Cara.
“BITCH! I will RIP her, I will TEAR her!!”
Lucy’s vicious thoughts pass through my own mind, doing nothing to help me remain calm.
Alaric doesn’t believe me. Alaric doesn’t love me.
Alaric has never loved me.
He loves Lilia. She’s his.
And...he's also hers.
“Treacherous SCUM! Vile, hateful TRASH!!” Lucy’s insults are relentless.
I push the complete and utter despair deep down, way down, just to get through the next few moments without making things worse.
I can do this.
For my baby, I can do this.
Lilia’s still in the Alpha King’s arms, crying about how cruel I’ve been to her. Alaric ordered the secretary away from the room, so it’s just the three of us in the conference room now.
It’s Lilia’s word against mine:“I was doing exactly as you asked, showing her around. I can’t help that others may have made certain comments about the surprise of the choice in the pack’s Luna…”
This is my professional integrity on the line now, and he needs to understand that I’m the same level-headed she-wolf he’s always known.
A fresh sob erupts from Lilia and Alaric holds up a hand.
“Enough!” he orders.
As if on cue, Lilia whimpers pathetically and makes a show of stroking the Alpha King’s thick and muscled shoulder. She bares her neck to him, the ultimate show of submission.
He takes a breath, collecting himself, and continues in a softer tone, “That’s enough now. Once the pack has more time with her, they’ll see as I have already seen that Lilia is a kind, gentle, and loving she-wolf.”
Lilia smiles up at him, her teeth gleaming in the fluorescent light of the conference room.
Before I can help it, my eyes narrow at her, unable to mask my growing disdain.
“Cara,” Alaric speaks again. “Since the reign of my father, your professionalism has been your greatest attribute as a Beta. Or have you forgotten how much he cared for you? Mentored you?”
Alaric’s father was an excellent King, and it was he who first promoted me to Beta, despite all the elders saying I was unworthy due to being low-born. I’d die before I’d insult his memory.
Alaric continued, “I trust that your work ethic and sensibilities have not been compromised here due to your… personal feelings… as an ex-lover.”
He raises an eyebrow to me, daring me to refute him.
“She thinks she can win you back and get me out of the way! That’s what she wants!” Lilia falls into fresh hysterics.
I’m so far beyond offended that I’m not sure there’s a word for it. He’s insulted my character, challenged my integrity. He’s letting Lilia spin this hateful web of lies and is acting like he doesn’t even know me!
After everything I’ve done for him these last three years!
“Apologize.”
The Alpha King isn’t asking. It’s a direct order.
But I can’t apologize for something I didn’t even do! This is all a set up.
I won’t let myself fall victim to it.
“I can forget your last transgression, and we can all move forward together. But you must apologize for Lilia for how despicably you’ve treated her. To disrespect my Luna is to disrespect the pack.” His voice is like ice, brittle and cold.
His Luna.
Before I can respond, Lilia interrupts again, “She’ll never be happy until SHE is Luna. That’s what she said! It’s so sad how much she CRAVES to be anoble! How she would do ANYTHING to get it!”
Alaric freezes, a deadly stillness taking over his face. “So that’s what this is really about, then? MORE status? I guess money really wasn’t enough for you, was it?”
I feel like I’ve actually been slapped. My eyes are wide and wild, and my arms cross around my own waist, subconsciously hugging the one person I must protect above all else, above even myself. The person who hasn’t even been born yet.
The person I need to tell Alaric about. Our child.
“I’ve never been so ashamed to have such a disgraceful Fate Mate as you.” It’s barely a whisper from his lips.
“FATE MATE?!” Lilia shrieks.
Though he told her about our past intimate encounters, clearly the Alpha King forgot to share that part about our relationship with his fiancée.
I haven’t spoken a word. I can’t trust myself, still reeling from all that’s happened. Lucy is barking and growling up a storm inside my head and it’s all I can do to keep still.
Lilia pulls away from Alaric’s hug, fat heavy teardrops falling from her eyes to a puddle on the floor.
“It’s fine… I didn’t expect such a wise and handsome Alpha King to love me… I just didn’t realize you had a mate bond with someone else…” She sniffles, the sound disgustingly wet.
“I’ll just…” Lilia sobs again, continuing her pity party for herself. “I’ll just return to Pack BloodyMoon, and pray my brother, the Alpha King, doesn’t find out about how I, his only baby sister, was treated here… I’m sure I’ll be fine…” Her whimpers fill the room.
Alaric glances between the two of us for nearly two full minutes. No one speaks. The silence is punctuated by Lilia’s sniveling.
Finally, Alaric nods to himself, a steely resolve firmly set in his blue eyes. He turns to face me head on.
“Cara Wilson, I reject our Fate Mate bond, now and forever.”
Alaric’s voice sounds faraway to my ears, as if I’m watching a movie of this scene unfolding, rather than participating in it. As if this is all one big joke, and someone is just waiting to jump out and yell ‘Surprise!’
Pain, a deep-seated throbbing, a gnashing and tearing and stabbing, ripples through my body. It starts slowly in my toes at first then painfully rising higher and higher. It peaks at my heart, burning fire like it had actually been set aflame.
The mate bond between us isn’t simply severing. This is no clean cut.
It’s ripping, shredding, violently fracturing and shattering into a thousand, a million, pieces. Each piece splintering through my flesh, leaving no part of me untouched.
My hands grip my belly as I fall to the floor, “Please, wait… I need to…” I beg.
Please. Alaric, listen to me. I need to tell you.
But I can’t get the words out.
“Accept the rejection! You know the consequences of rejecting me.” It’s another direct order from the Alpha King.
It feels like fire is rising in my throat, burning and itching every inch inside me. I can’t breathe, and it’s like I’ve been hit by a truck.
The consequences……Punished like those criminals in the past! My baby can't bear that!
Lucy is inconsolable. Her howl is absolutely deafening.
“ACCEPT!”
“I…” My voice is a feeble whisper, “I… accept.”
Alaric claps his hands together, washing this task off of his hands like a stubborn stain.
“Excellent. Then we can return to normal. Cara, you will resume your duties as Beta, provided you swear to remain loyal to Pack DarkWood and its entire Alpha family.”
“Please… I just want…” It takes all the strength I have left to stand back up. I can barely form a sentence.
The Alpha King sighs, “What is it this time? More money? I told you to take the bank cards.”
“Please, just… allow me to leave the pack.” I can’t look at him as I ask it.
“Leave?!”
Alaric’s face is full of shock, and a gleeful grin rests on Lilia’s lips.
