Rejected By My Alpha, Claimed By His Rival

Rejected

I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me thirty minutes before I discovered I was pregnant.

Honestly, I think the universe hated me.

The positive pregnancy test sat hidden inside my purse while I stood outside Logan’s office trying to convince myself not to overreact. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe the laugh I heard inside belonged to someone else. Maybe I was being paranoid.

Then I heard her voice again.

Jessica Hart.

Every wolf in the Black River Pack knew Jessica. Beautiful. Rich. Daughter of Alpha Sebastian Hart. The kind of girl mothers wanted their sons to marry. The kind of girl Alpha Logan was expected to end up with.

Not me.

I swallowed hard as I listened through the slightly opened office door.

“Relax,” Logan said casually. “Ava doesn’t know anything.”

Jessica laughed softly. “That girl is obsessed with you. She probably never will.”

My chest tightened painfully.

They laughed together.

I stood there frozen while my mind struggled to process what I was hearing. Three years. Three whole years with Logan. Three years of sneaking around because he claimed he wanted to keep our relationship private until after he officially became Alpha.

And like an i***t, I believed him.

Because I loved him.

I loved him enough to ignore every red flag. The late-night calls he never answered. The canceled dates. The way he never introduced me properly to anyone important in his life.

Now I finally understood why.

I slowly lowered my eyes toward my purse. Toward the pregnancy test. My stomach twisted violently.

Then Logan spoke again.

“I’m ending things with her soon anyway.”

Something inside me cracked.

Jessica sounded amused. “Soon? Logan, you’ve been saying that for months.”

“I know,” he muttered. “But Ava is… comfortable.”

Comfortable.

Not important.

Not special.

Comfortable.

Like I was some old hoodie he kept around because it was convenient.

I suddenly couldn’t breathe properly.

My wolf whimpered softly inside me, hurt by every word coming from the room.

I should have walked away.

Seriously.

I should have left before they saw me.

But my body refused to move.

Then my heel scraped lightly against the floor.

The sound echoed through the quiet hallway.

Silence filled the office immediately.

Crap.

The door swung open seconds later.

Logan stepped out first.

The moment he saw me standing there, his expression changed instantly.

Not guilt.

Not panic.

Annoyance.

“Ava?”

Jessica appeared behind him slowly, crossing her arms when she noticed me.

“Well,” she said dryly. “This is awkward.”

I stared at Logan silently.

He rubbed the back of his neck before sighing. “How long were you standing there?”

Long enough to know exactly what kind of person you are.

But I was too numb to say the words out loud.

Logan glanced around nervously before grabbing my arm gently. “Come inside.”

I pulled away immediately.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Don’t start crying.”

My fingers tightened around my purse.

Logan noticed the movement. “What’s in the bag?”

For a second, I almost lied.

Almost pretended none of this mattered.

But the hurt sitting inside my chest quickly turned into anger.

I reached into my purse slowly before pulling out the pregnancy test.

Both of them froze instantly.

“I’m pregnant.”

The words came out quieter than I expected.

Jessica’s eyes widened slightly.

Logan stared at the test in complete silence.

I searched his face desperately, hoping for something. Happiness. Shock. Anything.

Instead, his jaw tightened with irritation.

“You’re serious?”

I laughed bitterly. “No Logan, I bought a pregnancy test for decoration.”

Jessica suddenly stepped forward. “You’re pregnant with his child?”

The disgust in her voice made my stomach turn.

Logan ran a hand through his hair roughly before pacing away from us.

“This can’t be happening right now.”

I blinked at him slowly.

Right now?

That was his reaction?

Not are you okay?

Not we’ll figure this out?

Nothing.

My chest hurt.

“So what?” I asked quietly. “That’s it?”

Logan stopped pacing before looking at me.

“Ava, you know things are complicated right now.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Complicated.

Of course.

Everything with him was always complicated.

Jessica walked toward him before linking her arm with his possessively.

“We both know this isn’t good for your reputation.”

I looked at her sharply. “Excuse me?”

She shrugged carelessly. “Logan is about to become Alpha. Having a random girlfriend pregnant with his child doesn’t exactly look great.”

Random girlfriend.

Three years together, and suddenly I was random.

Logan didn’t correct her.

That hurt the most.

I swallowed painfully before looking directly at him.

“Say something.”

For a second, Logan remained silent.

Then he sighed heavily.

“I think…” He paused carefully. “I think maybe you should get rid of it.”

The world stopped.

I genuinely thought I misheard him.

“What?”

Logan avoided my eyes. “You heard me.”

Tears burned instantly behind my eyes.

“You want me to kill our baby?”

“Ava, lower your voice.”

I laughed shakily. “You’re unbelievable.”

Jessica crossed her arms again. “Honestly, I don’t know why you’re acting surprised. Did you seriously think Logan would ruin his future over this?”

Over this.

Like my child was a problem to erase.

My wolf growled painfully inside me.

I looked at Logan one last time, silently begging him to take it back. To tell me he didn’t mean it.

But he stayed quiet.

And that silence broke me more than anything else.

I nodded slowly.

“Wow.”

That was all I could say.

Because if I spoke any longer, I would completely fall apart in front of them.

I turned around quickly and walked toward the exit.

“Ava—”

I ignored Logan immediately.

The moment I stepped outside the pack house, cold air hit my face hard.

My breathing became uneven.

I made it halfway down the front steps before tears finally spilled from my eyes.

Humiliation burned through me violently.

I felt stupid.

Used.

Disposable.

Three years.

Three years wasted on a man who looked at me like I meant nothing.

A car suddenly pulled up in front of the pack house.

I wiped my face quickly, not wanting anyone else to see me crying.

The driver’s door opened slowly.

Then my entire body froze.

Damien Blackwood stepped out of the car.

Every wolf in the country knew his name.

The ruthless Alpha of the Shadow Ridge Pack.

Dangerous.

Powerful.

And Logan’s biggest rival.

Damien looked expensive in every possible way. Black suit. Dark eyes. Calm expression that somehow made him even more intimidating.

His gaze landed on me instantly.

Then shifted briefly toward the tears on my face.

One of his eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Well,” he said calmly, closing the car door behind him. “Looks like I came at a bad time.”

My heart started pounding for an entirely different reason.