The Rejection-a

The pregnancy test was still clutched tightly in my hand when I stepped out of my room.

For almost twenty minutes, I had sat on the cold bathroom floor, staring at those two pink lines as if they might suddenly disappear if I looked hard enough.

They didn’t.

They remained there—clear, bold, undeniable.

Positive.

My trembling hand slowly moved to my stomach. Nothing felt different yet. No sign that a life was growing inside me. But the test said otherwise, and those two lines couldn’t lie.

I placed the stick carefully beside the sink and washed my hands, though my fingers still shook. Then I looked at myself in the mirror for a long moment.

“You can do this,” I whispered softly to my reflection. “Just tell him. Everything will be okay.”

The girl staring back at me didn’t look convinced.

Truthfully, neither was I.

The walk to Kael’s study usually took seven minutes.

I knew every corner of the pack house by heart—the long eastern hallway, the wall lined with hunting trophies, the dark wooden door at the very end with its heavy iron handle.

Tonight, those seven minutes felt endless.

The entire pack house was unusually quiet. Most wolves had already gone to their rooms, leaving behind that calm nighttime silence that usually made me feel safe and at home.

But tonight, the silence felt suffocating.

Like the world itself was waiting for something terrible to happen.

I stopped in front of Kael’s door and forced myself to breathe before knocking twice.

A few seconds passed.

Then the door opened.

Kael stood there, tall and intimidating as always. Broad shoulders, sharp jawline, dark eyes that carried authority without effort. Everything about him screamed Alpha.

Yet the way he looked at me made my chest tighten.

Not with love.

Not even with warmth.

Just distance.

“Sera.”

Only my name. Cold and emotionless.

“Hi.” My voice came out smaller than I intended. I cleared my throat quickly. “Can I come in? I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

Without a word, he stepped aside.

I walked into the room.

And immediately froze.

A woman stood near the fireplace, holding a glass of red wine gracefully in one hand.

Beautiful.

Painfully beautiful.

Long dark hair framed her elegant face, and the deep green dress she wore fit her perfectly. She looked calm, polished, untouchable.

I recognized her instantly.

Cressida Vane.

Daughter of the Northern Alpha.

The woman the elders constantly whispered about.

The perfect future Luna.

My heartbeat slowed painfully.

“I didn’t realize you had company,” I said quietly, somehow managing to keep my voice steady.

“It’s fine,” Kael replied.

He moved behind his desk, avoiding both my eyes and hers. His hands rested heavily against the wood as though he were preparing himself for something.

Then he exhaled.

“Actually… I’m glad you came tonight,” he said slowly. “I was planning to speak with you tomorrow, but this is better.”

A strange chill crept through my chest.

“Better for what?”

Kael finally looked at me.

And in that exact moment, I understood.

He hadn’t spoken the words yet, but I saw the decision written all over his face. His expression was hard, distant, final.

Like a man who had already convinced himself he was doing the right thing.

Fear curled inside me.

“Kael…” My voice cracked slightly. “What’s going on?”

He straightened his posture, every inch the Alpha.

Then he spoke in the same cold, commanding tone he used during official pack meetings.

“I, Kael Drayden, Alpha of the Ashveil Pack—”

My breath caught.

“No,” I whispered desperately. “Don’t say it.”

“—reject you, Sera Voss, as my destined mate.”

Everything around me shattered.

The pain wasn’t emotional at first.

It was physical.

Like something invisible slammed violently into my chest, knocking the air from my lungs. My knees gave out beneath me, and I grabbed the edge of his desk before I could collapse completely.

Then I felt it.

The mate bond.

That warm connection that had lived inside me since the moment we found each other.

Gone.

Snapped apart so suddenly it felt unbearable.

An empty ache spread through my chest, cold and hollow, as if something had been ripped out of me without mercy. My body struggled to process the loss.

I could barely breathe.

Instinctively, my hand moved to my stomach.

My secret.

Our child.

Still there.

Still his.

Kael never noticed.

He stared somewhere beyond me, his jaw tight with forced control, pretending cruelty was simply responsibility.

Near the fireplace, Cressida remained silent.

She watched me carefully, her expression unreadable. There was no satisfaction in her eyes, but no pity either.

Only quiet understanding.

As though she had expected this moment long before I walked through the door.

Using every bit of strength left inside me, I forced myself back onto my feet.

My legs trembled violently.

I pressed one hand against my thigh to hide the shaking and slowly lifted my eyes to Kael.

Finally, he looked at me.