Rejected by the Alpha, Chosen by the King

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I stood up, grabbing a fur shawl from the closet, which covered my bare arms and the exposed part of my back, making the dress more comfortable for me.

"I'll see you there," she went off to the dining room while I joined Ronan and his parents in his father's office.

"You look beautiful," Ronan wrapped my hand around his arm, "However, you're showing too much skin for a future Luna," he murmured, but it wasn't sexy. It felt like he was scolding me for a dress I didn't even buy for myself.

"I thought..." I didn't even know, I thought I was portraying the lovely Luna, but apparently, I chose the wrong one. "There's a fine line between looking like a slut and being a classy woman," he brushed his lips against my ear, and I shivered at the contact, suppressing the pain and confusion I felt.

We entered followed by his parents, and everyone in the dining room stood up and applauded for their future Alpha. I felt a surge of pride in his arm as we walked past rows of round tables to the long table for ranked members and honored guests. I went to sit on his right.

"Slide down one," he whispered.

"What?" This was always the seat I sat in.

"The prince is coming," he pulled out the chair, and I stood up, moving one down. I reached for the champagne glass but pulled back, reminding myself that there was a baby inside me, our baby.

Speeches were delivered, and yet the space between us remained empty, but he didn't ask me to sit back beside him. I was lost in my thoughts while everyone stood up; I didn't even realize until Luna Mary looked at me and whispered my name.

"Oh."

I paused for a moment before a man sat in the seat between us. He looked at me, and I nodded, looking past him towards where Ronan was seated. Callista walked towards the head table, and all eyes were on her.

The man next to me might have said something, but I didn't hear it. All I could see was her walking in a tight black dress that flared out. It was strapless, and her lips were outlined in the deepest red. She approached the man next to me before smiling at me, her teeth pulling back over her dazzling white teeth. I offered her a rather cold smile, knowing what I had put on the table in front of me, what was in that small black gift box that would wipe that presumption of superiority off her face.

"The future Luna is quite a sight," the man next to me nodded to Callista as she passed.

"She is not the future Luna," I gripped my fork too tightly.

"Oh, I..."

"I am," I looked at him. His light blue eyes widened for a moment before settling on me, studying my face.

"I didn't mean to disrespect her."

I didn't hear anything after that; my attention turned to where Callista leaned over the table to whisper to my partner. Ronan's eyes widened as he leaned back, but a smile appeared on his lips. What the hell was he doing? He knew how this would make me feel, how it would bind me when the stranger spoke next to me.

"I always hated these things, they seem so formal, so forced."

"So what would you prefer?" I asked, not taking my eyes off Ronan's.

"Something small, intimate, with people I actually enjoyed being with."

I nodded.

"That sounds like a great idea, except it's not suitable for the elite members and their style of showing off. Besides, what would the Lunas do then? Most likely die of boredom," I mused, and the man next to me burst into laughter, booming and catching Ronan's attention along with his mother and father.

I looked at all of them with a smile on my face. Callista finally walked away from the table, only to turn around and sit next to Ronan on his other side. People moved so Ronan could pull up a chair for her. Anger surged as something real I could hold onto. How dare she? What was Ronan thinking? I know he was being polite, but that crossed the line. I slid next to him as soon as the man left with his apologies to Ronan and his parents.

After he left, most of the others left, leaving behind the ranked members and a few stragglers, including my parents. Callista smiled at Ronan so genuinely that I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face. I knew I should share this with him out of joy, but this was too perfect an opportunity to pass up. My bitterness and joy kept each other company tonight.

"Your gift," I slid it to him with a smile, "I wanted to give it to you earlier, but...". I shrugged, biting my lower lip. He looked at me with evident curiosity on his face as he opened the box and took out the paper. My stomach filled with butterflies as he read it; I couldn't wait for his reaction. This is something we both wanted but hadn't happened until now. It felt like the perfect moment. The Goddess of the Moon blessed us with a baby months before we took over the pack, securing the Alpha's line. "Seraphina?" He looked at me, pain shining momentarily in his eyes before he clenched his jaw, "I wish we could have done this in private."

My stomach twisted. Did it matter? No one else knew, he didn't even announce it.

"I, Ronan Stratford, the future Alpha of the Ulfer Fang pack, reject you, Seraphina Milles, as my mate and future Luna."

I didn't understand his words, but my body did. Pain coursed through me as I felt our bond begin to break. I couldn't breathe. Fire crackled through me, replacing my blood. I swore this was the end. I would die for this. My vision blurred and turned black. Angry shouts and warm familiar hands lifted me. My eyes opened as they carried me away from the table. The last thing I saw before returning to the agonizing darkness was Callista consoling my mate through the pain.

The pain diminished, but only a little.

I had time to cool down my mind and think about other things besides the agonizing pain that pierced through my body.

My first memory sent waves of terror through me, was the baby okay?

There was no way they could survive the emotional trauma of what had happened to me.

Agony soon replaced the burning pain.

I couldn't lose them too, him or her, they were my last link to Ronan and the life I still desperately wanted.

It took effort to open my eyes, and I saw that I was back in my room, my childhood room in my parents' house. A wave of uncontrollable tears burst forth; I was back here instead of the room I shared with Ronan in the pack house. I hoped it was all a bad dream, but the feeling I experienced was that this was definitive and very real.

"Honey?" My mom entered with some water and helped me lean against the back of the bed. My throat was dry, and I drank the whole glass without pausing for breath. "How long has it been?" I asked with a pained tone.

"Almost two days."