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Scarlett’s POV

A wave of nausea rushed over me, propelling me to rush over to the sink in the restroom. After throwing up everything I ate at lunch, I could barely stand on my legs. 

I stared at my body in the mirror on the wall, my lips downturned as I stared back at my reflection. I had a tank top on, and my stomach which I’ve always hidden from everyone had gotten bigger. 

I thought I was losing weight, but this pregnancy just had to come and now my stomach and cheeks are double their former size. 

I rested against the sink, heaving heavily. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep the pregnancy a secret from Rowan and everyone else. 

“I have to do this now,” I mumbled, slowly dragging my body away from the restroom.

Rowan, my mate, wasn’t around when I discovered that I was pregnant and since he arrived this morning, I had been postponing telling him about the good news. 

But at the moment, it was better to have someone to share the series of morning sicknesses with instead of just locking up and waiting for the perfect time. 

With that, I made my way outside, trying to track him with the mate bond. 

My wolf vibrated in my head, protectiveness and happiness tolling off of her in waves. She had been the happiest since we found out that we were pregnant. 

Rowan was in the garden and it was when I got there that I realized that he wasn’t alone. 

My brows rose, confusion coursing through me as I saw the sight in there. He wasn’t just alone but with Elaine, my cousin. 

Why did it look like they were… holding hands? 

She sat so close to him that he only needed to whisper whatever he needed to say to her. They were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn’t notice me till I got close enough that my footsteps made sounds. 

And only then did they break apart from each other. 

“Rowan, I need to tell you something,” I said, trying everything in my power to ignore what I saw earlier. 

He straightened up, his face void of any emotion. “Not now, Scarlett. We’re busy.” He said in a dismissive tone. 

My gaze happened to stray over to Elaine and I almost didn’t catch it, but I saw her lips come up in what I’d call a smirk.

I didn’t like that one bit but I said nothing. 

“It’s very important, I’m —” he cut me off, his lips thinned into a straight line. 

“I said not now.” He said as he stood up, “Go and do some more exercise or something. You’ve gained more weight than the last time I saw you.” 

A pang of hurt appeared in my chest. He knew I hated it when people pointed out how plumpy I was but he seemed to be the one saying it more these days. 

I stared down at my body and true to his words, I was fatter than I was. It was definitely the pregnancy as I wasn’t eating unusually. 

Upon looking up again, he didn’t even look one bit remorseful about what he just said. Instead, he seemed angrier. 

“You really want me to leave?” I asked. 

His jaw clenched hard, “I’ll leave for you instead. It seems you don’t understand it when I say I was busy.” He turned to Elaine, “Are you coming?”

“Right behind you.” 

But she didn’t go with him when he walked away. Instead, she walked closer to me, her eyes sizing me up. 

Elaine was everything that I was not. Slim, beautiful, and well-loved by people, she was their angel. 

“You looked excited earlier. Did something good happen?” She asked. 

I swallowed thickly, “I’m pregnant. But Rowan doesn’t know it yet.” 

She didn’t act shocked or put on any expression that I expected. It was more like a calculating look, something more sinister than usual. 

“Well, congratulations to you!” She exclaimed but it was so forced that I didn’t have to second-guess it. 

And before I could say Jack, she had run away. 

~

The monthly council meeting was held in the afternoon and as the Luna and alpha’s daughter, I had to be there. Rowan was still acting very weird, he hadn’t spoken a word to me since and he took a seat at the other side of the table even though his rightful place was beside me. 

The meeting started okay with all of the high-ranking pack members sitting in attendance. That was until Elaine raised her hand, signaling that we had an opinion to make. 

“I need to tell you all something. And honestly, I really hoped that it wouldn’t have to come to this. But I have to come out now as our safety is being threatened.” She said and I stared at her with rapt attention. 

“As the Alpha’s daughter, Scarlett has a responsibility to the pack, right?” She asked, looking around the room. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked out loud. 

“Care to explain what you were doing with close to twenty rogues two days ago?” She stepped closer to me, her eyes shining with something I couldn’t place my hands on. “And why weren’t they attacking you? It was almost like y’all were gisting.” 

“Rogues? Are you out of your freaking senses—”

She cut me off and looked around the room, “Rowan came to me this morning. He said Scarlett has been meeting with the rogue king’s scout. He’s scared that she’ll strip him of his Alpha position as she’s the one who’s the direct descendant of the Alpha if he speaks up.” 

“That’s a lie.” I turned to Rowan who was way too quiet amid everything. “Aren’t you going to say something? Elaine is lying against you.” 

“I have evidence, Scarlett.” He said, and the words coming up my throat got stuck, “I’ve seen all your documented plans and I’ve shared it to every council member sitting here.”

What the actual heck was going on? 

“Yes. We got them all this morning.” A council member said. 

“We’re very disappointed in you, Scarlett.” Another one said. 

I stood up, looking around the room, trying to see if there was a camera recording me somewhere. But there was none, and everyone was very much glaring at me. 

“If this is a prank, then you all can stop it. This isn’t the time for one.” I said. 

A man who used to be my father’s best friend shook his head and threw two papers that had two different images printed on them at me. 

“Explain this. What were you doing with the Rogue Alpha?” 

My hands shook as I stared at the pictures. They were of me and a man who had been the enemy of this pack for decades. The rogue alpha. And we weren’t just standing, we were in a fucking bed!

“This isn’t… It’s forged.” I stuttered. 

He slid another paper over the table, “And how about this? The receipts of all the money you both have exchanged over the years as if you’re doing a trade.” 

They all looked so real that I started to rack my brain to see if I was the one who didn’t remember that all of these happened. But I didn’t even know the rogue alpha in question!

“Scarlett hasn’t just been exchanging vital information with him, she has also been in a relationship with him.” Rowan said, “I guess it’s because he’s also fat. Maybe she had always wanted to be with a fat man and had been pretending with me all along.”

I gasped. “You planned all of these! Did I offend you or what?”

He shrugged carelessly, “I didn’t want to believe it either, but the evidence didn’t lie.” He said. “It’s honestly painful that you did such a thing when you have a mate, but people can never be predicted.”

And before I knew it, I was being dragged out with all of the men calling me a traitor. 

On getting outside, I was met with a large number of people who stared at me like they only needed the go-ahead to kill me already. 

“Your belongings have been packed for you. You’re lucky you’re the daughter of the descendants of this land. Else, you’d have been beheaded.” 

The moment I was dragged towards the border was when I realized that Rowan really did all of these. 

“Elaine will be taking Scarlett’s position as co-leader with me.” He declared, making sure I heard it clearly. 

With anger, I turned around on my feet and tried to fight back for once. I kicked the warrior holding me. 

“You can’t do that, Rowan! I’m the only rightful ruler of this pack. I made you—” I was grabbed by much stronger arms, thrown out of the border so viciously that it seemed my bones broke. 

Just before the gates closed, Rowan stepped out of them. “If I see you anywhere close to this territory, I’ll be the one to kill you myself.”