I Rejected My Mate Just Before Giving Birth to Our Child

Ezekiel’s scent hit me before he even walked through the door. The sharp tang of forest air mingled with something floral that wasn’t mine. The smell clung to him like a shadow, lingering in the corners of the room as he entered our pack house. He darted his eyes away from me as if I were no more than another wolf in the pack.

The room was dim. And the fire’s embers were crackling low, casting shadows across the walls. I leaned back. I rested my hand protectively over my belly, where the future Alpha lay, sensing my turmoil. For a moment, I thought Ezekiel might feel it too, that he might finally understand the weight of his choices. But when he looked at me, it was as if he didn’t see me at all.

“Where were you?” I asked.

He shrugged, peeling off his jacket and tossing it aside. “Out,” he replied indifferently.

I rose slowly and met his gaze. “You don’t smell like you’ve been out alone, Ezekiel.”

He stiffened. And I could see how his jaw tightened. But still, he didn’t meet my eyes. “Viviane, it’s nothing,” he muttered, dismissing my concerns as if they were trivial complaints. “I don’t need to explain my every move to you.”

My heart clenched. The mate bond we once shared felt as fragile as dried leaves. Each word he spoke tore at it further, unraveling the connection that had once been my anchor. I could feel the bond weakening.

“Nothing?” I repeated, letting the word linger, letting him hear the disbelief in my voice. I wanted him to feel the pain I held in every heartbeat. “You expect me to believe that, while you carry the scent of another wolf?”

He finally turned to me. His eyes flared with frustration. “Viviane, this isn’t the time for this. You’re pregnant, and you need to rest. Don’t strain yourself with… unfounded accusations.”

Unfounded. The word sent a cold tremor down my spine. I wrapped my arms around myself, willing strength into my voice. Even as the mate bond was strained and stretched thin, its cracks spread like frost over glass. “Then prove it to me,” I demanded as I held his gaze with all the determination I could muster. “Show me that I’m still your Luna.”

For a heartbeat, he looked uncertain. His gaze flickered to my belly, where his child grew, the future of his bloodline. “What are you asking, Viviane?”

I took a deep breath, feeling my child’s presence anchoring me. “I want you to do something for me, Ezekiel. Prove to me that you still honor our bond…that you still respect the role I hold in this pack.” I chose my words carefully, hoping he would understand, hoping he would see this as a chance to redeem himself.

But his face remained impassive. And I could feel the tension between us rising every second passed.

“Viviane, you’re being unreasonable. I don’t have time for this. There are more pressing matters at hand.”

I searched his eyes, trying to find a sliver of the wolf I had mated, the Alpha I believed in. But all I saw was indifference, a void where once there had been loyalty. “I see,” I murmured. I was nothing more than a burden to him now. Something he tolerated out of obligation… nothing more.

He stepped closer. He tried to reach out to me but I pulled away, recoiling from the scent that clung to him.

“Viviane, you need to take care of yourself,” he said. His tone was gentle but detached, like he was talking to a wounded animal. “This… tension isn’t good for our child.”

Our child. The words tasted bitter on my tongue. He could speak of our child, show concern for my health, but he could not bring himself to acknowledge the bond that had brought this child into the world.

With a heavy heart, I nodded. “Yes, Ezekiel. You’re right. I need to take care of myself. And our child.”

He seemed relieved, as if he had won some unspoken battle. And without another word, he turned and left the room, leaving me standing in the cold silence he left behind.

I waited until his footsteps faded, until the door closed. And only then did I allow myself to feel the full weight of his betrayal. I ran my hand over my belly, where the next Alpha of the Silver Fang Pack awaited his birth.

Then I made a silent promise to myself.

I would protect this child. I would ensure that he would never suffer the same pain I had felt, that he would grow strong and loyal, a leader who would know the true meaning of honor and loyalty.

As I stood there, I felt a familiar, icy presence settle into my mind. The same one from my vision, the same voice that had taunted me with its cruel words.

“Soon, Viviane,” Lucia’s voice echoed through the bond. “Soon, I’ll have everything you hold dear. I will be the true Luna of this pack. And your precious Alpha will be mine.”

The fire inside me ignited. My hand tightened over my belly as I whispered, “Over my dead body, Lucia.”