CHAPTER 4

Aurora POV

"I'm pregnant..." I trailed off, standing in front of my whole family.

The room was dead silent. My mother's teacup hit the saucer, its noise loud within the tight air. The living room seemed too small, too narrow with five pairs of eyes staring at me in surprise-each one differently.

"Aurora, please, sit down," my mother finally said, motioning to the space beside her on the sofa. "We have to discuss this rationally."

I shook my head. I wouldn't sit down. If I sat down, if I let them close in on me, I might lose my nerve.

"How long have you known?" Dmitry, my oldest brother, asked. His voice was soft, but I could see the clench of his jaw.

"Three weeks," I admitted, fidgeting with my sweater's hem. "I wanted to be sure before…"

"Three weeks," my father repeated slowly. His Alpha energy filled the room, making it hard to breathe. "And you're telling us now because?"

"Because I needed time to think. To figure out what I wanted to do."

Maxim snorted from his position by the fireplace. "What's there to think about? Nathan will—"

"It's not Nathan's," I interrupted, my voice stronger than I felt.

The silence that followed was deafening. My mother's teacup slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the hardwood floor.. No one moved to clean it up.

"What do you mean it's not Nathan's?" Lance, my youngest brother, asked carefully. "You just rejected him as your mate a month ago so please explain yourself.”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "It belongs to Noxon."

"WHAT?" My father roared, the window panes were trembling. Getting up from the table, he pushed his chair back. "That degenerate? The reject who abandoned his own pack?"

"Dad, please—"

"Don't 'Dad' me," he snarled. "How could you be so stupid? After everything that family has done—"

"Richard," my mother interrupted, her voice sharp. She turned to me, her eyes pleading. "Sweetheart, surely there's been some mistake. Noxon Alkham... he's dangerous. Everyone knows about his reputation."

"His reputation?" I laughed bitterly. "You mean like Nathan's reputation as the perfect Alpha heir? The one who was using me to get to our pack?"

Dmitry stepped forward, his expression troubled. "Aurora, that's different. Nathan made mistakes, but Noxon... he's unstable. The fights, the rebellions against pack law—"

"At least he's honest about who he is!" I shot back. "He never pretended to be something he's not."

"No," Maxim sneered. "He just took what he wanted and disappeared. How long did he stick around after he got what he wanted, sister? A day? An hour?"

The words hit like a physical blow. I wrapped my arms around myself, fighting back tears. "You don't know him."

"And you do?" Lance asked softly. "After one night?"

"It wasn't just..." I stopped, realizing how pathetic it would sound. It was one night, but it felt like it had been much more than that.

"When?" my mother asked, almost shaking.

I swallowed hard. "I don't know. He... he left. The morning after..."

"Of course he did," my father spat. "That's what animals do, Aurora. They take what they want and disappear. Did you expect anything else from Nathan's reject brother?"

"Stop calling him that!" The force of my own voice surprised me. "You don't know anything about him or why he left!"

"And you do?" Maxim pushed off from the fireplace, stalking toward me. "Tell us then, dear sister. Tell us all about the real Noxon Alkham. The one who knocked you up and vanished without a trace."

"Maxim," Dmitry warned, but our brother ignored him.

"Was it worth it?" Maxim continued, his voice cruel. "Trading your reputation, your future, for one night with pack trash?"

"That's enough!" Lance stepped between us. "This isn't helping."

My hands trembled as I fought back tears. Pack trash. The words cut deep because part of me wondered if they were right. God, I'd been so stupid. One night of weakness, of letting my hurt over Nathan turn into something reckless and impulsive. I'd given everything to Noxon, and what had he done? Left me, just like everyone said he would.

I hated him. Hated how he'd made me feel special, safe, like I was the only girl in the world. Hated how gentle his hands had been, how his kisses had felt like promises. Hated that even now, standing here facing my family's disgust, I couldn't completely regret that night.

But most of all, I hated myself for falling for it.

