REJECTED BY THE ALPHA BILLIONAIRE

Chapter 8 – Secrets in the Dark

The storm outside mirrored the one raging inside Aria’s chest. Rain lashed against the windows of Lila’s small apartment, the thunder rolling like an ominous drumbeat. Aria sat on the couch, legs tucked beneath her, arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. Every clap of thunder reminded her how fragile her safety was, how fragile her secret was.

Lila paced the room restlessly, chewing on her thumbnail. “You can’t keep hiding forever, Aria. Damian isn’t stupid. The longer you stay in the city, the more likely he’ll sniff you out.”

Aria swallowed hard. “Where would I even go, Lila? I’ve already left the pack. I have no family, no territory to call home. And now…” She rested her palm gently over her belly. Her voice broke. “Now I can’t just run without thinking about him.”

Lila stopped pacing. Her eyes softened, filling with pity. “Aria, he’s not just yours anymore. That child belongs to him too.”

Aria flinched as if struck. “Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true. You can pretend all you want, but Damian will never let an heir slip away. He’s ruthless, Aria. And when he finds out…”

“I won’t let him find out,” Aria snapped, her voice sharp with desperation. “He rejected me. He doesn’t deserve to know. He doesn’t deserve us.”

Her voice cracked at the end, her tears threatening to spill. She hugged herself tighter, rocking slightly. The idea of Damian ripping her child from her arms haunted her every waking moment.

---

Meanwhile, across the city, Damian sat in his office long after midnight. His desk was littered with half-signed documents, his phone buzzing endlessly with pack matters. He ignored it all. His wolf paced inside him, restless and angry.

Marcus entered quietly, his expression wary. “Alpha, the council is asking for your decision on the border treaty. They’ve been waiting all day.”

Damian didn’t look up. He tapped his pen against the desk, his golden eyes distant. “Tell them I’ll decide tomorrow.”

Marcus hesitated. “This isn’t like you, Alpha. You never leave matters hanging. Ever since…” He trailed off, but the name lingered unspoken between them.

Damian’s jaw clenched. “Say it.”

“Ever since you saw Aria again, you haven’t been the same.”

The pen snapped in Damian’s hand. He rose from his chair with a snarl, pacing toward the window. The city lights glowed beneath him, blurred by the rain streaking the glass. His wolf pressed against him harder than ever, whispering relentlessly: She’s hiding something. She’s ours. She carries our blood.

Marcus remained silent, waiting. Finally, Damian turned, his voice low and rough. “I don’t know what she’s hiding. But I’m going to find out. No one keeps secrets from me.”

Marcus studied him carefully. “And when you do? What then?”

Damian didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The wolf inside him already had.

---

Back at Lila’s, Aria couldn’t sleep. She tossed beneath the thin blanket, her wolf restless and uneasy. Images of Damian’s burning eyes haunted her. His voice—low, demanding—echoed in her ears. You’re hiding something.

Her stomach churned. She slipped quietly from the couch and padded to the kitchen for water. But as she reached for the glass, a sharp pain rippled through her lower abdomen. She froze, gripping the counter, her breath catching.

“No… not now,” she whispered, terror washing over her.

The pain subsided after a few seconds, but the message was clear—her secret was growing stronger every day. Soon, hiding it would be impossible.

Her wolf whimpered inside her. He will know. He will come.

Aria pressed a hand against her stomach, tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t let him. I can’t…”

---

The next morning, Damian stood in the rain outside the same clinic. He didn’t know why he returned. Instinct had dragged him there, the pull of the mate bond gnawing at his insides.

As he stood staring at the glass doors, a nurse exited with a stack of files. Damian’s sharp eyes caught something—Aria’s name, written across the top of one folder.

Before he could move, the nurse slipped, the papers scattering across the wet pavement. Damian was there in an instant, crouching, scooping them up with inhuman speed. His eyes locked onto the word that made his wolf howl with violent triumph: prenatal.

His blood ran cold. His heart slammed in his chest.

Aria. Pregnant.

For a long moment, the world tilted around him. His wolf roared, wild and victorious, demanding he claim what was his.

Damian shoved the papers back into the nurse’s hands and stalked away, fury burning through his veins. His mind raced. The child was his. It had to be his.

How dare she hide this from him?

---

That evening, as the storm raged louder, Aria sat at the window, staring into the dark streets. Lila tried to comfort her, but Aria barely heard her. Her chest ached with a strange, inexplicable dread.

Then came the knock at the door. Firm. Demanding.

Aria’s heart stopped.

Lila froze mid-step. “Aria… who would come this late?”

Another knock, louder this time.

Aria’s wolf pressed against her ribs, trembling. He’s here.

Her breath came in shallow gasps. She clutched her stomach, whispering, “No… not yet. Please, not yet.”

The knock became a pounding. The air thickened with a familiar, commanding energy that made her wolf bow against her will.

Lila’s eyes widened with terror. “It’s him.”

Aria’s entire body shook. She had no choice. The past she tried so hard to escape had come crashing through her door.

---

🔥 Cliffhanger ending:

The door handle turned slowly, deliberately. The storm roared outside as Damian’s voice, smooth but deadly, cut through the air:

“Aria. Open the door.”