Get Pregnant Or Die

Bree’s POV

The words had barely left my mouth when the entire hall erupted.

“What? Impossible!”

“She's been having an affair with Alpha Lucien?”

“But I thought she was devoted to the Crown Prince!”

The whispers came from every direction.

Adrian looked like he wanted to murder someone.

Sandra, who had been standing proudly beside him moments ago, looked as though the ground had suddenly disappeared beneath her feet.

“This is a lie!” Adrian shouted.

I flinched at his voice but quickly recovered.

“Why would I lie about something like this?” I asked him.

“Because you're desperate!” he snapped. “You have just been rejected by your mate, and now you're trying to drag my brother into your pathetic little games!”

I pressed my lips together.

“Adrian is right!” Sandra exclaimed, stepping forward. “Bree has always wanted attention. She's probably making this up because she can't stand the thought of Adrian choosing me.”

I looked at my sister, the same sister who had smiled while watching my world fall apart.

The same sister who had allowed me to walk her down the aisle of my own wedding, knowing she intended to steal my place.

And now she wanted everyone to believe I was the liar?

Something inside me shifted.

Perhaps it was the pain of losing my mate mark. Perhaps it was the humiliation of being pushed to the floor in front of the entire pack.

Or perhaps I had simply reached the point where I no longer cared about protecting the feelings of people who had never cared about mine.

I smiled. It was a small smile, but it was enough to make Sandra narrow her eyes.

“Why are you smiling?” she demanded.

I shrugged.

“Nothing.”

“Stop pretending! You know you're lying!” She screamed.

“Then why are you so frightened?” I asked, my voice mocking.

Her face turned red.

“I'm not frightened!” She denied.

“Really?” I tilted my head. “Because you seem awfully desperate to convince everyone that nothing happened between me and Lucien.”

“Because nothing happened!” Adrian roared.

Lucien chuckled beside me.

“It's fascinating how certain you are about something you weren't present to witness” he said.

Adrian spun toward him.

“Shut up!”

“Make me” he dared him.

For a moment, I thought the two brothers might actually attack each other in the middle of the royal wedding.

Their father clearly had the same concern.

“Enough!”

The Alpha King's voice shook the hall. Even Adrian fell silent.

The Alpha King looked at Lucien with an expression of deep disappointment.

“You are telling me that you have been involved with Bree for months?” He asked.

Lucien nodded.

“Yes, Father.”

“And you expect me to believe that you concealed this relationship from your entire family?”

Lucien shrugged.

“I didn't realize I needed your permission to fall in love” he replied.

Fall in love?

I almost choked.

This man had to be the most shameless liar I had ever encountered.

Sandra let out an incredulous laugh.

“Alpha King, you cannot seriously believe them! Look at them! Lucien has hated Bree for years!”

My heart skipped. She had pointed out the most obvious problem with this ridiculous story.

I glanced at Lucien. He didn't even blink.

“Perhaps you should ask yourself why I kept my feelings to myself,” he replied coolly.

“Because you have no feelings for her!” Adrian snapped. “You've spent years complaining about her!”

“People change” Lucien countered.

“You haven't changed a damn thing!” Adrian replied.

“Neither have you, apparently.”

Several people exchanged nervous glances.

I had never seen anyone speak to Adrian this way and get away with it.

Of course, Lucien was his twin brother. They shared the same blood, but they had never shared the same position in their parents' hearts.

“You cannot let this happen!” Adrian protested, turning toward his parents. “Bree is lying, and Lucien is only doing this to spite me!”

Sandra immediately clung to his arm.

“Please, Alpha King. You know how much Adrian and I love each other. We should be celebrating our future, not entertaining these ridiculous accusations” she pleaded.

The King looked at his wife and as she looked back at him, a silent conversation passed between them.

Finally, the Alpha King rose from his seat.

“The wedding is postponed” he announced.

Adrian's face changed.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But Father—”

“The royal family will not proceed with this wedding until this matter has been resolved” The Alpha cut off Adrian.

Sandra's fingers tightened around Adrian's arm.

“But I'm carrying his child!” She said.

“And that child will still be there when we have settled this matter,” the Queen replied sharply.

Sandra fell silent and I lowered my eyes to hide my smile.

For once, someone had told her no.

It was a small victory, but after everything that had happened, I would take it.

Then the Alpha King turned toward Lucien and me.

“However, we cannot allow a scandal of this magnitude to remain unresolved” he said.

My smile disappeared.

“What do you mean, father?” Lucien asked.

The Alpha King folded his hands behind his back.

“If Bree is truly your lover, as you claim, then there should be no difficulty proving the legitimacy of this relationship” he said.

My stomach tightened. I didn't like the sound of that.

“Father,” Lucien began cautiously.

“You have both claimed to have been involved for months. Therefore, I expect you to produce an heir” he continued.

The hall went silent as I stared at him.

An heir?

The Luna Queen stepped forward, her expression cold and unyielding.

“By the end of this month, Bree must be pregnant with Lucien's child” she declared.

My blood ran cold.

“What?”

“If she succeeds, the royal family will recognize your relationship and investigate the appropriate arrangements for your future. If she fails, then we will have to consider the possibility that you deliberately lied to us” she continued.

I could barely breathe as the Alpha King looked directly at me.

“And if you have lied to the royal family about having an affair with a prince, the punishment is death” he said.

My knees nearly buckled.

I had until the end of the month to become pregnant by a man who couldn't stand the sight of me.

Otherwise, I would die.