Chapter 4

Harper's POV

"I don't need a mate," Oliver said as he stood up and began putting on his clothes.

"What?" I froze, my body still pressed against the soft sheets of the bed. My heart was pounding, a sudden heaviness in my chest as I attempted to get off the bed as well.

"You can't be serious, right?" I whispered, my voice barely a breath, disbelief and confusion swarming my mind.

"You heard me right," he said coldly, his back turned as he dressed. The words hit me like a physical blow, the sting of rejection searing through my chest. The look on his face told me everything—I wasn’t just hearing things, he meant it. And that reality was almost too painful to face.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly, unsure if he was joking or if he was serious. The confusion only deepened, my mind a whirl of emotions. Could he really mean this? After everything we shared?

"What were you thinking? Did you think this was a consummation of love? If I knew the moment I slept with you we would become mates, I never would have." His words were like daggers, tearing through my heart, each syllable piercing deeper than the last.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry and tight. My knees weakened beneath me, the shock making me stumble back, unable to stand properly. I felt the floor beneath me shift, my body betraying me as I struggled to keep myself upright. His hurtful words were like a physical blow, and I was reeling, my breath shallow, my mind spinning.

Why would he say something so cruel? After everything, this was how it ended?

"Please, you need to listen..." I tried, desperation creeping into my voice. Maybe if I explained, I could make him see reason, but my words were failing me.

"Don't you get it?" He snapped, the harshness of his tone echoing in the space between us. "There is no 'we' here, just you and me." His words sent a cold shiver through my veins, and I flinched instinctively, my heart breaking all over again.

"But..." I stuttered, trying to form a coherent thought, but everything felt so jumbled. What had happened to the connection we had shared?

"Now listen here and listen real good," he continued, his voice icy, "I don't want this to get beyond this room. I want you to pack your things and leave before dawn." His words were blunt, and the finality in them made my heart drop to my stomach. The room felt like it was closing in on me.

"What? But I have nowhere to go," I pleaded, panic rising within me. My chest tightened as the weight of his words crushed me.

"Then you can either go home or wherever you were headed before I found you; I don't care, I just want you out," he responded, his voice void of any empathy. The cruelty in his tone left me breathless, my body shaking from the emotional turmoil.

I couldn’t go back home. Not to that place. Not after everything. The very thought of returning there sent a spike of fear through my heart. There was no way I could endure that pain again. The memory of my family made my chest tighten, and I fought back the rising panic.

"Whatever, it's no concern of mine. I can't have a mate now or ever," he said, his voice laced with bitterness, the finality of his words reverberating through me. The last shred of hope I had held onto for any form of understanding with him crumbled to dust.

"Most alphas need a Luna to help lead the pack," I said, trying to hold onto some semblance of reason, but I could feel my strength waning, my mind clouded by the emotional storm raging inside me.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" His frustration was palpable, his irritation flaring. "I am not like most alphas, and I certainly don't need Luna's assistance to lead my pack." His words, though dismissive, felt like a slap in the face. The distance between us felt insurmountable now.

Lost for words, I could only mutter, my heart aching as the reality of the situation began to set in.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, my arms instinctively wrapping around myself in an attempt to protect my bruised soul. I knew the answer already, but part of me still wanted to believe, still wanted to cling to the hope that this wasn’t truly the end.

"Do I need to explain myself any further than I have already?" He crossed his arms, looking at me with a detached coldness that shattered what was left of my heart. His eyes were void of the warmth they once held.

"Then I guess I have some packing to do." The words were hard to say, each one like a weight on my chest.

"I bet you do." His voice held no empathy as he strode out of the room. His absence left an emptiness, and the silence that followed felt suffocating.

I sat on the bed, my hands cradling my head, my body trembling with the aftermath of what had just happened. How did things spiral so far? How did everything fall apart so quickly? The emptiness inside me seemed to swallow everything else.

Not long after, he came back with a small bundle of cash, throwing it onto the bed. "Here, have this. Some money. There is a place called the Highlands; it’s a land owned by no one, and it's free for all. Go there, and don’t you think of returning?"

"Don't you think you’re being irrational right now?" I asked, my voice breaking as the shock and hurt mixed together. How could he just discard me like this? How could he be so heartless?

"And do you think I care?" He replied, his tone cutting through me like ice. "All I need you to do is leave and never return." He stormed out of the room, his figure disappearing as the door slammed behind him, leaving me in a pool of sadness and disbelief.

I sat there, feeling utterly crushed and abandoned. Everything I thought I knew about Oliver—the warmth, the connection, felt like a distant memory, swept away by his cruel words. And yet, even in the midst of that crushing despair, there was something deeper that twisted in my chest—fear. Fear for what was to come next. Fear for what my life would look like now, without him, without anyone. 

******

"And how long did you say you've been having these symptoms?" The doctor asked.

"Two weeks," I replied, my voice hollow as I lay on the sick bed. It felt like I was drifting through everything, disconnected from the reality of the moment. The weight of what had just happened still clung to me, and now this?

"Hmm, that is quite some time. Well, I am afraid to announce to you that you are pregnant." Her words felt like they came from a faraway place. I couldn’t even process them at first.

"What?" I blinked in confusion, the news not quite sinking in.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my heart pounding. I sat up, my head spinning, not knowing if I could even trust what she was saying.

"Yes, of course. What were you thinking?" She asked, looking up at me with a raised brow. Her calm demeanor only made the news feel that much more surreal.

"That it was just some passing sickness," I murmured, my hands trembling at my sides. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn't be pregnant. Not now.

"Then think again, young lady." Her words were final, and I couldn’t process the reality she was presenting.

"But I can’t be pregnant. I only had one fling," I whispered, more to myself than to her. The shame, the confusion, the terror—it all flooded through me in a rush. How could this be real?

Her brows rose at my confession, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t focus on anything but the reality of what was happening. I was pregnant. Pregnant with three babies. My mind raced, panic threatening to take over.

"Then I think the moon goddess has other plans for you. As of now, you have three hearts beating in your stomach." She said it with a kind of finality, but the world around me spun, my entire body frozen in shock. I didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or just shut down completely.

For a moment, it felt like my lungs were collapsing. The breath caught in my chest, and I could barely force myself to breathe. Three babies? How? How was this possible? I couldn't take care of myself, let alone three children.

The weight of this news pressed down on me, threatening to drown me in despair.

"But how can this be possible?" I managed to whisper, my hand trembling as it instinctively moved to my flat stomach.

That’s when I felt it—the steady, rhythmic thump of three tiny heartbeats. A sob caught in my throat as reality hit me like a freight train. Three lives growing inside me.

"Convinced now?" The doctor’s voice seemed distant as I tried to process everything at once.

I couldn't speak. The lump in my throat was too tight.

"I will be back; I have some other errands to run. And Harper, take it easy, no pressure." She left, but I couldn’t move. I sat there, feeling completely numb, unable to process what had just happened.

Alone, I placed my hand gently on my stomach. How was I going to take care of three children with nothing to my name? What had I gotten myself into?