Rejected by My Alpha, Carrying His Heir

THE TRUTH IN HIS SILENCE

I couldn’t breathe.

The creature’s words hung in the air like poison.

That’s why you rejected her.

My eyes snapped to Kael, searching his face for denial—anything that would tell me it wasn’t true.

But he said nothing.

And his silence hurt more than any answer could have.

“You knew?” My voice came out quieter than I meant. “You knew all this before?”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“Lira—”

“No.” I took a step back. “Don’t say my name like that.”

The creature watched us with clear satisfaction.

“You never told her,” it said softly. “You let her believe she was unwanted.”

“Be quiet,” Kael growled.

But it was too late.

The damage had already been done.

My chest ached as everything started falling into place—the rejection, the distance, the way Kael always seemed terrified whenever my power surfaced.

It had never been hate.

It had been fear.

“You pushed me away because of this child?” I asked.

Kael finally looked at me.

“Because I was trying to save you.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“By destroying me first?”

The pain in his expression lasted only a second before he buried it again.

“You were never supposed to survive the bond breaking,” he said quietly. “But when you did… I knew they would come.”

My hand moved to my stomach.

The warmth there pulsed.

Like it understood every word.

And suddenly, for the first time—

I realized Kael had never rejected me because he didn’t care.

He rejected me because he cared too much.

And somehow—

That hurt even more.