Alpha's Rejected Pregnant Mate

The morning sunlight filtering through the curtains did nothing to warm the chill that had settled in my bones. I stared at the ceiling, my hand resting protectively over my stomach where our twins nestled. Eight weeks along, and already I felt the weight of their future pressing down on me.

Michael's side of the bed remained untouched. He hadn't come home last night.

"Luna Rebecca," Elder Grayson's voice crackled through the intercom system. "Alpha Michael requests your presence for the territory run in thirty minutes."

I pressed the response button. "I'm not feeling well this morning. Elara advised against shifting too frequently during—"

"This isn't a request," he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "It's an order from your Alpha."

The territory run. A dangerous patrol along our most contested borders—exactly what Elara had warned me against. I closed my eyes, feeling the second tiny life flutter within me as if sensing my distress.

---

The wind whipped through my fur as we raced along the ridge that marked our eastern boundary. My wolf moved with practiced grace, but I could feel her anxiety mirroring my own. We shouldn't be here. Not with our precious cargo.

Michael's massive black wolf led the formation, his powerful stride setting a punishing pace. Behind him, the pack fanned out in defensive positions—except for Aria, who somehow managed to stay just two wolves behind our Alpha, her slender gray form darting between larger warriors.

As we approached the steepest section of the ridge, my paws slipped on loose shale. For one terrifying moment, I felt myself sliding toward the edge, the hundred-foot drop yawning below me.

*"Luna!"* Elara's panicked voice cut through the pack mind-link. The healer's wolf darted toward me, her eyes wide with alarm. *"She shouldn't be this close to the edge! The pups—"*

*"ENOUGH!"* Michael's Alpha tone thundered through the link, so powerful that several pack members whimpered and lowered their heads. *"The Luna will complete the run like everyone else."*

I regained my footing, heart hammering against my ribs as I pulled myself back from the precipice. Through our fractured bond, I felt nothing from Michael—no concern, no relief. Only impatience.

When I glanced up, I caught Aria watching me, her wolf's eyes gleaming with something that looked suspiciously like satisfaction.

---

That night, I waited until the pack house had fallen silent. My body ached from the run, a dull pain throbbing low in my abdomen where our babies grew. Elara had examined me afterward, her gentle hands probing with professional care while her eyes spoke volumes of unspoken sympathy.

"They're okay for now," she'd whispered. "But Luna, please—be careful."

I slipped from our bedroom—mine alone these days—and padded silently down the hallway to the small alcove where I kept my jar of stars. The moonlight streaming through the window caught the glass, illuminating the colorful paper creations within.

One thousand stars. One thousand promises.

With trembling fingers, I unscrewed the lid and reached inside, extracting the second star. This one was blue—the color of hope, Michael had said when he folded it. I crushed it in my palm, watching as the carefully creased paper crumpled into nothing.

A tear slid down my cheek as I replaced the lid. Nine hundred and ninety-eight days left.

---

"The full moon ceremony honors our ancestors and strengthens our bonds as a pack," Michael announced, his deep voice carrying across the gathering area where the entire Harrison pack had assembled.

I stood beside him, draped in the traditional silver robe of the Luna, the weight of my ancestral moonstone necklace cool against my skin. The pendant had been passed down through generations of Lunas in my family, its pale blue stone said to be blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

"Tonight, we celebrate the strength of our pack and the future of our bloodline," Michael continued, his hand briefly touching my shoulder in a gesture that once would have been loving but now felt like a performance.

As the ceremony progressed, I noticed Aria hovering near the front of the crowd, her eyes never leaving Michael. When it came time for the ceremonial toast, she somehow maneuvered herself directly into my path.

I saw it happening as if in slow motion—her foot extending just enough to catch mine, her hand reaching out as if to steady me but actually pushing me forward. I stumbled, the precious necklace swinging free from my neck as I fell.

The sound of the moonstone shattering against the stone floor silenced the entire gathering.

"Oh Luna, I'm so sorry!" Aria gasped, her eyes wide with feigned horror. "I was just trying to help you!"

I knelt, fingers trembling as I gathered the shards of my family's legacy. The silver pendant lay broken, fragments of the moonstone scattered like fallen stars.

When I looked up, Michael was staring down at me, his expression not of sympathy, but annoyance.

"Aria was only trying to help," he said coldly. "You should be more careful."

The fragments of moonstone cut into my palm as I closed my fist around them, blood mixing with the ancient stone that had survived generations of Lunas—only to be destroyed in my care.

Just like my mate bond. Just like my heart.