CHASED BY MY REJECTED MATE

CHAPTER SEVEN

TYLER

I became worried the moment Julian answered his phone and told Kat that something happened at Rex’s school.

My heart began to race with fear.

I sat up quickly and looked between the both of them, waiting for someone to explain what was going on.

But neither of them said a word to me. Julian just hung up and Kat’s face turned pale. The panic in her eyes was clear.

My panic grew even worse.

“What happened? Is Rex okay?” I asked, my voice louder than I intended.

Neither of them answered me.

I gritted my teeth and turned to the Moon Goddess in my mind. Please don’t let anything happen to my son, I prayed.

Please… I just found them. Please don’t take him away from me now. I can’t lose him. I can’t lose them.

It took me four long years to find them. Four painful, restless, agonizing years of searching, questioning, and blaming myself.

I wasn’t about to lose either of them now. Not after everything.

Back then, when Kelly told me that Kat was pregnant and blamed me for chasing her away, Kat’s pregnancy was still very early.

The pregnancy wasn’t even old enough for a scan to confirm the gender. I didn’t even know if it was real or if she was lying just to get my attention.

I was too consumed with blaming myself for losing Kat and our unborn child.

The moment Kat told me that I had a son—my son—and that his name was Rex, I became so emotional.

That was the name I had always wished to give my first male child. I used to dream about it.

I even wrote it down once when I was younger. I never told anyone that except Kat and she gave our son that name.

Even after I pushed her away.

Even after I believed lies and treated her like she meant nothing.

Even after I rejected her.

She still gave our son the name I had always hoped for.

That told me something.

It told me that Kathrine was still the same kind, good-hearted woman I fell in love with.

Despite everything I put her through, her heart remained soft. She didn’t hate me, even if she should have. She didn’t erase me from her life.

And the fact that she didn’t accept my rejection? That gave me hope.

Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance for me.

A chance to make things right.

A chance to fix what I broke.

A chance to be a father to my son and a mate to the woman I wronged.

I had made up my mind. No matter what it took, I would spend the rest of my life making it up to Kat and Rex.

I would prove to them that I wasn’t that foolish, proud alpha anymore. I would show them that I would always choose them.

That I had grown more. That I was ready to be the man they both deserved.

Kat stood up quickly, and I tried to stand with her, but damn!

I grabbed my chest and winced. The pain shot through me like a burning blade. It had been happening for years, and every time it hit me, it felt like my heart was being squeezed from the inside but it was never this intense.

I staggered and fell back into the seat.

“Tyler!” Kat rushed to me and held my arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the pain I was in. “Are you alright, You shouldn’t move too fast. You need rest. A lot of rest.”

I tried to wave it off, but she wasn’t letting me get up at all. Julian didn’t even make any move to help. Ugh, I hated the guy.

How was she such an expert at what was wrong with me? Did it normally happen to her too?

She sighed. “It’s the chest pain again?” she asked softly, concern filling her voice.

I couldn't believe that she was concerned about me after everything that happened. If it were to other ladies they wouldn’t want to see me or talk to me.

But my Kathrine was different.

I nodded, breathing through the sharp ache. “It’s been like this ever since you left,” I admitted, clutching my shirt. “I thought it was some kind of medical condition. I thought maybe I was dying slowly.”

She stared at me, clearly shocked.

I laughed bitterly. “I didn’t even realize… It was because you never accepted my rejection. I had no idea that’s what it was. That’s why I kept searching. I wanted to find you and the baby before it was too late. I thought… If I was dying, I at least wanted to know my child. Make sure he’d carry on my legacy.”

“Tyler,” she whispered, still holding onto me.

“I’m going with you,” I said suddenly.

“No, you’re not,” she said firmly. “You need to rest.”

“I said I’m going with you,” I repeated, slowly pushing myself up despite the pain.

Kat tried to stop me again, but I looked her in the eyes. “Do you know how long it took me to find you?” I asked her, my voice breaking a little. “Four years, Kat. Four long, exhausting, painful years. Every single day, I searched. I hired detectives. I questioned people. I didn’t even know where to begin, and I still didn’t give up.”

She went quiet.

“I don’t care if my chest hurts. I don’t care if I drop dead on the road. I’m going with you to check on my son. Because I’m his father. And I want to be part of his life.”

I didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered at the word “father.” She opened her mouth slowly and then snapped it shut before finally saying, “Oh great.”

Her tone was sharp now, and I could see the emotion building just beneath her calm surface.

“So now you wanna be part of Rex’s life,” she said with a bitter laugh, “Well, then there is something you should know…”