf moaned inwardly, loving the feel of their mate close to them. Her wolf was allowed to feel the emotions that she couldn't. The longing, the need, everything.

"What the hell was that?" Adam shouted, and gripped her shoulders, turning her toward him. He looked as if he'd been shaken to the core.

She let her wolf fade back so Bay had control. "Nothing. It was just my wolf."

"I don't believe you. That was different. I've never felt that before. What the hell are you?"

"I'm a werewolf, just like you." Sort of.

"No, you're more. Tell me, now." He growled that last bit and let his power seep over her. He was the Enforcer, meaning he could sense threats and deal with them, as he needed. Damn, he thought she was a threat. She had to tell him something. Just not everything.

"I don't know why, but I have extra powers."

"Tell me."

"I've already told your father."

"I don't care, tell me now."

"Then let go of me please." She did her best to sound strong, to show that she wasn't scared. Her whole life she'd hidden, and yet now, the one person that could hurt her the most needed to know something she couldn't tell him.

He released her quickly then rubbed his hands up and down her arms, as if making sure he hadn't bruised her. She almost leaned into his touch then stopped, knowing that would be bad for both of them. He seemed to realize what he had been doing and pulled his hands back.

"Tell me, please."

"I have psychometry, meaning I can touch some things and see the past."

Adam's eyes widened, but that was his only reaction to what she'd said. Although she could still feel his wolf trying to lean into her wolf.