Fuck … why does this feel like a shotgun wedding?
“Is Gage Navarro the father of your child?”
“What?” she shrieked. “How do you know I’m even pregnant?” she asked hotly. Rylee folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. He smiled.
“You were at a gyno doctor. A prenatal specialist. I happen to know that you are pregnant by other means, but you can’t deny where you were.”
She shook her head, not as an answer but as a denial to his question.
“When did you conceive, my dear? How far along are you?”
Bright hot spots burned on Rylee’s cheeks as she glared at him.
“Who the hell do you think you are? Why is my sex life … or my uterus, for that matter … any of your damn business?”
Again, he got that strange glint in his eye.
“My dear, you’ll find it’s very much my business. I really wish you’d cooperate and answer my questions. I need to know. It’s very important. Can you tell me, are you in a relationship with Gage Navarro?”
“What?” she asked, questions of her own flying through her head like birds caught in a whirlwind.
The man leaned forward, staring straight into her eyes.
“Are you in love with him? Is he in love with you?” The man’s voice was harsh, his words quick. Rylee shook her head, tears pricking at her eyes. The man slapped the table in frustration, and Rylee jumped.
“Damn it, woman, this is serious!” he snapped. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
She shook her head. She didn’t understand any of this.
“Then my next question is the most important one,” he said, his voice soft. He gave her an intense look, leaning forward as he stared at her, his eyes so cold they seemed to pierce her soul.
“My dear … do you know Gage Navarro’s secret?”
TWENTY-ONE
GAGE
Gage could feel his heart beating in his ears as he stomped around frantically, searching for Rylee. The panicked sensation inside him took him back to the war, all those violent atrocities that occurred, the ones observed and those committed by his hand.
It made it exceptionally hard to focus.
He began wrecking the waiting room, tearing apart the bookshelves, the receptionist desk, and the lobby paintings on the wall. There were only a few clients waiting to be served, and they cowered away from the chaos, running out the front door.
Gage was losing control for the first time in a long time. It was like a ticking time bomb that was settled in his chest had finally gone off. He had lost the thing that he held most precious.
“GAGE!”
A voice roared behind him, making him freeze with his fists held in the air. He turned to see a man in a lab coat with long hair tied back into a ponytail. Gage caught his scent and realized that he was a shifter too.
“Elder Ramos,” the man began, speaking calmly. “He wants to see you at headquarters. If I were you, I’d head there as soon as possible.”
Gage’s heart raced inside him. He gave one last foul kick to the desk, making it fold inward. The man remained still, though, his hands behind his back in judgment.
“They better not have fucking toucheda hairon her head,” Gage hissed as he walked by.
The man said nothing as Gage stormed outside, pulling his phone from his pocket at the same time. After fumbling for a moment, he dialed the number of the club, feeling his handshake as he pressed it to his ear.
“Midnight Mates, what can I do for you?”