My Mate Sent Me To Prison I Return As His Nightmare novel Chapter 3

"Well, well. You two lovebirds move fast," Sylvia said, her voice syrupy sweet while her eyes remained cold as winter. "Pregnant after just one year! How... efficient."

She let her voice crack on the last word, her eyes suddenly swimming with perfectly timed tears.

"I've been trying for four fucking moons with nothing to show for it."

Those fat, glistening tears started their practiced descent down her flawless cheeks.

I watched something shift in Grayson's expression—a look he'd never once given me—raw devotion mixed with fierce protectiveness that made my stomach twist into knots.

He pressed his lips together before turning to me, his decision already made.

"Get rid of it."

His words hit me like a slap. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"What did you just say?" I whispered, certain I'd misheard.

Grayson sighed dramatically. "Your body can't handle a pregnancy, Adira. Your wolf is damaged. I couldn't bear watching you go through labor."

"I'm only thinking of you," he added with practiced concern. "I couldn't stand seeing you suffer during birth."

The same man who, moments earlier, had been desperately reassuring Sylvia about her fertility issues.

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "This is my cub, Grayson. My body. My goddamn choice."

With a damaged wolf, I lived on borrowed time anyway.

But I desperately wanted—needed—this child. Someone who would look after my mother when I was gone.

Grayson's expression flickered with what might have been a microsecond of actual hesitation.

"Oh, Grayson," Sylvia cut in, her voice a masterful blend of martyrdom and sweetness. "Maybe we should let Adira keep the cub. I absolutely adore pups."

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before delivering her knockout punch.

"I'm just terrified that when Aiden sees his precious little niece or nephew, he'll finally realize what a broken, barren failure I am." Her voice dissolved into a delicate whimper.

Whatever momentary doubt had crossed Grayson's face vanished instantly. His voice hardened.

"Adira, this ends now. I'm calling the pack healer to schedule the procedure."

"The hell you are," I shot back, "this cub stays. If you don't want us, fine—we'll disappear."

"You'll never have to see either of us again."

When I finally regained consciousness, I recognized our den by the scent of Grayson's territorial marking before I could even open my eyes.

Through barely-parted lids, I spotted them on the sofa across the room—Grayson and Sylvia—her body curled against his like they were two pieces of the same puzzle.

"I can't believe you actually went through with it," Sylvia whispered, her voice a perfect blend of feigned horror and secret fascination.

"Making Adira terminate like that."

Grayson's voice was low and intimate—a tone he'd never once used with me.

"Think about it, Sylv. You've been mated for years without conceiving. If I had a cub before you, Aiden and his pack would make your life absolute hell."

"You're my precious sister. How could I let some... inconvenient pregnancy hurt you?"

"Oh, Grayson," Sylvia sighed, her voice trembling with emotion. "If only we weren't legally pack-siblings. I would have chosen you in a heartbeat."

"But now I'm Aiden's mate," she continued with rehearsed sadness.

"It's too late for us. All I can do to repay your devotion is..."

A kiss landed on Grayson's lips.