Rejected Omega: Claimed By Her Ex's Uncle

Someone else's problem now

Zayne's POV

"Mariana, I am sorry for not being able to contact you after I left for the capital last night. I had been busy at work the entire day," I said, my voice softening as I tried to smooth over the tension from her missed calls.

"It's alright," Mariana replied. Her voice lacked the usual flirtatious spark that had drawn me to her in the first place.

"Why do you sound so low?" I asked, swirling the wine in my glass. My mind was already thinking of the possibilities if someone had disrespected her in my absence.

"Because of Reina."

My grip tightened on the glass. Of course. Even from miles away, that woman was still casting a shadow over my life. "Did she do something? Tell me! I will get her banished from the pack if she has harmed the future Luna. I don't care about our history anymore." I was losing my patience. Could Reina not just accept her place? Could she not digest the fact that I was moving on to bigger and better things without her?

"Reina married an Alpha last night," Mariana revealed, her voice trembling slightly.

"What?"

The word exploded out of me. I nearly dropped my wine glass, the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. "Married? To whom? What Alpha would take a disgraced, illegitimate omega like her?"

"I don't know who he is," Mariana continued, sounding frustrated. "Just that he came with a high-ranking entourage and took her away like she was some kind of prize. Well, I don't even want to speak or think about Reina. Do you want to hear a piece of good news?"

"What? Tell me," I urged, my heart hammering for a completely different reason now.

"I am expecting our child," Mariana stated.

The world seemed to stop for a second. The frustration about Reina and the work-related stress, it all vanished and was replaced by a surge of joy. "Oh My God! Mari, is that true? Did you go to the hospital and get yourself checked?" I asked, unable to contain the sheer joy bubbling up in my chest.

"Yes. I went to the hospital for a regular checkup when I found out I'm pregnant," she confirmed.

"I love you, Mari. I love you so much. You have no idea what you've given me!" I declared, a wide grin breaking across my face. This was it. This was the legacy I wanted. An heir from a woman I actually chose, not one forced upon me by a pathetic fated-mate bond. "I'll come to you as soon as I finish my work here. And we're getting married soon. That is a promise."

If I could, I would have brought the entire world to her feet at that moment.

"I love you too, Zayne," Mariana whispered. I heard her yawn through the receiver.

"You must take a good rest, Mari. Don't stress at all. It's actually good that Reina is married off! Now, you'll have nothing to worry about. She's someone else's problem now, and we can finally start our lives."

I hung up the phone, feeling like I was walking on air. I drained my wine glass in one gulp, a toast to my future pup. Let some nameless Alpha deal with Reina's baggage and her illegitimate status. I was a father-to-be, the Alpha of the Black Shadow Pack, and tomorrow, I was going to share this incredible news with my uncle, too.

I fell into bed, sleeping more soundly than I had in weeks, completely unaware that the "Alpha" who had taken Reina was the very man I was going to see in the morning.

~~~~

Damon's POV

I stood on the balcony of the master suite, watching the dawn break. I hadn't slept a wink. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the tremor in Reina's voice as she asked if I would be the second Kingsley to shatter her.

It was a bitter realization. I had prided myself on "rescuing" her, but in my arrogance, I had forced a marriage on a woman whose soul was already bruised by my own bloodline. If I hadn't stepped in, she would have remained in that house of shadows, but my methods had hardly been gentle.

Still, regret was a useless emotion for a commander. What was done was done.

What truly set my blood on fire was the audacity of Zayne. He had broken her. After all, he saw her as weak, because he was too small a man to see the value in a fated bond. My nephew, who should have carried my brother's integrity, had instead become a coward who played with hearts. And the fact that he had greeted me on the phone with such cheerful ignorance? It made my wolf snarl beneath the surface.

"I feel like snapping his neck," I murmured to the empty air.

The thought wasn't just a passing frustration. My claws twitched against the railing of the balcony. Sighing, I stepped back into the room. The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains, casting a soft glow over Reina. She was still caught in a peaceful slumber.

I sat in the armchair across from the bed, keeping my distance. I knew better than to go near her right now. If I got too close, her scent, that intoxicating mix of honey and fresh roses, would pull at my wolf, demanding I crawl into those sheets and hold her until the world faded away. I had to respect the boundary I'd promised her, especially now that I knew the depth of the trauma she carried.

"How much have you suffered in that pack, mate?" I muttered.

"In a few hours, Zayne will be kneeling in front of you, begging for his life," I promised the sleeping woman.

"I will become your light and will show you the love you have never tasted. Slowly but steadily, I will erase that pain from your heart, Reina." I slowly rose from the chair and went to the washroom to freshen up.