3. Locked Up

Eira’s POV

“Eira… do you want to be his wife that badly?” My father’s voice rang in my head, his face etched with concern and confusion.

“He is my mate, Father,” I replied, pretending not to notice the look on his face.

Kieran was my mate, and I had waited my whole life to meet him. I wasn’t going to let him go.

“Sigh... I hope you’ll be happy with him,” my father said with a weary smile.

His face faded away, replaced by faint voices echoing in my ears. Pain ripped through my head as my eyes flickered open. The first thing I saw was a ceiling staring down at me.

Where am I?

The faint voices grew louder, accompanied by a sharp pain in my chest.

“Ugh…”

“Come on, Alpha, right there.”

“Haaah… Uugh… Aaah...”

“You’re such a slut, aren’t you?” A familiar voice groaned.

“Yeah, the slut carrying your baby—oh, AAH~!”

My eyes widened in shock, memories flooding back as the word baby hit me like a blow. Right, I had been dragged into this room with Vanessa. But what were they doing? Was that… a moan?

My hand clutched my chest, my heart pounding painfully. Another wave of agony hit, and I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. My mate—my husband—was on our bed, shamelessly having sex with another woman, fully aware I might see him.

The moans intensified, stabbing at my already fragile composure. Tears stung my eyes, but the pain in my chest was too overwhelming to let them fall.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt this ache. It had plagued me throughout our relationship, even before we married. But he had said he loved me and would never betray me.

And I, like a fool, believed him, thinking the pain was some mysterious illness.

After what felt like hours, I forced myself into a sitting position, gripping the bed for support as I pulled myself up. I couldn’t stay here. I needed to leave.

But as I stood, the sight before me froze me in place. On our bed, they lay entangled, naked. Their moans grew louder, their movements more shameless. Kieran groaned in pleasure as she ran her hands down his back.

I stood there, my heart-shattering. He didn’t even try to hide it. The smug satisfaction on his face was a slap to everything I thought we had. But even as tears threatened to spill, I refused to crumble.

Gripping my chest, I forced myself to stand tall.

“Save the tears for later, Eira,” I whispered to myself. “There will be time for that.”

Taking a shaky breath, I steeled myself. “I, Eira Silverclaw, the only child of Alpha Silverclaw, reject you, Kieran Black, as my mate.” My voice was steady, though every word felt like a blade slicing through my heart.

Kieran paused, his smirk fading as his cold eyes met mine. He froze, wide-eyed, before pulling away from Vanessa.

“A rejection? Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed as if I were a mere annoyance.

“You should accept the rejection, Alpha,” I said coldly, refusing to call him by his name. “That way, you can leave your barren wife and be with your mistress… the one carrying your pup.”

His expression darkened instantly. He was in front of me in a flash, his hand gripping my hair and yanking my head back. Pain shot through my scalp, but I didn’t look away.

“You dare reject me?” he hissed, his breath hot and rancid against my face.

Then, his hand struck my cheek with such force that I stumbled, my vision swimming. My skin burned, but I forced myself upright, glaring at him.

“You think you can walk away from me?” he sneered, shoving me to the floor. My body hit hard, humiliation stinging more than the impact.

“You walked away first,” I spat, my voice trembling with anger.

“Take her out of my sight,” he ordered coldly, snapping his fingers thrice.

The door burst open, and three Gamma bodyguards stepped in. They grabbed me without a word as I struggled against their iron grip.

Vanessa sat smugly on the bed, feigning innocence. But when our eyes met, her lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

“Guess you weren’t much of a wife after all,” she whispered, in a way I could only read her lips, her voice dripping with mockery.

I opened my mouth to retort, but Kieran silenced me with a wave of his hand. “Lock her up,” he ordered, his voice sharp and unyielding. “She needs time to reflect on her actions.”

My chest tightened as panic surged through me. “Kieran!” I screamed as the guards dragged me out, but he didn’t so much as glance my way.

Vanessa’s laugh followed me out the door. “The baby’s getting upset with all that noise,” she mocked.

“Shut her up,” Kieran growled, his voice colder than ice.

One of the guards covered my mouth as they dragged me down the hallway. Before the door closed behind me, I saw Kieran climbing back on top of Vanessa, continuing as if nothing had happened.

In moments, I was thrown into my room, the door slamming shut behind me. I scrambled to the door, pounding on it with all my might.

“Let me out!” I screamed. “Open this door right now!”

But no one came. My cries echoed into silence.

Exhausted, I slumped to the floor, the tears I had been holding back finally breaking free. Sobs wracked my body as despair consumed me.

*****

The week that followed was a blur of loneliness and despair. My only visitor was the maid who brought my meals and left without a word. I suspected she had been ordered not to speak to me.

Since she wasn’t my personal maid, there was no way I could even strike up a conversation with her.

Not once did Kieran come to see me. Not once did he check if I was even alive. He had left me here like a thorn to be locked away and forgotten.

Just then, the door unlocked, and a guard stepped in. I recognized him as one of the men who had dragged me into this room.

“The Alpha has given permission for you to leave,” he said with a blank expression, stepping aside to let me through. “He is waiting for you in the dining room.”

I glared at the guard. They had finally let me out, but I felt like a ghost of myself. Rising to my feet, I headed for the door, my body weak and my legs wobbling as I moved. I needed to see that bastard.

As I descended the grand staircase, my heart heavy with a mix of anger and despair, I saw her.

Vanessa stood at the bottom of the stairs, as smug and radiant as ever. Her presence was a sharp reminder of everything I had lost.

Dressed extravagantly, with jewelry and accessories that seemed like second skin, she looked more like the lady of the house than I did—me, who had been locked away for days.

“Enjoy your little vacation?” she sneered, crossing her arms.

I stopped midway down the stairs, glaring at her. “At least I don’t have to fake love to keep a man,” I shot back, my voice steady despite the rage boiling inside me.

Her grin widened. “Oh, sweetheart, fake or not, I have him. And where are you? Tossed aside like garbage.”

I took a step forward, ready to lash out, but before I could say another word, she let out a theatrical gasp and stumbled backward. My eyes widened as I watched her tumble down the stairs, her scream echoing through the hallway.

“Kieran!” she cried, clutching her belly dramatically as she sprawled on the floor.

Panic surged through me, though not for her. My instincts screamed at me to run, to explain, but before I could move, Kieran appeared.