Chapter 1: Accept your rejection

Caroline looked at the report for the nth time, the doctor’s words echoing in her ears.

"Congratulations, Miss Blackwood, you’re pregnant."

She was four weeks pregnant.

Clutching the paper, she drove straight to the pack house of Crystal Moon Pack, her heart racing with the anticipation of sharing the news with her alpha mate, Victor Ashford.

"Victor, I have to tell you something!" she burst in, the words spilling out before she could even process the situation in the room.

Her excitement withered instantly.

Standing next to Victor was a woman with the most mesmerizing forest-green eyes Caroline had ever seen. Her beauty was ethereal, the kind that could bring any man to his knees. She looked like someone from another world.

"Caroline, you cannot interrupt the Alpha like this," Victor’s mother, Angelina Ashford, snapped in a sharp voice. "Bow to the Alpha Princess. Show some respect."

Caroline felt a shame creep up her neck; in her haste, she hadn’t even recognized the royal in front of her.

"It’s alright, Luna Ashford," Princess Nina said. "But who is she?"

"I am—"

"She is a long-time friend, Nina," Victor interrupted. His expression was cold, his eyes devoid of the warmth Caroline usually found there. A knot formed in her stomach. Why had he introduced her as a friend? Not his mate, not even his girlfriend?

"Nina, please sit and converse with my mother. I will be right back," Victor said softly to the Princess before shifting his hardened gaze to Caroline. "In the meantime, I’ll talk to Caroline regarding the pack’s work."

Caroline clutched her shoulder bag as he commanded, "Follow me."

She trailed behind him in a daze. Instead of heading toward his room, he led her across the hall and straight into the backyard.

"Victor, what is all this? Why did you tell Princess Nina I’m just a friend?" she demanded the moment they were alone. "We have been dating for three years. I’m supposed to be your Luna soon!"

"Who said you could be my Luna?!" Victor roared.

Caroline flinched, her eyes widening in shock. This wasn’t the man she knew. This wasn’t the man who had proposed to her in college, or the one who claimed his wolf couldn’t stand to be apart from her.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, dreading the answer.

"Caroline, look, things have changed," he said. "You and I are not compatible. You aren’t what I need. You’re an Omega, and I need an Alpha she-wolf to lead this pack."

The betrayal stung worse than anything else in this world. Before she could stop herself, Caroline’s hand flew out and slapped him hard across the face. She knew the danger of striking an Alpha, but the pain of his discarded promises was too much to bear.

Victor’s wolf surfaced instantly. His pupils bled into a terrifying red, and his hand shot out, clamping around her throat. The grip was so tight she couldn’t draw air.

"How dare you raise your hand to me?" he hissed, his gaze boring into hers with murderous intent. Tears blurred her vision, and just as she felt she might lose consciousness, he shoved her away.

She hit the grassy ground, the impact jarring her bones as tears finally spilled over.

"Caroline, let’s just get this over with. I’m tired of playing this ridiculous relationship game with you. Let’s reject each other," he proposed.

Her entire body shook as she looked up at him, her hand instinctively fluttering toward her stomach. She was carrying his pup, and he was standing there, casually suggesting a rejection.

"Victor, don’t do this. Don’t reject me. I am your fated mate!" she pleaded, her pride crumbling. This wasn’t just about her anymore; it was about the life growing inside her.

"But you’re an unworthy mate. Unlike the Alpha Princess, you bring me nothing," Victor said, finally voicing the cruel truth he had been hiding. He had found someone who could offer him power, leaving no room for Caroline.

"Your father is drowning in debt, and you and your mother spend every waking hour trying to pay it off. You actually expected me to carry that burden for you? An Alpha cannot be tethered to a weak Omega. Maybe we had our fun, Caroline, but I never made you a lifetime promise."

Every single word he spoke crushed her heart with a more brutal force, shattering the image of the man she thought she loved all this time.

Caroline realized in that harrowing moment that if she told him about the pup, he would kill them. He would force an abortion to clear his path to the Princess, and she couldn’t let that happen. Yet, she couldn’t return to a home burdened by debt with another mouth to feed, and the pack would only shun a rejected, pregnant Omega.

As she struggled to breathe through the wreckage of her future, Victor delivered the final blow.

"I, Victor Lancaster, Alpha of the River Stone Pack, reject you, Caroline Blackwood, as my mate. Accept my rejection. Now."

His eyes glowed a menacing red, the Alpha command slamming into her consciousness. Driven by the hardwired submissiveness of her rank, Caroline’s lips moved against her will.

"I—I, Caroline Blackwood, accept your rejection, Alpha Victor."

The moment the words tore from her throat, the bond snapped. A searing agony radiated through her chest, making it feel as though her heart would explode. She gasped for air, looking up to see a momentary flicker of pain contort Victor’s features.

"Leave and never show me your face again. It’s better for both of us," Victor said, his voice devoid of any affection. He turned on his heel and walked away, abandoning her to the shadows of the backyard.

Caroline curled into herself, clutching her stomach where a tiny heartbeat remained her only reason to keep going. She whispered, though her lips quivered, "I may be an Omega, but I am not weak. I will make sure you regret losing me one day."

She had no idea for how long she stayed there like a lifeless body, but when she finally got the strength to move, it was already evening. Her hand instinctively touched her lower belly while her mind decided to visit her home for one last time.