Foolish

“Wait,” Lorcan whispered, but Amelia quickly pulled her hand free.

“I’m pregnant, Lorcan. And your brother Lucas is the father of my baby. So accept my rejection, so the Moon Goddess can give you another fated mate,” she said, and Lorcan could do nothing as she walked away.

Amelia could feel her wolf crying. She couldn’t hear her wolf’s voice, but she could feel the pain from rejecting her fated mate.

She couldn’t stop feeling annoyed at Lorcan too, because of the way he tried to ruin Lucas. She still didn’t know what Lorcan meant earlier, but she had a strong feeling that it was just another attempt to destroy Lucas’s image as the Crescent Moon Alpha.

Amelia shook her head and headed to Lucas’s office. She saw the door slightly open—and Lucas looked cheerful, speaking to someone on the other end of the phone.

Lucas didn’t even notice her arrive. She stood right at the doorway, yet he kept smiling as he held the telephone.

“Hahaha, don’t worry, babe. I’ll send your allowance. You can buy anything you want.”

Amelia’s brows knitted the moment she heard him say “babe.” She coughed deliberately, and only then did Lucas realize she was inside his office.

Cold dread washed over Lucas when he saw his girlfriend standing behind him. He immediately hung up the phone. His reaction only heightened Amelia’s suspicion, but she allowed him to explain.

She tried to set aside her doubt, along with Lorcan’s earlier warning.

As people say—when you love someone, you blind yourself to the wrong things you see. Even if it hurts, even if your instincts scream at you, you pretend not to notice and remain blind to the truth.

“Who were you talking to?” Amelia asked quietly, unable to hide the sadness on her face. She didn’t want to intrude on Lucas’s privacy, yet the question slipped out.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just work,” Lucas lied, but Amelia clearly heard the conversation earlier. How could that possibly be work when he was calling someone “babe”?

Amelia fell silent. Too many thoughts flooded her mind—questions she wanted to throw at Lucas—but she couldn’t do it. She was too afraid he’d get angry if she brought up what she heard.

“What do you need? Do you want to tell me something? You could’ve called me instead,” Lucas said, still facing his laptop and typing away.

Amelia walked to him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. She rested her head on him, letting him feel her longing and love.

She hadn’t seen him for days. Lucas was always busy, leaving them no time to talk or go on dates.

“I miss you, love,” she whispered. Lucas said nothing and just continue typing.

“Do you want to tell me something?” he answered calmly, gently removing her arms from his shoulders. He turned to her, taking her hands.

“Sorry I’ve been busy these past days. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I have free time.”

Amelia smiled. A simple promise was enough to brighten her whole day and shove away all the doubts she’d been carrying.

That’s how foolishly in love Amelia was—loving to the point of martyrdom.

“It’s fine, my Alpha. I know you’re doing this for the pack. I’m sorry I couldn’t wait any longer to see you. I called you earlier but you didn’t answer, so I came here because… I couldn’t wait to tell you the good news,” Amelia said, excited and affectionate.

Lucas frowned. He had intentionally ignored her calls because he wanted Amelia to get tired of him—to give up on him after he found his fated mate… Olivia. Amelia’s stepsister.

The person he had been on the phone with earlier was Olivia. She mentioned that Amelia had something to tell him, and she seemed irritated talking about it.

Lucas wanted to break up with Amelia, but couldn’t bring himself to hurt her more than necessary. He truly loved her for years, and he didn’t want to destroy her by revealing that her stepsister was his mate.

He didn’t want to shock her. He wanted her to find another mate first. So he asked Olivia not to reveal anything yet.

But now he wondered—what news did Amelia want to tell him?

“What is it?” Lucas asked, standing in front of her.

“I’m pregnant, Lucas. We’re going to have a baby.”

Amelia beamed, but Lucas froze—shocked and speechless.

Her happy smile faded little by little as she watched Lucas’s expression shift. The shock slowly twisted into irritation and confusion.

“How did that happen? We only did it once,” he said. He dropped her hands and paced in front of his desk.

“Are you sure the baby is mine?”

He didn’t even consider how deeply that question would wound her.

“Are you saying I cheated? You know how loyal I am to you, Lucas. How could you think this child belongs to someone else?” Amelia’s voice cracked.

Lucas stopped pacing and gripped her shoulders tightly.

Amelia winced from the pain—it felt like he was about to break her bones.

“Ow! Lucas, that hurts!” She slapped his hand away, jolting him back to his senses.

“I—I didn’t mean it. I just don’t understand how this happened. Isn’t your body weak? I thought you couldn’t get pregnant,” Lucas said, making Amelia frown even more.

“What do you mean? Is that why you agreed to have sex with me? Because you thought I couldn’t get pregnant anyway?” Her voice rose from anger and hurt.

“That’s not it. I—I’m just not ready to be a father yet. I can’t have a child right now, Amelia. Can you hide the baby for now and not tell anyone it’s mine?”

Amelia felt her ears ringing. She couldn’t believe the man she loved most was saying this.

“Do you hear yourself? Hide our child? How could you say that? Do you even think about me? I can’t do this alone—and what will people think? You’re the only man I’ve ever been with!” Tears welled in her eyes, frustration and heartbreak overwhelming her.

This wasn’t the reaction she imagined. She thought Lucas would be happy. She thought he’d mark her as his chosen mate.

But no—reality was far from her expectations.

“You know my situation. I just became Alpha, and rogues are getting stronger at the borders. They can’t find a weakness. If they know you’re pregnant and something happens to you, what will I do?” Lucas said, gripping her hand as if his reasons were noble.

He was manipulating her—using flowery excuses—when the truth was he simply didn’t want the responsibility. He wanted to be with Olivia.

But because Amelia loved him so deeply, she fell for every word.

“I… I see. How long do I have to hide it?”

Lucas embraced her.

“Until the war at the border ends. I just want to make sure you and my child are safe. So we should break up for now… and let everyone think the baby isn’t mine.”

Amelia cried. She didn’t want to break up. She needed his support. But if this was what he asked… she had no choice.

She nodded.

“If it’s for our baby’s safety… I’ll do it. Just don’t leave me. I need your help during my pregnancy.”

Lucas nodded, stroking her long black hair.

“I promise, I won’t abandon you or our child.”

Even now, his lies flowed effortlessly.

Amelia had no idea Lucas was just stringing her along with sweet, calculated words. She seemed to forget everything Lorcan said—and completely ignored what she heard on the phone earlier.

For Amelia, Lucas’s words were enough. He was the only one she would believe.

That’s how deeply and blindly she loved the man who betrayed her.

That’s how foolish she was in love.