Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

The wind whipped across the ridge, carrying the scent of wild jasmine and distant rain. I stood a few feet from Corey, watching his face as he struggled with my question. Do you love her? Or do you love your guilt?

His eyes—those golden-flecked eyes I'd gazed into for seven years—darted away from mine, focusing on something distant beyond my shoulder.

"Solana," he began, his voice softer than I'd heard it in weeks. "There are things you don't understand about my obligation to Emily."

I took a step closer, one hand unconsciously moving to my stomach. The nausea had become more persistent, and I'd made my decision. This baby deserved better than a father who couldn't even protect its mother from humiliation.

"Corey," I said, my voice steadier than I expected, "there's something growing—"

His eyes suddenly glazed over, that familiar blank look that signaled an incoming mind-link. My words died on my lips as I watched his expression transform from thoughtful to alarmed.

"Emily!" he exclaimed, his voice rising sharply. "Slow down—what's happening?"

I stood frozen, my hand still pressed against my abdomen, as Corey's attention completely shifted away from me.

"Rogues at the perimeter," he muttered, already backing away. "She says there's at least five of them."

"Corey," I reached for his arm, "we need to finish this conversation."

His eyes flashed gold as they refocused on me, but not with the warmth I craved. "We'll talk later. Emily needs me."

Before I could protest, his body began to shift. Bones cracked and reformed as his massive silver wolf emerged, shaking out its fur before taking off in a blur of motion toward the pack house.

"Corey!" I called after him, but he was already gone, leaving nothing but disturbed earth and the lingering scent of his wolf.

Just like that—abandoned again. On this very ridge where I'd once been left behind during a rogue run, forced to find my own way back to safety.

---

The first drops of rain hit my face as I began the long walk back to the pack house. Five miles. Five miles of mud and rain and humiliation.

"Great," I muttered, pulling my thin sweater tighter around my shoulders. "Just great."

As I walked, my wolf stirred within me, more alert and protective than usual. A strange warmth spread through my abdomen, and I realized my wolf was curling around something—protecting the tiny life growing inside me.

*Our pup*, she whispered in my mind. *Ours*.

The rain intensified, soaking through my clothes and plastering my hair to my face. Each step became heavier than the last, but with each mile, my resolve hardened.

"I won't raise you in this place," I whispered to my unborn child. "I won't let you grow up watching your mother be disrespected and abandoned."

By the time I reached the pack house, I was drenched and muddy, but my decision was made. No matter what happened with Corey, this baby would not suffer as I had.

---

"Solana!" The Gamma's voice stopped me as I entered the main hall. His expression was a mixture of pity and discomfort. "You're soaked."

"What happened with the rogues?" I asked, though I already suspected the answer.

He shifted uncomfortably. "There were no rogues. Just a bush that moved in the wind. Emily thought..."

"Of course she did," I said flatly.

The Gamma's eyes dropped to my stomach, then quickly away. Had he somehow sensed my condition? "Alpha Corey is in his office with Emily."

I nodded and turned toward the stairs, but paused when I heard voices from the common room.

"...seen talking to the Eastern Ridge wolves at Moonveil," a female voice was saying—Diana Chase, one of Emily's newest allies. "Very secretive."

"Solana?" another voice questioned. "But she's been with us for years."

"Yes, but after the humiliation... who knows what she might do to get revenge," Diana replied. "My mate says she was seen exchanging something with a wolf from the rival pack."

I froze, my hand gripping the banister tightly. Emily's voice joined the conversation, trembling and fragile.

"I just worry about Corey," she said. "He's so stressed lately. And if she's really working with rival wolves..."

---

"Are you trying to punish me by ruining my reputation?"

Corey's voice cut through me like a knife as I stood in his office doorway. He sat behind his desk, dark circles under his eyes, his hair disheveled from running his hands through it repeatedly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"These rumors," he gestured to his phone. "Eastern Ridge wolves? Secret meetings? Is this your way of getting back at me for Emily?"

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. After everything—after seven years of loyalty, after the humiliation at Moonveil, after carrying his child—he didn't ask for my side of the story.

He simply assumed the worst.

"Answer me," he demanded, his Alpha tone vibrating through the room. "Are you trying to punish me?"