REJECTED AND PREGNANT: HIS RIVAL’S OBSESSION

CHAPTER 2

Sophiah's POV

I didn't sleep that night.

Keira's words played in my head on repeat like a song I couldn't turn off. He's going to reject you. He asked me to be here when he does.

I wanted to believe she was lying. Keira lied the way most people breathed, naturally and without effort. But something about the way she said it, calm, sure, almost bored, made my chest tight with a fear I couldn't shake.

By morning, my body felt heavier than usual. The nausea that had been bothering me all week came back stronger, and I barely made it to the bathroom before everything in my stomach came rushing out. I sat on the cold tile floor, pressing my forehead against the edge of the bathtub, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

This had been going on for days. At first I blamed the stress. Then the food. Then the late nights. But deep down, something whispered that this was different. Something I wasn't ready to face.

I pushed the thought away and forced myself to get dressed. Luna duties didn't stop because I felt like dying inside.

When I came downstairs, the packhouse was already buzzing with activity. The Alpha Ceremony was two weeks away, and preparations had taken over every corner of the building. Banners were being hung, menus were being finalized, and patrol schedules were being doubled for security.

And right in the middle of it all was Keira.

She stood near the main hall entrance, surrounded by three pack members who were hanging on her every word. She pointed at the banner above the door and shook her head.

"That color is wrong," she said. "Tyran prefers deep navy, not this washed out blue. Trust me, I've known him since we were children."

The pack members nodded and immediately began pulling the banner down. No questions. No hesitation. Like she was already their Luna.

I stood there watching, and not a single person noticed me.

"Good morning, Luna." A small voice broke through the noise. I looked down to see Mila, one of the younger omegas who worked in the kitchen. She was the only one who consistently showed me any respect, probably because I had fought to get her a position in the packhouse after she was orphaned last winter.

"Good morning, Mila," I said quietly.

"Should I prepare your tea?" she asked, glancing nervously at Keira's circle across the room.

"Please."

I made my way to the dining room, hoping to eat something light before the day swallowed me whole. But when I walked in, Tyran was already there, and he wasn't alone.

Keira sat next to him, her plate full, her smile bright. She was pouring him coffee like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like this was her seat. Her table. Her mate.

Tyran looked up at me briefly. "You're late."

"I wasn't feeling well," I said.

"You've been saying that a lot lately." His voice carried no concern, just observation. Like he was noting a pattern in a spreadsheet.

I sat down across from them. Mila brought my tea, and I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, using it to anchor myself. The silence at the table was thick, but Keira broke it effortlessly.

"I was just telling Tyran about my time at the Silver Ridge Academy," she said, cutting her food into perfect little pieces. "The training there was incredible. I even ranked top five in combat trials."

"That's impressive," Tyran said, and there was genuine admiration in his voice. The kind I had never heard directed at me.

"It wasn't easy," Keira continued, "especially without pack support. But I managed. I had to prove that I could stand on my own, even after everything that happened."

The subtle dig wasn't lost on me. Everything that happened meant me. My existence. My return to the Eclipse Pack. She was playing the survivor card, and Tyran was buying every word.

"Sophiah has been managing pack duties here," Tyran said suddenly. I looked up, surprised that he mentioned me at all. But his next words killed any hope before it could form. "But with the ceremony coming, we'll need someone with actual combat training to oversee security coordination. Keira, would you handle that?"

My fork stopped halfway to my mouth. Security coordination was one of the most important roles during an Alpha Ceremony. It was a Luna's responsibility. He was stripping it from me and handing it to her right in front of my face.

"Of course," Keira said softly, placing her hand on his arm. "I would be honored."

I set my fork down slowly. "Tyran, can I speak with you? Alone."

"After breakfast," he said without looking at me.

"Now." My voice came out sharper than I intended, and the room went still. Even Keira paused her performance.

Tyran's jaw tightened. He stared at me for a long moment, and I could feel the weight of his authority pressing against the air. But I held his gaze. For once, I didn't look away.

"Fine." He stood up and walked toward the hallway. I followed him, feeling Keira's eyes on my back like two hot coals.

When we were alone, he turned and crossed his arms. "What?"

"Are you going to reject me at the ceremony?"

The question landed like a slap. His expression shifted for just a second, surprise maybe, or irritation that I had found out. But it was gone before I could read it.

"Who told you that?"

"Does it matter? Is it true?"

He was quiet. The silence lasted five seconds, then ten, then twenty. Each second pulled something out of me, hope, patience, dignity. I felt them leaving one by one.

"I haven't decided," he finally said.

Three words. I haven't decided. Like I was a menu option he was still considering. Like three years of service, loyalty, and silent suffering came down to a decision he hadn't bothered to make yet.

"You haven't decided," I whispered, and my voice cracked despite everything I did to hold it together.

"The ceremony is important, Sophiah. I need to think about what's best for the pack."

"And Keira? Is she what's best for the pack?"

His silence answered louder than any words could.

I nodded slowly. My hands were shaking, so I pressed them against my sides. I would not break. Not here. Not in front of him.

I turned and walked back toward the dining room. Keira was exactly where I left her, sipping her coffee with the calm confidence of someone who already knew she had won.

But as I passed her, something happened that stopped me cold. A wave of dizziness hit me so hard that I grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright. My vision blurred. My stomach twisted violently.

And then I felt it. A flutter. Faint. Deep inside me. Not nausea. Not sickness.

A heartbeat that wasn't mine.