His Rejected Pregnant Mate (Belrose Black Ops Wolves #2)

Chapter 1 - Nora

I knocked on the door and glanced at my phone, checking the time. It was just a little past eight, so I knew that Jade would be up.

The door opened, and Brandon stood there. He had toys in his hands that he was trying to balance, but what caught my attention was the tutu and makeup that were smeared on his face. I smirked, unable to hide the amusement. “Morning, Brandon. Don’t you look pretty?”

Brandon didn’t even look flustered seeing me. “Nora? What are you doing here?”

Before I could answer, Jade was walking down the hallway looking perky and energetic. “We have the party tonight. She’s helping me set up. Or did you forget?”

“That’s tonight?” Brandon said, seeming to lose track of the days. I couldn’t help but scan his outfit again, holding back a laugh. The tutu clung to him tightly, and the make-up was a hot pink matching it.

“I didn’t know they made tutus that big,” I giggled.

Brandon looked down, seeming to realize that he was clearly dressed up. He opened his mouth to answer, but Ilsa came down the stairs wearing an entire princess outfit. She had her hair pulled back with a tiara on her head. She had some makeup on her face that I imagined Jade did herself.

I glanced into the living room, seeing that it was set up with pink streamers and glitter balloons. There was popcorn set out, and a movie was paused.

“Daddddd, come on.” Ilsa hurried toward the couch, grabbing a bowl of popcorn and curling up in a blanket.

Brandon rolled his shoulders back, looking confident as he smiled. “I have a movie to watch.”

I held back a laugh as he turned on his heels, walking into the living room. I slipped inside, always feeling so relaxed when I came over. I always felt that way when I was around Jade. Our friendship had been one that I knew I could trust.

I thought when Brandon came into the picture, things would have changed, but they hadn’t. If anything, it shifted into something more comforting. I found I trust Brandon almost as much as I trusted Jade.

I watched as Brandon sat down on the couch, pulling Ilsa close as he started the movie. Jade hooked her arm with mine, a smile on her face. “I wasn’t expecting you until a little later. “

I chuckled. “And if I had, I would have missed seeing this.” I pulled my shoes off and yanked my jacket free. “Besides, I know you said you wanted help with cooking, so I figured, why not come and help with that as well. I mean, Mr. Princess in there seems occupied.”

Jade laughed. “He’s pretty confident in it. He will do just about anything for her.” I remembered just how worried she had been when Brandon moved back. She was utterly terrified of losing Ilsa and anything else that could happen. And now, when she looked at him, I could see the sparkle in them.

She looked like a different person than the one I knew, yet she was still the same.

Sweet and caring. Brandon had been a perfect half to her.

He stood by her for the hard times, and they worked together as a team.

I was jealous of how perfect they were. But I knew how hard it had been to get here.

I saw how difficult it had been for them to get to this point in their relationship.

“Come.” Jade pulled me toward the kitchen, where she had already pulled everything out. The counter was filled with ingredients. “Do you want a coffee?”

I nodded my head. “Sure. What are we all making again?”

“Uhhh…” She started the coffee maker, seeming to calculate everything in her head. “Eight pizzas, three dozen garlic breadsticks, two dozen cookies, and two pans of brownies. I think that should be enough to feed everyone.”

My eyebrows went up. “How many people did you invite to this?”

“The parents from the daycare and the guys that work with Brandon. I’m worried I won’t have enough food, though.” She handed me a coffee mug and started another. “The guys are kind of animals when it comes to food.”

I chuckled. “I think that should be enough food. Where would you like my help?”

Nora and I talked while we cooked. I cut the vegetables while she made the pizza dough. I made the brownies while she worked on the cookies. Before we even knew it, the entire morning had gone by, and it was a little after four, and the doorbell went off.

“Is that the doorbell?” Jade asked, her hands pausing as she scraped the cookies off the cookie sheet.

“Sounds like it,” I said as I opened the oven, pulling out the last pizza. The kitchen smelled amazing, and the food looked perfect. I was impressed with how smoothly everything went. Not a single thing was ruined.

Brandon stepped into the kitchen, looking more himself. He looked over the counter space, and his eyebrows went up. “Damn, you guys made all of this? I’m impressed.”

“Who was at the door?”

“Jessie and Logan. I told them they could head around back. Do you want me to start bringing this out?”

