Rejected, Pregnant And Claimed

8

AMIA

The small supply closet was right beside me.

I held my breath, slowly opened the door, and looked inside.

The feminine items and pregnancy tests were sitting right between the stomach medicine and the bandages.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed one, slid it into my pocket, and pulled the door shut with too much force.

The loud bang made me jump, and I froze, waiting for someone to rush into the room.

The hallway stayed completely silent.

It was fine, I told myself.

It was only stress messing with my body.

I was not even sure why I grabbed the test, but knowing the truth would lower my anxiety.

Everything was fine.

Deep down, I knew things were far from fine, and that plastic stick proved it.

I was in deep trouble, and Zand was the father.

---

It was the same hotel and the exact same room.

I could not believe I was back in the place where my worst nightmare started, at the Shadow Oak Inn.

At least there were no other alphas around this time.

Zand was not here.

"Stay inside," King Orion said gently after a guard carried my bags into the room.

He tried to act calm, but I saw the deep worry on his face.

We only traveled like this when something went horribly wrong, and things were very bad right now.

We were driving to a graduation for young omegas a hundred miles away when we suddenly got redirected.

King Orion always got anxious when plans changed, and he always added extra guards around me.

Alliances were broken.

An alpha King Orion trusted like a close friend was dead.

I did not care about pack politics.

All I cared about was that Luna was hurt.

She was almost killed, or if King Orion was right, she actually died and Valor brought her back.

He brought her back with his love.

It sounded fake.

That was unfair of me to think.

Luna deserved to be happy.

I wanted to support her even if I was not getting my own happy ending.

Things were much more complicated now.

As King Orion turned and walked out, I touched my stomach.

Everything was so much more complicated.

After the king left, a knock sounded at the door, and I pushed my panic down.

"It is me," a voice called out from the hallway.

It was Luna.

I did not realize how much I missed her until that second.

I ran to the door, pulled it open, and wrapped my arms around her.

I was not the type of person who made friends easily, and I had only met Luna at her party.

We connected instantly, and knowing she was hurt weighed heavily on me.

"King Orion would not tell me anything," I said. "He only said you were dead and then alive again."

I thought about Luna constantly while I was away, not just because she was the only omega I knew with a true mate, but because of everything she survived.

It was easier to focus on her troubles than to face my own reality.

"I did not die," she said with a gentle smile. "Wolves cannot come back from death."

"I bugged the guards to drive faster and let me call you," I said. "You need to get a phone so we can talk every single day."

Her eyes went wide with surprise, and she kicked the door closed behind her.

"Yes," she whispered softly. "But you cannot leave, not with what is happening to Zand."

Someone was already bringing up his name.

I tried hard to hide the pain, and it was getting easier to act fine.

Sometimes I felt like the grief would crush me before I could get out of bed.

I had no one to talk to about it.

I had no one to cry to, and the hurt felt overwhelming.

I was stronger now.

I had to be strong.

"Whatever happens to Zand has nothing to do with me," I said.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked. "It does matter, Amia. King Orion thinks Zand lied about you being his mate."

Of course King Orion thought that, since Zand was the one who told him.

Why did Luna say he thinks instead of he knows?

Did she know the mate bond was real, or that it used to exist?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, playing along. "He does not know about us."

The color drained from Luna's face, and I stood up straight in alarm.

I wondered if she was feeling sick again.

I reached out to help her, but she started speaking quickly. "Amia, King Orion is going to execute Zand in a few months. Or maybe on this trip, since he arrived early. You need to talk to him. I do not think Zand would lie about this, but if you say nothing, Zand will die."

My stomach dropped.

King Orion never mentioned this to me.

He usually shared everything with me.

Casually telling me he planned to execute Zand for lying was something he would say over breakfast on any given day.

Why did he keep it a secret for a whole month?

King Orion did not usually wait to execute wolves.

He just killed them immediately.

Why give Zand six months?

Even though I wanted Zand to hurt for breaking my heart, I did not want him dead.

How could I fix this mess?

I realized Luna was still staring at me, waiting for a response.

"Okay," I said quickly. "Yes, I will talk to him."

Luna smiled and relaxed her shoulders. "Good, so you will stay here. That is really good."

I almost laughed out loud as terror spread through me.

"What?" I said. "I cannot stay. Zand does not want me, and I belong with King Orion. I am fine with King Orion. Zand should not die to protect me, so I will fix it."

I nodded to reassure myself. "I will fix it, and then you will get a phone so we can talk all the time."

Luna stared at me carefully. "Amia, are you doing okay?"

She had just survived a massive trauma, yet she was worried about my well-being.

It was embarrassing.

"I am just processing everything," I said.

I needed a distraction, so I stood up and paced across the room.

"Where is Odette?" I asked. "I want to give her a hug too. King Orion wants me to stay in this room until someone can walk with me. You can walk with me since you are strong."

Luna gave a soft smile, and we talked for a little bit, but my thoughts kept racing.

I could not stay here.

I could not go back to King Orion either.

What was my next move?