"No," my father's voice cut through the tension. "Let's hear what she has to say. How do you plan to handle this... situation?"

I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze. "I'm keeping the baby."

The words tasted bitter in my mouth. Another consequence of my stupidity. I'd let Noxon Alkham sweep me off my feet, let myself believe I was somehow different, special.

That I wouldn't end up just another girl he'd used and discarded. Alicia had reached out to me, but I'd pushed her away too. Because it was too painful to admit that I'd been foolish, that I'd chucked everything away for someone who couldn't even be bothered to write a goodbye letter.

The room erupted into chaos.

"Absolutely not!" my father said.

"Aurora, think about what you're saying," my mother said.

"Have you lost your mind?" Maxim demanded.

Dmitry and Lance exchanged worried looks but stayed silent.

"I've already decided," I said firmly. "And I'm going to Aunt Sarah's."

"What?" My mother stood up, glass crunching under her feet. "Sarah? When did you—"

"I called her last week," I admitted. "She said I could stay with her as long as I need."

"You went behind our backs?" My father's voice was dangerously quiet. "Contacted your aunt without discussing this with your family first?"

"Because I knew how you'd react! Just like this!" I gestured around the room. "Judging, condemning, not even trying to understand—"

"Understand what?" he roared. "That my daughter spread her legs for a pack reject and now wants to throw away her future for his bastard?"

"Richard!" My mother gasped.

The words hit me like a slap. I stumbled back, tears finally spilling over.

"Dad," Lance stepped forward, his voice hard. "That's too far."

"No," I whispered. "It's exactly what he thinks. What you all think." I looked around at their faces, my mother's tears, my brothers' mixture of pity and disgust, my father's fury. "But this is my choice. My baby."

"If you walk out that door," my father said quietly, "do not expect to come back. You'll no longer be welcome in this pack."

"Richard, no," my mother sobbed. "She's our daughter—"

"Not if she does this," he cut her off. "Not if she chooses that disgrace over her family."

I felt oddly calm as I gazed at him. "Then I guess this is goodbye."

"Aurora," Dmitry tried one last time. "Please think about this. We can figure something out. Find a way to—"

"I've already packed," I said quietly. "Lance, could... could you drive me to the bus station?"

Lance looked between me and our father, conflict clear on his face. After what felt like eternity, he nodded.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Lance," our father warned. "If you help her—"

"Then what?" Lance challenged. "You'll disown me too? Go ahead. But I'm not letting my sister take a bus alone at night."

Maxim made a disgusted sound. "You're both insane."

"Aurora," my mother stepped forward, reaching for me. "Please, darling. Don't do this. We can work something out. Your father's just upset—"

I moved away from her extended hand. "I apologize, Mom. I really am. But I need to do this."

"She'll be back," Maxim called as Lance and I headed for the door. "When reality hits and she realizes what she's thrown away."

I hesitated in the doorway, one palm resting protectively on my tummy. "No," I replied softly. "I won't."

Because despite everything, Noxon's disappearance, my family's rejection, the uncertainty ahead, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: this baby was mine. And I would protect it with everything I had.

Even if that meant walking away from everything I'd ever known.

Lance said nothing as we walked to his car, but I knew he was staring at me. The cool night air hit my tear-stained cheeks, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. I wrapped my arms around myself and remembered the scent of Noxon's bandana and how he'd given it to me to dry my tears with. Another lie. Another pretty gesture that meant nothing.

"I hate him," I whispered as we got in the car, my voice breaking. "I hate him so much."

"No, you don't," Lance said quietly. "That's what makes it hurt so much."

He was right, and I hated that too. Hated that even now, even after everything, some stupid part of me still wondered if there was more to the story. If maybe he'd had a reason. If maybe…

No. I couldn't think like that. Couldn't let myself get lost in maybes and what-ifs.

I had to be stronger than that now. Had to focus on the one good thing to come out of my moment of weakness

His baby.