Shattered Celebrations

POV: Elara

​The plastic stick felt heavy in my hand as I stared at the two pink lines, and my heart was racing so fast that I could barely breathe.

I had waited three years for this moment, three years of being the "rogue wife" everyone whispered about in the hallways, but I was sure everything would change now.

Silas wanted an heir more than anything, and I hurried toward the Alpha suite with the test tucked into my pocket because I wanted to be the one to tell him before the pack doctors found out.

I could already imagine the look on his face, and I hoped that for the first time since our wedding, he might actually smile at me or maybe even hold me.

​As I reached the heavy oak doors of the suite, the sound of loud music and laughter filtered through the wood, and I hesitated for a second.

It wasn't a pack meeting, it sounded like a party, so I pushed the door open slowly.

The room was filled with high-ranking members of the Blackwood Pack, and right in the center stood Silas with his arm draped around a woman I recognized instantly.

It was Nadia, his ex-girlfriend who had left the pack years ago, and she was laughing while sipping from a crystal glass.

​"Silas?" I called out, my voice sounding smaller than I wanted it to be.

​He didn't turn around immediately, but when he did, his expression shifted from a grin to a cold, hard stare that made me want to shrink into the floor.

​"What are you doing here, Elara? I thought I told you I was busy tonight," he said, and he didn't even move his arm from Nadia’s waist.

​"I need to talk to you, it’s important," I replied, glancing at the people around us who were already starting to snicker.

​Nadia leaned into him and whispered something in his ear, and then she looked at me with a pitying smile.

"Is this the little rogue you’ve been telling me about, Silas? She looks a bit lost."

​"She’s always lost," Silas muttered, and he took a step toward me, but he didn't look happy. "Whatever it is, it can wait. We’re celebrating Nadia’s return, and I don't want you ruining the mood with your constant need for attention."

​"It can't wait, Silas, please," I said, my hand instinctively going to my stomach, and I felt the edge of the pregnancy test through the fabric of my dress.

​He sighed like I was a massive burden, and he turned back to the crowd, raising his glass high.

"Everyone, look at her. My fated mate, the woman the Moon Goddess supposedly chose for me. Look at how she stands there, trembling like a frightened animal, and tell me if this is the woman you want leading this pack as your Luna."

​The room went quiet, and a few people laughed, while others just looked away in embarrassment.

​"Silas, stop it, you're hurting me," I whispered, but he wasn't finished.

​"I didn't marry you because I wanted a wife, Elara, and I certainly didn't marry you because I loved you. I married you because the elders told me that children born of fated mates are the strongest, and I needed that power for my lineage. It was a genetic transaction, nothing more, and you were just the most convenient vessel available at the time," he said, and his words felt like physical blows.

​I felt the tears stinging my eyes, and I pulled the pregnancy test out of my pocket, but my fingers were shaking so much I almost dropped it.

"I’m pregnant, Silas. I came here to tell you that we’re having a baby."

​The room stayed silent for a heartbeat, and for a split second, I thought I saw a flash of something in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He looked down at the test in my hand and then back at Nadia, who was now looking at me with narrowed eyes.

​"So you finally did your job," Silas said, his voice completely devoid of any warmth or joy. "That’s fine, you’ll carry the heir, and the pack doctors will look after you, but don't think for a second that this changes your status. You are an orphaned rogue with no standing, and you are utterly unworthy of being a Luna, so don't get any ideas about sitting on a throne next to me."

​"But I’m your mate," I choked out, and the room felt like it was closing in on me.

​"You’re a vessel, Elara, and once that child is born, Nadia will be the one stepping into the role of Luna because she actually knows how to lead. You can go back to your room now, and I don't want to hear another word about this tonight," he said, and he turned his back on me to refill his drink.

​I looked around the room, seeing the smug looks on the faces of people I had tried so hard to please for three years, and I realized I couldn't stay there for another second.

I turned and bolted out of the suite, ignoring the calls of a few guards as I ran down the stairs and out into the pouring rain.

​The cold water soaked through my clothes instantly, but I didn't care because the pain in my chest was so much worse than the chill of the storm. I stumbled toward the pack's perimeter, my vision blurred by tears and the heavy downpour, and I didn't even hear the sound of the engine until it was too late.

I stepped out onto the main road that led away from the territory, and suddenly there was a loud screech of tires against the wet asphalt. I turned my head just in time to see a pair of blinding white lights heading straight for me, and I tried to move, but my legs felt like lead.

There was a deafening thud, and then the world went completely black.