The Alpha Reclaim

Nova's POV

My hands trembled as I held the paper the doctor had just handed me, my eyes fixed on the result like staring at it long enough until my eye got blurry. 

I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I didn't even know what I was supposed to feel anymore. Fear? Happiness? Panic? All I knew was that my entire world had suddenly become more complicated.

I was pregnant and I didn't know what to do. 

What was Kieran going to do when he found out?

"Is everything okay, Miss?" the doctor asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I immediately looked up and forced a smile onto my face. "Yes. Thank you very much."

How could everything possibly be okay when I was pregnant? Where had things gone wrong? Kieran always used protection, and whenever he didn't, I made sure to take my medicine afterward. I'd been careful, especially because I knew exactly what my relationship with him was and how easily everything between us could fall apart.

He had been the only man I'd slept with for the past three years, so there was no doubt in my mind that Kieran was the father of my baby.

Kieran Thorne, one of the most powerful Alphas in the state and the leader of the Ember Moon Wolf Pack. His pack was one of the largest in the entire state, with a vast territory surrounded by dangerous rogues who were always looking for an opportunity to attack.

And I was his Luna.Or, at least, I had been.

"What if I don't want the baby?" I asked, my voice coming out quiet while I tried to hold back the tears. 

The doctor watched me carefully before answering. "There are options if you decide you don't want to keep the pregnancy."

I lowered my gaze to the paper again, my fingers tightening around it as the thought of ending the pregnancy settled heavily in my mind. I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't even know if I wanted to. 

"Don't let anyone know about this pregnancy," I warned him as I stood from the chair. "No matter who comes here asking about me or the results, don't tell them anything."

The doctor nodded. "I understand."

I hoped he was telling the truth. I had no idea if he was trustworthy, but I couldn't afford for Kieran to hear about the pregnancy from someone else.  

"You should think about it carefully," he advised, interrupting my thoughts. "You can come back whenever you're ready."

"Thank you."

I walked out of his office, but the moment I stepped into the hallway, a wave of dizziness hit me. I stopped for a moment, pressing a hand against the wall as I took a deep breath.

I think I should tell Kieran about this. Perhaps, knowing that I was carrying his child would make him reconsider the distance that had grown between us?

Maybe he would finally look at me differently, and perhaps whatever rift had formed between us would begin to disappear?

But what if it didn't?

What if he thought I was using the baby to force him to stay with me?

I shook my head, wiping away the tears that had escaped before anyone could see them. I couldn't tell him yet. I needed time to think.

I entered the car, and the driver immediately started driving me back home. I rested my head against the seat, my hand instinctively moving toward my stomach as I stared out of the window.

******

Kieran finally returned home hours later, and the moment I heard the front door open, I sat up properly on the couch.

He walked into the house looking exhausted, his expression unreadable as he loosened his tie. He didn't even glance in my direction before walking past me, and the familiar ache in my chest returned.

"Kieran," I called, making him stop and turn around. "I need to talk to you."

His green-hazel eyes settled on mine, and for a moment, I found myself staring at him the way I always did whenever I forgot how complicated our relationship was.

He was the Alpha, and countless women dreamed of being with him.

Somehow, I had been lucky enough to spend three years beside him.

"I also need to tell you something," he said as he dropped his briefcase beside the stairs.

I gestured for him to continue. "You should go first."

"Of course."

He walked closer, and the familiar scent of his perfume reached my nose. I hated how easily that scent could still affect me. Even after everything, a part of me wanted to close the distance between us and wrap my arms around him, if only for a moment.

Instead, I stayed where I was.

"Let's break our bond," he said.

For a few seconds, I couldn't process what I'd just heard. I stared at him, wondering if I'd somehow misunderstood his words.

"Wait, what?"

He held out an envelope, and I hadn't even noticed it in his hand until then. I slowly took it from him, my fingers trembling slightly as I opened it and pulled out the paper inside.

My eyes moved over the first few lines before stopping completely.

Divorce Agreement.

A soft, disbelieving chuckle escaped me as I shook my head. "What is this? Why are you doing all of this?"

I held the paper tightly as I continued reading, but the words had already begun to blur. My legs felt weak, and my heart was pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything else.

