Rejected by Alpha's Bet

The morning sickness hit me again as I bent over the herb cabinet, my stomach lurching violently. I pressed my palm against the cool stone wall of the healing chamber, breathing deeply through my nose until the nausea passed. Three weeks of this now, and I could no longer deny what my body was telling me.

I was pregnant.

The realization sent a warm flutter through my chest, followed immediately by nervous excitement. Chase and I had talked about pups before—distant conversations about the future, about carrying on his Alpha bloodline. But now it was real, growing inside me like a precious secret.

My fingers instinctively moved to my grandmother's moonstone pendant, the smooth surface warm against my skin. She would have been so happy. "The Moon Goddess blesses those who love with pure hearts," she used to say, her weathered hands gentle as she braided my hair. "Your pups will carry the strength of your bond, little one."

I finished organizing the healing supplies with trembling hands, my mind already racing ahead to tonight. Our weekly pack run through the moonlit forest—it would be perfect. Just Chase and me beneath the Moon Goddess's light, where our bond felt strongest. I could picture his face when I told him, the way his dark eyes would soften with wonder before pulling me into his arms.

The sun was setting as I made my way toward the Alpha house, my heart hammering with anticipation. I'd rehearsed the words a dozen times, imagining how his wolf would howl with joy when he learned he was going to be a father.

But as I approached the stone steps, voices drifted through the partially open window of Chase's study. I recognized Marcus Reed's voice immediately—Chase's Beta rarely visited this late unless pack business demanded it.

"The alliance ceremony with Celia Spencer is set for next week," Marcus was saying, his tone businesslike. "Alpha Ryan expects the marking to be completed before the full moon."

I froze on the steps, my hand gripping the iron railing. Alliance ceremony? My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest, sensing my confusion.

"Good." Chase's voice was cold, distant in a way I'd never heard before. "It's time to end this charade anyway. Five years of playing the devoted mate was exhausting."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I pressed myself against the wall, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure they'd hear it.

"That was quite the performance," Marcus chuckled. "I have to admit, when you made that bet about winning over the pack's little healer, I never thought you'd keep it up this long."

Bet?

The moonstone pendant felt suddenly heavy against my throat. My grandmother's voice echoed in my memory: *True love cannot be faked, Emma. The Moon Goddess sees all deception.*

"Emma served her purpose," Chase continued, and I could hear the shrug in his voice. "She kept my wolf calm while I learned to control my Alpha instincts. But now I need a real Luna—someone who can strengthen pack alliances, not some pathetic little healer who thinks fairy tales are real."

The world tilted. Five years. Five years of believing in our bond, in the way he held me after nightmares, in the gentle kisses he pressed to my forehead when he thought I was sleeping. Five years of thinking I was cherished, protected, loved.

All of it a lie. A bet.

I stumbled backward, my vision blurring with tears. The baby—our baby—suddenly felt like a weight in my stomach rather than a blessing. How could I have been so foolish? How could I have believed that someone like Chase Crawford, future Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, could truly want someone like me?

The front door opened before I could flee.

"Emma?" Chase stepped out, his expression shifting from surprise to something that might have been guilt. "What are you doing here?"

I stared at him, this man I'd given everything to, and felt something crack inside my chest. "I came to tell you something," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "But I think I already have my answer."

His jaw tightened. "You were listening."

It wasn't a question. Marcus appeared behind him, his face carefully neutral.

"Was any of it real?" The words tore from my throat like broken glass. "Five years, Chase. Five years of my life."

He ran a hand through his dark hair, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Regret? Shame? But when he spoke, his voice was steady, matter-of-fact.

"You knew what you were getting into, Emma. I'm going to be Alpha. I need a Luna who can handle pack politics, not someone who spends her days playing with herbs and dreaming about fairy tale endings."

The pendant seemed to burn against my skin. My grandmother's most precious possession, passed down through generations of strong women who believed in true love and sacred bonds.

With shaking fingers, I lifted the chain over my head.

"Then I guess you won't be needing this reminder of your pathetic little healer," I said, holding out the moonstone pendant.

Chase's eyes flicked to it dismissively. "Keep your trinkets, Emma. I have more important things to worry about than sentimental garbage."

He turned away, already dismissing me, already moving on to his real life—the one that had never included me as anything more than a temporary convenience.

The pendant slipped from my numb fingers, hitting the stone steps with a soft chime that sounded like my heart breaking.