Return Of The Rejected Mate

Kayla's POV I slowly opened my eyes to a pounding headache. I tried to turn over, but my entire body ached. Yesterday had been a long night, but I was certain I hadn't touched any alcohol. As my eyes adjusted to the light streaming through the window, fear crept up my spine. This wasn't my room! These weren't my cream-colored curtains or my vanity table cluttered with wedding preparations. The unfamiliar beige walls and sterile hotel furniture made my heart race in utmost confusion and fright. I turned to the other side of the bed and froze. Someone was lying next to me. My breath caught in my throat as I realized it wasn't Damon. I jerked upright, my head spinning with pain, my vision swimming. This had to be a nightmare. I rubbed my eyes hard, trying to wake up from whatever this was. My mouth felt dry and my thoughts were sluggish, as if I had been drugged. But that was impossible. I had only had tea with Elena last night before going to bed. Before I could make sense of anything, the door stormed open. A group of people rushed into the room with a look of disappointment etched through their face. I grabbed the bedsheet and clutched it to my chest, my hands trembling. My father stood in the doorway, his face twisted in an expression in a deep frown. Behind him were my stepmother Victoria, my half-sister Elena, and several pack council members. All of them stared at me with disgust etched into their features. "Dad..." My voice came out as barely a whisper. I wanted to explain, to scream that this wasn't what it looked like, but the words died in my throat. I had no idea how I'd gotten here or who the man beside me was. My lips was shivering and my heart kept racing rapidly. Nothing was making sense! This has to be a dream….. Please moon goddess, let this be a dream because today is supposed to be my wedding and I can't have it ruined. I cried out deep within me. The stranger sat up, pulling the sheet around himself, his face pale with panic. Then another figure stepped through the doorway, and my world shattered completely. Damon. His huge and tall figure filled the entrance, his broad shoulders tense. Those hazel eyes that usually looked at me with such warmth now held nothing but pain. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching. He looked at me for only a moment before turning his gaze away, as if the sight of me physically hurt him. "Kayla, I never wanted to believe this." His voice cracked, consumed with emotion. "I told them you would never do something like this." He couldn't even look at me. I fell to my knees on the floor, the sheet still wrapped around me. "I don't know what's going on. I just woke up here. I have no idea how this happened." "Even after you've been caught red-handed, you dare to lie to our faces?" My stepmother's voice came through, a mixture of disappointment and disgust filled her tone. "Don't you have any respect for this council? For your Alpha?" "Please, you have to listen to me……" I reached toward Damon, but he took a step back. My hands fell back to the ground and this action of it felt like knives were sliced right through my heart. Today was supposed to be my wedding day. I found out that Damon was my mate when I turned nineteen, and it had felt like a dream come true, not just for me but for my entire family. The daughter of a Beta mated to the most powerful Alpha in the city? It elevated our family's status overnight. Last night, I spent hours with Elena, my sister and best friend. I'd told her my secret: I was pregnant with Damon's child. I planned to tell him today as my wedding gift. Elena was so happy for me, hugging me and talking about baby names until I hadgrown exhausted and gone to bed around midnight. Now I was kneeling on a hotel room floor, accused of betraying my mate, with no memory of how I'd gotten here. "What is the meaning of this?" My father's voice boomed as he turned to the man in the bed. "Don't you realize she's the mate of the Alpha? They were supposed to be married today! Don't you realize the severity of your crime?" The stranger's face went even paler. "I... I'm sorry. I had no idea she was the Alpha's mate. She never mentioned it. In fact, she was the one who booked this hotel room." His words hit me hard, I turned to face him, my eyes widened and my mouth gasped in shock. I had never seen this man before in my life, let alone booked a hotel room with him. "That's not true!" I cried out, trying to stay calm, trying to think through the fog in my mind. But panic was taking over, making it impossible to form coherent thoughts. "How could you do this to the Alpha?" Elena's voice trembled with what sounded like genuine disappointment. I looked up at my sister, desperately hoping to see some sign that she believed me. But her expression mirrored everyone else's: disgust and disappointment. While Damon's face showed only pain, Elena held something that made my stomach turn. Was that satisfaction hidden behind her sad eyes? "Kayla, when you told me you were going out for a walk last night, I believed you would be back soon." Elena's voice was soft, almost sympathetic. "But when dawn came and you still hadn't returned, I got worried. That's why I informed the Alpha of your disappearance. Never did I imagine..." She shook her head and looked away. "Never did I imagine you would do something like this." "No, Elena, please." I crawled toward her on my knees, not caring how pathetic I looked. "You know me. You know I would never betray Damon. I swear on my life, on my mother's grave, I didn't do this." I looked around the room desperately, searching for even one person who might believe me. But every face held the same expression of contempt. "Was I not enough for you?" Damon finally spoke again, taking a step closer. His voice was hollow, broken. "I gave you everything, Kayla. My love, my trust, my pack's acceptance. And this is what I get in return?" "No, please." Tears streamed down my face, shattering every ounce of hope I had in life. My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest. "Just give me some time. Let me prove my innocence. I can explain……" "Explain what?" He cut me off, his voice almost growling and even though he wasn't using his Alpha voice, his aura was making his voice become unbearable for me. "The evidence is right in front of us. This hotel room was booked in your name. You're here, naked, with another man. What possible explanation could there be?" He took another step closer until he stood directly over me. When our eyes finally met, I saw my future crumbling in his gaze. I knew exactly what words were coming next. My wolf whimpered inside me, already feeling the severing of our bond. My hands instinctively moved to my stomach, to the life growing there that Damon didn't even know about. "I, Damon Blackwood, Alpha of the Blood stone Pack..." he began, his voice taking on the formal tone of pack law.