“Yeah, but be careful, some of this is still hot.”

The doorbell rang again, and I pulled my oven mitts off. “I’ll grab it.” I rounded the counter and headed for the front door.

I patted my hands onto my pants as I opened the door and froze. Kaleb stood there wearing a nice white pressed button-down shirt. He had on jeans, and his brown hair was combed back. I felt my heart skip a beat, and I tried to hide my excitement as his blue eyes landed on me.

“Hey.” Kaleb smiled at me and then tilted his head as he stared at me. “Were you baking?”

I quickly looked down at my outfit, wondering if I had something on me, but I didn’t. I looked up at him, confused. “I was, but how did you know?”

Kaleb chuckled, his hand reaching out. His thumb brushed my cheek, and my entire body stiffened at the contact. “You had flour on your face.”

I blushed as I pulled a hand up, trying to wipe my face. “I didn’t notice. I was helping your sister.”

“I figured that,” he said with a chuckle as he walked into the house. I shut the door as he slipped his shoes off. “Where is everyone?”

“Jade and Brandon were bringing the food outside. I think Ilsa is upstairs.”

Brandon nodded as he walked into the kitchen. Some of the food was still there, and his eyebrows went up. “Damn, this all looks so good.”

“Uncle Kaleb,” Ilsa spoke up as she rounded the stairs, her eyes narrowing on him. “You swore.”

Kaleb turned, looking shocked. “I didn’t know you were around to hear me.”

“You owe me a dollar for the swear jar.” She walked toward him, placing her hand out.

I laughed as Kaleb sighed, pulled his wallet out, and handed her a dollar. Ilsa smiled happily as she pocketed it. “Thank you.”

Ilsa hummed as she walked away, heading toward the screen doors. She pulled them open and stepped outside. Kaleb turned to me. “I think I’ve filled her jar already.”

I laughed as I grabbed the brownies. “Well, you do have a potty mouth.”

Kaleb couldn’t even argue my point because we both knew it was true. He spewed profanity easily, which is where the swear jar came into place. He’d gotten better, but he still slipped up.

We carried out the rest of the food and found that there were a lot of people already out in the backyard. I took in the faces, knowing almost everyone who was here. Parents from Ilsa’s daycare and the guys that you saw around town who worked with Brandon and his crew.

A lot had changed over the past few months.

The people that Brandon and Jade brought back from their search for the hybrid ended up staying and merging into Belrose.

It took them some time to adjust, but everyone found a place to stay and a job they enjoyed.

But we all knew what was out there and that the fight was far from over.

“I want to thank everyone for coming and joining us for this meal. Ilsa wanted to have one more get-together before the snow flies.”

Ilsa was talking with two little girls on the ground. I doubt she was listening, but the adults were.

Brandon bumped his arm against mine, and I turned my gaze toward him. The sun bathed on him, making his deep skin look stunning. His blue eyes stared at me with softness, and I felt my heart flutter at how he was looking at me like he was seeing the real me.

“Yes?” I asked.

“You look like you’re dazed out.”

I blushed, looking away. “I was just thinking about everything that changed.”

Jade and I were two people who no one noticed.

People would walk past us. We only ever had each other, but within a short span of time, suddenly, people seemed to notice us.

People I never expected to speak to me suddenly wanted to spend time with me.

It was different, and I had a hard time adjusting.

Jade seemed to adjust just fine. She smiled as she leaned against Brandon, looking happy. He wrapped his arm around her, tugging her closer.

“I just can’t believe winter is so close.” I looked back at Kaleb. “Do you think the hybrids are going to attack us in the cold? Does it affect them?”

There was still so much I didn’t know about the hybrids, but that was true for everyone. Brandon, Kaleb, Asher, and Westley all knew more than anyone else, but even there were questions they couldn’t answer.

Why hadn’t we found them? Why hadn’t we been able to stop them? When were they coming back? What were we going to do?

I shook my head, knowing if I continued to think about it, my mind would spiral.

“I don’t see them stopping,” Kaleb said, his face changing for a split second into anger.

I knew the guys were frustrated with how everything had gone down.

They said they were supposed to attack us, but they hadn’t.

We were all in the dark, scared of what was to come.

None of us knew what their true goal was anymore.

“How has the house hunting gone?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.

Kaleb groaned. “About as well as you’d expect.”

“Really? You haven’t found anything?”