Rejected: Pregnant with the Alpha's Fated Son

Chapter 4: The First Glimpse

[Damien's POV]

My name is Damien.

I am an Alpha, and a coward who pushed his own mate away in a twisted attempt to protect her.

A week has passed since Aria was exiled.

For me, every second has been an eternity of torment.

The phantom pain in my chest has never ceased. It's a vicious curse, a constant, gnawing reminder that my mate, the other half of my soul, is out there somewhere, suffering in a place I cannot see.

Is she still alive? Damien, tell me, is she still alive?

My wolf, Ragnar, howled in my mind day and night. His agony was more direct, more visceral than my own. The torn bond had made him volatile and restless, and that same volatile energy was poisoning me.

I had become more irritable, more impatient than ever before.

At this morning's Elders' meeting, I lost control. Over a minor disagreement about territory defenses, I unleashed my Alpha's command, crushing one of the Elders to his knees under the weight of my dominance.

I saw the profound fear in their eyes.

They were all whispering now, saying that after rejecting the Moon's choice, I was becoming a tyrant.

I didn't care.

The only thing I cared about was whether she was still alive.

"Damien, you can't go on like this."

Lyra. She was in my study again, seemingly treating it as her own territory, entering uninvited whenever she pleased.

"Your emotions are dangerously unstable. The elderly are worried. Perhaps we should proceed with the bonding ceremony as soon as possible. It would soothe your wolf and stabilize the pack."

I looked at her. The concern on her face was so perfectly crafted, but all I saw was a lie.

My wolf snarled, repulsed by the presence of a female who was not Aria.

"Get out," I said, my voice devoid of warmth.

"Damien!" Her voice took on a sharp, annoyed edge. "I'm trying to help you! Look at the state you're in! Do you think torturing yourself will make that Omega grateful? She's probably been torn to pieces by Rogues by now, or worse, marked by another wolf!"

"Shut your mouth!"

I shot to my feet, my power exploding into the room. The objects on my desk trembled from the sheer force of my aura. I advanced on her, my eyes burning with a murderous intent.

"Don't you ever let me hear her name on your lips again," my voice was a low, dangerous growl. "Or I won't hesitate to let the Elder Council find themselves a new daughter."

The color drained from Lyra's face. She stared at me, her expression a mixture of terror and disbelief. She had never seen me like this.

Finally, she yielded, stumbling out of my studies.

I sank back into my chair, my body trembling with rage.

Ragnar roared in my head. Kill her, Damien! Kill any b***h who dares to covet our mate's position!

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to find a sliver of calm.

I couldn't continue like this. Ragnar was right. I had to know. I could no longer endure this torment of not knowing.

"Gideon," I whispered into the empty room.

The next second, a silent shadow materialized before me, kneeling on one knee. Gideon, my most trusted second-in-command, a Beta whose loyalty was absolute.

"Alpha."

"Find her," I commanded, my voice raw with suppressed emotion. "Find the exiled Omega. I need to know everything. Where she is, what she's doing, whether she is dead or alive."

I paused, then added the most crucial order. "Follow her from the shadows. Protect her. Make sure... she stays alive."

Gideon didn't hesitate. "Yes, Alpha," he murmured, his voice a low rumble.

His form blended back into the darkness and was gone.

Dispatching Gideon didn't ease my mind. If anything, it made me more agitated. The waiting was worse torture than ignorance.

I tried to focus on pack business, but my mind was consumed by images of Aria.

What is happening to her? Can she find food? Has she found a safe place to shelter?

Just then, Lyra's brother, Kael, the pack's Lead Warrior, requested an audience.

"Alpha." He bowed, his posture respectful, but I could see the hidden disdain in his eyes. I knew he had always thought I wasn't good enough for his sister.

"Rogue activity near the border has been increasing. I believe we should organize a thorough cleansing to eliminate the threat once and for all," he proposed.

Rogues?

Aria was out there.

My heart seized in my chest.

"That is your duty, Kael," I said, my face an impassive mask. "Do what you must."

"Yes, Alpha." A triumphant gleam flashed in his eyes before he turned and departed.

I watched his retreating back, my own eyes turning to ice.

Lyra, Kael... Did they truly think I was blind to their schemes?

I immediately reached out to Gideon through our mind-link.

"Gideon and Kael are leading a party to 'cleanse' the Rogues. Be careful. If Aria is in danger..."

"I understand, Alpha," Gideon's voice came back from a great distance. "I will protect her."

The hours crawled by.

As dusk fell, I finally received Gideon's first report. It wasn't words. It was a clear, vivid image, transmitted directly into my mind.

I saw her.

I saw Aria.

She was alive!

She looked thinner, her skin weathered, and she was dressed in crude animal hides. But her eyes... her eyes were brighter than I had ever seen, filled with a fierce resilience and a sharp, wary intelligence.

She was no longer the shy, blushing Omega who had trembled before me.

She was like a young wolf fighting for survival in the wilderness—small, but brimming with a powerful life force.

In the vision, she was sparring with a man.

He was tall and looked much older, his body a tapestry of scars. And one of his eyes was blind. He was a Rogue, but one so powerful that even I felt a flicker of threat.

He was training her.

Training her on how to use a dagger, how to dodge an attack, how to kill an enemy in the most efficient way. Aria's movements were still clumsy, but she was relentless. She was knocked down again and again, and each time, she hauled herself back to her feet. There was no surrender in her eyes.

"Target located," Gideon's voice sounded after the image faded. "She is being trained by a powerful, one-eyed Rogue... Alpha, it appears she is learning to fight."

Learning to fight?

An Omega, learning to fight?

Shock rippled through me, followed by a surge of complex emotions I couldn't name. There was heartache, there was relief, and there was... a strange, undeniable flicker of pride.

My Aria. She hadn't been broken by despair.

She was fighting, in her own way, to survive.

"Continue surveillance," I commanded. "Do not let her see you. And unless she is in mortal danger, do not interfere."

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