Denied Blood
933 Words
[Araya's POV]
Araya stands outside Jasper's office, her hand pressed against the door. Her heart pounds in her chest, a rapid, unsteady rhythm that makes her feel dizzy. She has been standing here for several minutes, trying to summon the courage to knock.
She is pregnant.
She carries his child.
He needs to know.
Araya takes a deep breath and knocks.
"Enter," Jasper's voice calls from inside, cold and clipped.
Araya pushes the door open and steps inside.
Jasper sits behind his desk, papers spread out before him. He does not look up when she enters. His storm-gray eyes remain fixed on the document in his hand, his jaw tight with concentration.
"What is it?" Jasper asks.
Araya closes the door behind her, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "I need to speak with you."
"I'm busy."
"It's important."
Jasper sets down the paper and looks at her, his expression flat and unreadable. "Then speak."
Araya crosses to the desk, her hands trembling. She folds them in front of her, trying to steady herself. "I went to see the healer this morning."
Jasper's eyes narrow slightly. "Are you ill?"
"No," Araya says. "Not exactly."
Jasper leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Then what?"
Araya's throat tightens. The words stick, refusing to come out. She forces herself to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm pregnant."
The silence that follows is suffocating.
Jasper stares at her, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, his lips curl into something that might be a smile. But there is no warmth in it. No joy. Only bitter amusement.
"Pregnant," Jasper repeats, the word dripping with skepticism.
Araya nods. "Yes."
Jasper stands, his chair scraping against the stone floor. He walks around the desk, stopping in front of her. "And you think the child is mine?"
Araya's breath catches. "Of course it's yours. You're my mate. You're the only one..."
Jasper laughs. The sound is harsh, cutting through the air like a blade. "The only one? Are you sure about that?"
Araya's chest tightens, panic rising in her throat. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you're a liar," Jasper says, his voice cold and sharp.
"I'm not lying," Araya says, her voice trembling. "The child is yours. You know it is."
Jasper steps closer, his storm-gray eyes boring into hers. "Do I? Because from where I'm standing, it seems awfully convenient. You've been nothing but trouble since the moment you arrived. And now, suddenly, you're pregnant?"
"It's not sudden," Araya says. "It's been weeks since..."
"Since what?" Jasper interrupts. "Since I took you to my bed? Once. For duty. And now you expect me to believe you're carrying my child?"
"Yes," Araya says, her voice breaking. "Because it's the truth."
Jasper's expression hardens. "I don't believe you."
Araya's vision blurs. "Jasper, please. I wouldn't lie about this."
"Wouldn't you?" Jasper's voice drops low, dangerous. "You're desperate, Araya. Desperate to keep your place here. Desperate to matter. What better way to secure your position than to claim you're carrying the Alpha's heir?"
"That's not what this is," Araya says, tears streaming down her face. "I'm telling you the truth. The child is yours."
Jasper turns away, running a hand through his dark hair. He walks to the window, staring out at the courtyard below. "You were with someone else."
"No," Araya says, her voice firm despite the tears. "I wasn't. I've never..."
"Don't lie to me," Jasper snaps, whirling around to face her. "You think I don't know what you are? You're wolf-less. Weak. Unworthy. No Alpha would touch you willingly. So who was it? Some rogue? Some packless wolf who took advantage of you?"
Araya's hands curl into fists at her sides. "I haven't been with anyone else. Only you. You know that."
"I know nothing," Jasper says coldly. "Except that you're trying to trap me."
"I'm not trying to trap you," Araya says, her voice rising. "I'm trying to tell you that you're going to be a father."
Jasper's jaw tightens. He crosses the room in three long strides, stopping inches from her. His voice is low, deadly. "That child is not mine."
Araya's breath stops. The words hit like a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs.
"It is," Araya whispers. "You know it is."
"No," Jasper says. "I don't. And I won't claim a bastard as my heir."
Araya's knees buckle. She grips the edge of the desk to keep from falling. "Jasper, please. You're wrong. The child is yours."
"Prove it," Jasper says.
"How?" Araya asks, desperation clawing at her chest. "How can I prove it?"
Jasper's storm-gray eyes are cold, unforgiving. "You can't. And until you do, that child means nothing to me."
Araya's chest heaves, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. "You're lying. You know the truth. You just don't want to accept it."
"What I know," Jasper says, his voice cutting, "is that you're wolf-less. You're weak. And you're trying to manipulate me into believing something that isn't true."
"It is true," Araya says, her voice breaking.
Jasper turns away, his hand gripping the back of his chair. "Get out."
"Jasper..."
"I said, get out."
Araya stands frozen, her body trembling. She stares at his back, willing him to turn around. To take back the words. To believe her.
But he does not move.
Araya's chest aches, the bond between them fraying, thread by thread.
She takes a step back, then another. Her hand finds the door handle, cold and unyielding.
"That child will never be mine," Jasper says, his voice flat and final.
- Writer
