Denied by Destiny: Trapped in the Shadows of the Mate Bond

"I'll leave you to it." He stands up, pulling the chair out and tucking it back in under the table only for Maya to walk over, eyeing him with suspicion. "Take care." He offers out, a nod as he departs.

"You too." I call out after him as he walks away, Maya pulling the chair out and sitting down.

"Who was that?" She turns, as I watch him leave the services back towards the car park.

"Just someone that used to know my Dad. It doesn't matter." I shake my head out, trying to refocus on why I was here.

"So, what was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone."

"Let me get you a drink." I stand, suddenly feeling nervous about telling her.

"Cleo...stop stalling. I've just driven hours to meet you here when you could have just video called me."

"No, I didn't know who might be listening. It isn't safe to discuss this on pack grounds."

Her eyes widen at my words, her hands reaching out to hold mine.

"Cleo...you're actually starting to freak me out. What's going on?"

"Vault?"

"Yes, I promised you this would remain within the vault."noveldrama

"No matter what?" I try to portray in my voice just how important this is.

"No matter what. Just tell me."

I'm pregnant."

""You found your mate?"

I sigh out, this seemed to be the standard reaction to my news. I shake my head, closing my eyes, waiting for her to figure it out.

"You mean..." She snatches her hands away, placing both hands to her mouth to cover her shocked gasp.

"Yes."

"Jace is the father?" She removes her hands, leaning forward and whispering. I don't know why, nobody was here to listen. "Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've told my parents the baby is human."

"You know that won't work. As soon as the baby is born they will know that is a lie. Especially giving birth to an alpha's child." My back stiffens a protective sensation tugging in my lower tummy as she clicks her tongue at me. I know this but hearing it from her of all people makes me worry about the birth. She was only thinking of me, I know she was.

"I know that Maya, but it will give me time to sort something out."

"Sort what out?"

"I'm not sure yet, but Jaxon..."

"Jaxon?" She snaps back, as if this was too much all of a sudden just because his name was mentioned.

"He came by, he knows I am pregnant but I think I persuaded him that the child is a human."

"Even I'm not dumb enough to believe that, come on. This is Jaxon...he's probably already told Jace." "No, I told him I would leave if I did."

"Why can't you tell Jace? It's the 21st century, not the 16th."

"Because he has found his mate."

"She won't be that naive to think he hasn't had sex before meeting her."

"There's sex Maya, and there's the product of sex. Quite different when it's screaming at you for a diaper change."

"You need to tell him."

"No, not yet. Jaxon was already talking about the baby being the heir to the Clear Waters pack. I

can't let them take my baby." My hands wrap around my stomach.

My mind hasn't stopped spinning since taking the pregnancy test but one thing was for certain now, one thing that my mind was clear

enough to not change its mind on.... was keeping my baby.

I couldn't bear to give my baby away, I couldn't bear for my baby to be taken from me.

This was my baby and if I needed to raise it alone, off pack grounds then I will go.

"I won't let this cast a dark cloud on the pack or Ares' alpha legacy. I won't let them take my child only then push it aside when they have their own child. The mate bond takes preference with children, you know this. Which is why I need you to

get your story straight." I say with fierce determination, my back straight and my face serious. "Okay, I can do that."

"The bartender...the human one." I remind her of the story, of who we are saying the father is. "Yes, I remember."

"He was the one I went back with, he is the father."