The Alpha's Rejection; Pregnant With His Son

002

ASTRA'S POV

Agony shot through my side with each ragged breath. I felt warm blood spreading beneath me as the rogue closed in.

I tried to move, to fight back, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The rogue's triumphant growl filled my ears. This was the end.

Left alone. Rejected. I was dying with my unborn baby still inside me. The last thing I saw was the rogue's claws coming down - then everything went black.

I felt warmth. Soft candlelight danced on the walls. The air was filled with the calming scent of herbs like rosemary and sage. To my surprise, I wasn't dead.

The pain was still there, but it was muffled and soothing. I blinked, trying to focus. I saw a rough wooden ceiling, wooden walls, and shelves packed with jars and dried plants. Then, I saw a face.

A woman with dark, weathered skin knelt beside me. Her sharp eyes took everything in. She gently pressed a cool cloth to my forehead. "You're awake," she said calmly, but with a hint of concern. I tried to speak, but my throat hurt. "Where..." I whispered.

"Hush, drink this," she said, holding a wooden cup to my lips. The liquid tasted bitter and earthy, but I swallowed, feeling warmth spread through my chest.

I winced in pain as I moved, my hand instinctively going to my stomach. "The baby?" I whispered, panic rising.

"Alive," she replied softly.

Tears flooded my face as relief washed over me. I had thought all was lost.

"You were near the border," she continued gently. "You were dying. If I'd found you a moment later, both you and the baby would be gone."

I nodded weakly, too choked up to speak.

But then, the memories came flooding back, sharp as a knife. Zerek's icy stare. His words: "It can't be mine." Althea standing beside him, silent.

The rejection cut deeper than my physical pain. I had run, but not because I was weak.

"If I'd stayed, I would have been destroyed completely."

I whispered, my voice rough, as I stared at the bandages wrapped around my ribs. "I shouldn't have made it out alive...that rogue—"

The woman's expression turned grim. "It wasn't a normal rogue," she said. "It was controlled by dark magic. I could smell it on your wound."

My heart skipped a beat. "Controlled?" I repeated, a chill running down my spine.

She nodded, her eyes serious. "Someone wanted you dead." Those words hurt me more than the rogue's attack.

I had run away, thinking Zarek's rejection was the worst pain I could feel. But this was worse. Someone had sent the rogue to kill me - and my unborn baby.

“Ahh…” I groaned slowly, trying to sit up but was suddenly stopped by the woman as she urged that I sit back.

“Not yet, dear. Patience” she said in a calm tone, shifting her attention to the cup of water on the table. “The healing process of the wound just began so let it do its thing gently. So tell me….” She paused, handing me the water as she urged me to drink up. “Why is your pack after your life?”

As I gulped down the contents of the cup, a slight frown of disgust formed on my face, what the hell was this?

“Umm….” I began, the words getting stuck in my throat as I hesitated to say it out.

But the truth came out anyway.

“It's…. it's umm…my mate, Zarek” I began, picking my words. “He is the Alpha of the pack house and…and when I told him about my baby he….he…” my voice cracked, unable to complete my sentence, saying it brought back painful memories, my emotions becoming a mess.

“He didn't believe me” I finally said it out after much hesitation. “He denied the pregnancy, telling me to my face that he was already engaged to a Beta, Althea”

“Who?” The healer whispered, a grim expression forming on her face. “Al…Althea?”

I furrowed my brows, confused at her reaction. “Yes, do you know her?”

The healer hesitated for a moment, then she spoke up.

“Althea Montgomery, power-hungry and ever so cunning. She is that deadly snake who would poison the heart of a proud Alpha like Zerek with her venoms”

As she said Zarek's name, my heart twisted with pain. My Zerek, my Mate.

I could hardly believe that Zerek, who claimed to love me to the end of time, would do such a thing to me. Or was there more to what had happened than meets the eyes?

“Zerek left me because I'm just an Omega, weak and pathetic” my voice cracked. “I am literally nothing to be compared to Althea, a strong beta”

The healer gaze lingered, a sly smirk forming on her lips as she spoke up.

“You are far from being weak nor an Omega, child”

My eyes widened. “I…I…don't understand”

She walked over to a shelf with dried herbs hanging from it. "I sensed something special about you when we met," she said. "Most people wouldn't notice it, but you have a hidden power inside you. It's been locked away, but your pain has started to set it free."

I shook my head. "That can't be true. I've never been special or powerful. I'm just ordinary."

Her voice was firm. "You're not ordinary. You're something more.”

I gulped, fighting back tears. But before I could say anything, the room felt different.

The healer knelt in front of me again, looking serious. "Your baby," she said gently. "There's more to this pregnancy than you think. Your partner's family is really old and powerful. They're alpha wolves. But when their blood mixes with yours..." I suddenly felt a chill. "What does that mean?”

She paused, choosing her words carefully. "The baby you're carrying," she whispered, "won't just be an alpha. They'll have incredible power, more than any wolf in centuries. Enough to change everything for the Silvercrest Pack." My stomach turned.

"No," I whispered. "You're wrong. I never wanted this kind of power. I didn't..."

"What you want doesn't matter, Astra." Her eyes locked onto mine.

"This prophecy has already started. That's why they want to kill you." Her words hit me hard. Zerek didn't believe me and rejected me, but this was even worse. Someone in my own pack wanted my baby dead because they were scared of what it might become.

A low growl started building in my throat, and I was surprised by my own reaction. But I knew one thing - I would do anything to protect my child.

No. I wouldn't die in this territory.

I took a deep breath, trying to control my nervousness. “What do I do now?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I clenched the fabric of the blanket, my body trembling.

The healer's expression turned grim. "Astra, you must leave. Now. Go somewhere no one will recognize you, far from this pack house. Every second you stay here puts you in greater danger."

I nodded, fear crawling up my spine. A tear escaped, and I felt my world crumbling. I'd lost my mate, my pack, everything, in just one day. But I still had my child.

As I clutched my stomach, a pricking pain shot through me. It was stronger than before. Something was terribly wrong.

The wind outside howled like a wolf's mournful cry. And then, I felt it; the chilling feeling of being monitored.

A shadow hovered behind me. I tried to turn, but a hand clamped over my mouth. I felt a sharp sting in my neck, and my vision began to blur.

The last thing I saw was the healer's horrified face, her eyes wide with a warning that came too late.

Everything went dark.