The Alpha's Rejection; Pregnant With His Son

003

ZEREK'S POV

The night air was cold and sharp, like a knife cutting through my skin. My wolf, Fenrir, was restless inside me, making me feel uneasy too. I had a nagging feeling in my chest that wouldn't go away.

I stood at the edge of Silvercrest territory, looking out at the vast wilderness. The trees were quiet, their shadows stretching out in the moonlight. Something felt off. I didn't know what or why, but the feeling wouldn't leave me alone, whispering in my mind.

I caught a whiff of something familiar. Astra. I stopped dead in my tracks, every nerve on edge. My heart pounded in my chest as I took another step, breathing in deeply.

Her scent was mixed with something metallic and sharp - blood. No, this can't be happening. Fenrir growled, his anger simmering just below the surface. She's hurt. I need to get to her!

I sprinted towards the scent, my feet pounding the forest floor. I was breathing hard, my breaths short and sharp. The smell got stronger, and my gut felt heavier. Then I saw it - a cloak, bloody and torn, thrown away near the border.

I froze, staring at the cloak as I struggled to catch my breath. The bloodstain on the fabric seemed to mock me, reminding me of the life it once belonged to. Astra's scent clung to it, haunting me and squeezing my heart tight.

Fenrir's angry howl echoed in my mind, shaking me to my core. This is all your fault! You rejected her and let her go! "No," I whispered, my voice shaking. My hands trembled as I touched the bloody cloak. Memories of Astra flooded my mind - her gentle smile, her sparkling eyes, her enticing spirit.

Astra's face flashed in my mind, twisted in agony, her body battered and bloody. She was crying out for help, but no one came. "No!" I bellowed, grasping the cloak tightly.

Fenrir's voice tore through my mind. She's dead because of you. You pushed her away when she needed you. You let her die. "I didn't know!" I shouted back, my voice cracking with pain. "I had no idea this would happen!”

I crouched down, my head racing with so many thoughts.

“I thought I was protecting her” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Well…you were not!” Fenrir growled.

“The pack's council threatened to eliminate her and the baby if I don't reject and banish her from the pack house. They told me to take up Althea as a second mate!” I growled, the intense amount of pain made it seem as though I was being stung by countless scorpions. “I rejected her, but was hesitant to banish her but she beat me to it by escaping from the pack house”

“You were reckless!” Fenrir sneered.

“No, the council didn't keep to their promise and they would f*****g pay for what they did to my Astra!”

My words sounded empty, even to myself. Then Althea spoke up, her voice icy and sharp. "She's not dead." I spun around, my eyes locked on her.

She stood a few feet away, her arms crossed and her face expressionless. "What do you mean?" I growled, my voice low and menacing. "She's not dead," Althea repeated, glancing at the cloak in my hands. "But if you don't act fast, she will be.”

I bit down on my lower lips, already fuming but tried so hard to play cool. “What the hell did you do to her? How do you know, huh?”

“Oh well….” Althea muttered, the corner of her lips curving into a sly smirk. “Let's say….I know of the pack council's plans”

“Because you're part of it” I snarled.

“Something like that” she said slyly with a wink, inching closer towards me. “Astra is alive, but barely, though. And the longer you wallow in self pity and guilt, the more she gets closer to her f*****g death”

“Where the hell is she?” I asked again, the anger in my tone rising.

Althea stared into my eyes, widening hers as though she was innocent. “Why are you so concerned, though?” She asked in a sarcastic tone. “You rejected her, right? Publicly declaring her unimportance in your life, why does it matter now, huh?”

Her words pierced deep into my soul, it felt like a deadly slap across my cheeks. She was right, but what I did was to protect the woman I loved and our unborn child from harm.

All because of a f****d up prophecy I loosed the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The council and pack as a whole saw her and the baby she carried as a threat, leading to what's happening at the moment.

“Where is she, Althea?”

A dramatic sigh escaped her lips, a slight frown forming on her make-up caked face. “She's somewhere you would never locate”

“Lies!” Fenrir growled as I walked towards her. “Where the hell is she? You have five seconds to speak to or else….”

I left my words hanging, creating a suffocating atmosphere. Her smirk faltered for a brief moment, a flicker of the emotion I intended to create flickering in her eyes; fear, and something much more sinister.

As though it was never there, Althea's expression returned to normal. “She is not worth your time, Zerek” she sneered. “A weak, f****d up Omega who is bound to die anyways. So you need to shift your attention towards what really matters, dearie; us”

As she said those words, something within me snapped. Growling with intense pain and anger, I grabbed her by the arm, my grip deadly.

“Spill her location now, Althea! Or else I would….”

Her mocking laughter suddenly cut me off, taking the words out of my lips. “You will do what? Kill me? Banish me? Go ahead, Alpha boy. But know that by then your precious Astra would be gone forever”

‘f**k!!’ my wolf roared with anger, his frustration piquing as I was forced to loosen my grip on her.

“Keep forcing her to spill the truth!” Fenrir urged.

“Why?” I croaked. “Why are you doing this, huh? If she dies, what would you gain from it?”

“I don't know…” she shrugged, that sly smirk returning to her face. “Freedom to the werewolf province, I guess. That b***h is cursed, Zerek, that's why she needs to die to uplift it!”

“And how sure are you? It is not your decision to make!” I said.

“Well…technically the pack council of elders made the decision and I happen to be a part of it” she shrugged.

“And why do you seem more excited?” She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Althea didn't respond. She just turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving me with my thoughts. Fenrir's growl echoed in my mind. She's lying. We have to find Astra before it's too late.

I clenched my fists, my resolve hardening. I didn't know where Astra was or what she was facing, but I knew one thing - I wouldn't let her die. Not again.

Just as I took a step forward, I suddenly fell to my knees, a sharp, stabbing pain spreading through my body with the speed of light.

I fell to the ground, unable to move my body as my chest kept heaving up and down, trying to draw enough air to my lungs.

I could feel it, something was definitely leaving me permanently. Tears streamed down my cheeks and at that moment, realization dawned on me, I had truly lost the one person I cared about forever, My Astra.