Chapter Two

Ruth's POV

"You look terrible."

I glanced up from my untouched breakfast to find my father standing in the doorway. The Alpha King, Daniel Nightshade, looked exactly as I remembered—powerful, commanding, with streaks of silver in his dark hair that only made him look more distinguished.

"Thanks, Dad. That's exactly what I needed to hear," I muttered, pushing eggs around my plate.

He sat down across from me, his blue eyes studying my face. "Three years, Ruth. Three years without a word, and you come home looking like you've been through hell."

"Can we not do this right now?" I asked, my voice hoarse from crying all night.

"When then? When you've locked yourself in your room for another week?" He leaned forward. "Marcus told me what he saw. The Bloodmoon Pack's Alpha was at the border with warriors. What did he do to you?"

"Nothing I didn't allow," I whispered.

"Ruth—"

"I'm pregnant."

The words fell out before I could stop them. My father went completely still, his eyes widening.

"What?" he breathed.

I put my hand on my flat stomach, still barely believing it myself. "I found out yesterday morning. I was going to tell Langmore at the celebration last night, but..." My voice cracked. "He announced that his mistress was pregnant and I was being replaced."

My father's coffee mug shattered in his grip. "He did what?"

"Dad, your hand—"

"It's nothing," he growled, ignoring the blood dripping onto the white tablecloth. "That bastard rejected you while you're carrying his pup?"

"He doesn't know," I said quickly. "I never got the chance to tell him. And now... now I don't want him to know."

"Ruth, you can't hide a pregnancy. Eventually—"

"I know!" I snapped, then immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry. I just... I can't think about that right now. All I know is that he chose her. He humiliated me in front of his entire pack. He called me barren, useless, weak..."

My father stood up so fast his chair fell backward. His aura exploded outward, making the windows rattle. "I'm going to kill him."

"Dad, no."

"He hurt my daughter. He betrayed his mate bond. He—"

"He's still my mate," I said quietly. "Killing him would kill me too."

That stopped him cold. The mate bond was sacred, unbreakable except by death. Even rejection couldn't fully sever it. As long as we both lived, we'd be connected.

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked, his voice gentler now.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I just... I need time to think."

A knock at the door interrupted us. Marcus stepped in, his expression grim. "We have a problem."

"What now?" I groaned.

"Langmore Stone is here. At our gates. Demanding to see Ruth."

I felt all the blood drain from my face. "How did he—"

"He figured it out," Marcus said. "The convoy, your confession about being a Nightshade. He's here with fifty warriors, claiming you're his mate and demanding you return with him."

"The audacity," my father snarled. "He throws her away and now wants her back?"

"There's more," Marcus continued. "He's saying Ruth stole something from his pack. Something valuable. He's threatening to involve the Council if we don't let him in."

I stood up, my legs shaky. "What could I have possibly stolen?"

"He won't say. But Dad, the Council won't ignore an official complaint between packs. Especially not from a pack as strong as Bloodmoon."

My father turned to me. "Ruth, did you take anything?"

"No! I left with nothing but the clothes on my back. I even left my Luna ring..." I froze. My hand went to my stomach. Unless he somehow knew about...

No. That was impossible. I'd only found out yesterday myself, and the pack doctor who'd confirmed it was from Silver Crown.

"Let him in," I said suddenly.

Both my father and Marcus turned to stare at me.

"Are you insane?" Marcus asked. "Ruth, you were a mess last night. You can't face him now."

"I'm not going to hide," I said, lifting my chin. "He wants to see me? Fine. But he comes alone. No warriors. And the meeting happens here, in our territory, under our rules."

My father studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Marcus, tell him he has five minutes. Alone. If he brings even one warrior past the gates, we'll consider it an act of war."

As Marcus left, my father touched my shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," I said. "I need to face him. I need him to see that I'm not the weak omega he thought I was."

Twenty minutes later, I stood in the formal receiving room, wearing a simple black dress that belonged to my mother. It still smelled faintly of her lavender perfume, giving me strength.

The door opened, and Langmore walked in.

He looked terrible. His usually perfect hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled like he'd been wearing them since last night. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his jaw was covered in stubble. But it was his scent that caught me off guard—it reeked of desperation and... fear?

"Ruth," he breathed, taking a step toward me.

"That's Princess Ruth to you," I said coldly. "You lost the right to familiarity when you replaced me."

He flinched. "I didn't know—"

"What? That I was royalty? Would it have mattered?" I laughed bitterly. "Would you have kept me around as your Luna if you'd known I had powerful connections?"

"That's not—" He ran his hand through his hair. "Ruth, please. Just come home."

"Home?" I repeated incredulously. "You kicked me out! You humiliated me in front of everyone! You're having a baby with another woman!"

"I made a mistake," he said desperately. "I was angry, frustrated. The elders were pressuring me about an heir, and Mara was there, and—"

"And what? You accidentally fell into bed with her repeatedly for months?"

His silence was answer enough.

"What did I steal?" I asked, changing the subject. "You told my brother I stole something."

"You stole yourself," he said quietly. "You're mine, Ruth. My mate. You belong with me."

"I belong to no one," I snarled, my wolf rising to the surface. "I am not property you can discard and reclaim when you realize you made a mistake."

"I know you're pregnant."

The words hung in the air between us. My heart stopped.

"That's impossible," I managed. "I only found out—"

"Your scent," he interrupted. "It changed. I noticed it last night but didn't understand until after you left. Your wolf's scent is different when you're carrying a pup. My pup."

"You don't know that," I said, my voice shaking. "I could have—"

"Don't," he growled, his eyes flashing. "Don't even suggest you were with another. I know you, Ruth. You would never betray the mate bond like that."

"Like you did?"

He flinched again. "I'm going to end things with Mara."

"She's pregnant with your child!"

"I don't care. You're my mate. You're carrying my heir. The true heir."

"No," I said firmly. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to throw me away and then want me back because I'm suddenly valuable again."

"That's not why—"

"Isn't it?" I challenged. "If I wasn't pregnant, would you be here?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. The hesitation was all the answer I needed.

"Get out," I whispered.

"Ruth—"

"GET OUT!" I roared, my Alpha aura exploding outward.

He stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock. "You're... you're an Alpha?"

"I'm the Alpha King's daughter," I said coldly. "Did you think I'd be anything less?"

"Come home," he pleaded one more time. "Please. We can work this out."

"I am home," I said. "And if you come here again, if you try to force me back, my father will declare war on your pack. And trust me, Langmore, that's not a war you'll win."

He stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is."

As he turned to leave, he paused at the door. "I'll fight for you, Ruth. For both of you."

Then he was gone, leaving me standing alone in the room, my hand pressed to my stomach. My wolf whined, wanting to chase after our mate despite everything.

But I stayed where I was. Because going back would mean accepting his betrayal. It would mean raising my child in the shadow of his mistress and her baby.

I deserved better. My pup deserved better.

Even if my traitorous heart still wanted him.