"We can't do this now," I said, looking up at him. "The condition states that both of us will—"

"Why?" he interrupted, stepping closer. "Have you forgotten that we agreed to break our bond once I discovered who my real mate was?"

I froze.

The words immediately brought back the memory of the witch's prophecy and the night Kieran had chosen me from the thirty women who had been presented to him.

 I'd spent years wondering why he'd chosen me, convincing myself that perhaps there had been something about me that had made him want me by his side.

"You are just a stand-in, Nova," he continued, his voice carrying no emotion. "We were never meant to be together. Whatever pleasure we had in the past, you should erase it from your head."

My eyes began to sting as I tried to hold back my tears. "I know I'm a stand-in, but have you already discovered who your real mate is?"

"Yes. I discovered who she was about three months ago."

Three months ago? 

I stared at him, trying to process his answer. My mind immediately went back to the pregnancy result sitting inside my bag, and my hand slowly moved toward my stomach.

That was when everything had started changing between us.

"Oh, shit," I whispered, quickly lowering my hand when I realized what I was doing.

Kieran frowned. "What?"

"Nothing."

He stared at me for a moment before turning away. "You have three days to leave this house."

"Kieran."

He stopped, and I looked down at the divorce papers in my hands as tears finally began slipping down my cheeks.

"Then why did you choose me instead?" I asked, my voice trembling. "You had thirty options that night. You could have chosen someone else. Why did you pick me if you were only going to hurt me like this?"

"It's not my fault you got carried away," he replied.

My heart sank. "You shouldn't have deceived me, then. You shouldn't have slept with me several times if you knew you never intended to have anything with me."

"Sex doesn't mean I'll be interested in you forever," he said, rubbing his forehead as though he was already tired of the conversation. "You were simply performing your duties as a stand-in Luna."

I stared at him through my tears, struggling to understand how the same man I'd spent three years beside could speak about everything we'd shared as though it had meant absolutely nothing.

"Several times?" I repeated bitterly. "You're saying it like it was nothing."

"I could count how many times we slept together, Nova. It wasn't anything special."

His words hurt more than I wanted to admit.

He was right about one thing. He had never promised me love. He had never told me that I was his true mate, and he had never given me any reason to believe that our relationship would last forever. 

I was the one who had allowed myself to become attached, the one who had mistaken proximity for affection and our physical relationship for something deeper.

I'm so stupid. 

"When are we going to break the bond?" I asked, forcing myself to remain composed.

"I'm giving you a week to figure everything out," he answered with a shrug. "I also have to make an announcement to everyone."

"Alright. Just one week."

I clung to the papers, trying not to let him see how badly my hands were shaking.

"I'm not ready to have this conversation anymore," he said, glancing toward the wall clock. "What were you intending to tell me before?"

There was no way I'm telling him about the pregnancy now.

"You know what? Let's keep that aside," I said, swallowing hard. "What is stopping us from breaking the damn bond now?"

He looked at me for a few seconds before shrugging. "Yeah. Let's do it now."

There was no hesitation in his voice. Was this really going to be the end?

Kieran raised his hand and began the rejection ritual. "I, Kieran Thorne, the Alpha of the Ember Moon Wolf Pack, break the bond and reject Nova Fitzgerald as my Luna."

Pain exploded through my chest the moment the words left his mouth.

I gasped, stumbling backward as the rejection tore through me. It felt as though something inside me had been ripped apart, leaving behind a deep, unbearable ache that made it difficult to breathe.

Then I noticed Kieran clutching his chest too.

He felt it.

At least I wasn't the only one suffering.

Tears blurred my vision as I forced myself to remain standing. My entire body trembled, but somehow, I managed to repeat the words that would officially end everything between us.

"I, Nova Fitzgerald, the former Luna of the Alpha of the Ember Moon Wolf Pack, accept this rejection."

The moment I said it, another wave of pain crashed through me, forcing the breath from my lungs. I could barely stand, and my tears fell freely as I looked at Kieran..

My knees finally gave out, and I slowly collapsed toward the floor.

"You are evil," I whispered, the words barely audible as darkness began to consume my vision.