He Chose Her for the Third Time, and I Walked Away

Serena’s POV

Today was the third time Kael and I were supposed to complete our marking ceremony. This time, I only invited a few pack members, because I couldn’t bear another public humiliation.

I had been nauseous and feverish since yesterday, but I refused to let it ruin today. This was the day of my mating ceremony, and afterward, I would finally tell Kael about the pup.

I touched my stomach through the white ceremony dress and smiled despite the nausea.

Elder Miriam was arranging the sacred herbs on the altar. My best friend, Claire, kept glancing around, watching for Kael. The few pack members I had invited sat quietly, waiting.

It was almost thirty minutes to the ceremony, and I hadn’t seen Kael yet.

My phone buzzed. Finally.

But it wasn’t Kael. It was his beta, Derek.

— Derek: Serena, Kael’s at the pack clinic with Lyra. She collapsed with a high fever. He said to start without him, he’ll be there soon.

My hands trembled holding the phone. He wanted me to start without him, at our marking ceremony.

— Derek: He’s really sorry. He just wants to make sure she’s stable first.

I looked up at the waiting faces.

“He’s been delayed. He will be here soon,” I announced, forcing my voice to remain steady even though my heart was breaking.

Quiet murmurs rose across the crowd. They all knew what was coming next.

An hour passed.

I kept checking my phone, but there was no message.

Claire squeezed my hand softly with pity in her eyes. “Serena… maybe we should postpone.”

Her words broke the last bit of hope inside me, but she was right.

I nodded slowly, then looked at Elder Miriam. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to reschedule.”

The pack members filed out quietly. No one met my eyes, but I could see the pity on their faces.

Claire hugged me before leaving. “I’m so sorry, Sera.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my throat tightened.

Once everyone left, I stood alone in the empty grove. My hand moved to my stomach again.

Maybe if I told him about the pup, things would change. Maybe he would finally see me and choose me because this wasn’t just about us anymore, but about our pup.

I grabbed the bouquet of moonflowers from the altar and the pregnancy test I had hidden in my bag. My hands shook as I held them both.

This would work. It had to work.

I headed toward the clinic, my chest burning with hope.

As I walked, I imagined his reaction. He would smile. He would pull me into his arms. He would apologize for missing the ceremony and that nothing would ever come between us again.

However, as I got towards the room that Lyra was, I froze as I stared through the open door.

Lyra was lying on the bed, laughing at something. She didn’t look sick at all.

A healer was there, operating the ultrasound machine.

And Kael stood beside Lyra with his hand resting on her rounded belly, staring at the screen with an expression I had never seen before.

Wonder. Joy. Love.

“There’s the heartbeat,” the healer said, “Strong and healthy.”

“It’s perfect,” Kael whispered. His voice shook with emotion.

Lyra placed her hand over his. “Our pup is perfect.”

Our pup.

The bouquet slipped from my fingers.

The world tilted. My breath caught in my throat. For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

I watched the way he looked at her. The way his hand cradled her stomach like it was the most precious thing in the world. My heart shattered into pieces.

How long had this been going on?

Kael leaned down and kissed Lyra’s forehead gently. His hand never left her stomach.

“I’ll take care of you both,” Kael promised. “I swear it. You and the pup will never want for anything.”

Their pup.

My hand instinctively moved to my own stomach, to the pup growing inside me that he knew nothing about. The pup I had been so excited to tell him about. The pup I thought would fix everything.

But he already had a pup. With her.

While I had been waiting, planning, hoping, he had been building a family with someone else.

Tears blurred my vision. I stepped back from the door, then back again, crushing the flowers under my feet.

I turned and ran before the sob could escape my throat.

I made it a few miles before I collapsed against a tree, finally letting myself break. Six years. Six years of waiting, of understanding, of being patient while he gave everything to her.

And now this.

My whole body shook with sobs I couldn’t control. Every cancelled ceremony, every time he ran to her side, and every promise he had broken all made sense now.

I pressed my hand over my stomach, whispering an apology to the pup inside me. “I’m sorry, pup. I’m sorry your father never wanted us.”

My phone was still in my hand. I dialed before I could think about it.

“Sera?” My father’s voice sounded confused.

“I’m coming home, Dad.” My voice shook.