Rejecting My Heartless Ex Mate

My legs felt like lead as I trudged along the road, my vision swimming with dark spots.

Finally, I couldn't hold out any longer and collapsed by the wayside.

When I came to, the sharp scent of antiseptic stung my nose.

I was lying in a pack healer's den, an IV needle taped to the back of my paw.

A healer approached, her expression heavy. "You're awake?"

She hesitated, then continued. "You've lost the pup. The pregnancy was already unstable, and walking that far."

Lost the pup?

I froze, my claws instinctively brushing my flat belly.

There had been a pup here, one I never even knew existed. gone before I could feel its spark.

The healer sighed. "Rest up, okay?"

The den door clicked shut. I fumbled for my phone, plugged it in, and powered it on.

A news alert popped up immediately:

*Shalandra Pack's Richest Wolf, Jonathan, Pulls All-Night Hunt for Top Healers to Treat His She-Wolf's Tiny Scratch!*

The photo showed Jonathan cradling Tiffany, his face etched with worry. Tiffany held up her paw, a barely visible nick magnified in the close-up.

My already battered heart shattered again.

While he was wrapped up in his precious she-wolf, I was lying on the roadside, losing our pup.

I yanked out the IV and staggered out of the den like a ghost, only to run smack into Jonathan and Tiffany at the corridor's turn.

Jonathan's brows knotted instantly, his disgust plain as day. "Madeline, you're like a shadow that won't quit. Following us to the healer's den to fake an injury? You always act like some highborn she-wolf-since when do you stoop to petty jealousy tricks?"

My voice trembled as I stared at him. "I lost our pup."

Tiffany's eyes widened, and she grabbed Jonathan's arm. "Jonathan! You swore you haven't touched her in forever! Where'd this pup come from?"

"You lied to me! I'm done with you!" she wailed.

Jonathan's face paled, and he pulled her close, murmuring and nuzzling her. "Don't listen to her nonsense. I see her maybe once a month, just for a meal. I haven't so much as brushed her paw!"

"Tiffany, you know I'm spent from you every time. Where would I find the energy for anyone else?"

Once he'd soothed Tiffany, he turned to me, his tone venomous. "Madeline, what, you think you're some saint? You're telling me one dinner got you carrying a pup? Have you no shame?"

A crowd started to gather, their whispers cutting through the air.

"Who's that she-wolf? Looks all proper, but she's hounding Jonathan and Tiffany?"

"Sounds like she lost a pup. Probably trying to trap him with it, stirring up drama."

"Everyone knows Jonathan treats Tiffany like his moon and stars. This she-wolf's dreaming if she thinks she's got a chance."

Their stares were like thorns, pinning me in place with nowhere to hide.

My body went cold, but my mind exploded like a thunderstorm.

Last month, Jonathan visited me in Belmor Pack. We shared a few drinks over dinner. That night, he didn't sleep in the guest den as usual. Instead, he held me close, whispering "baby" and "little moon" in a voice so warm it startled me.

I thought the liquor had lowered his guard, that it was the start of something real between us. That night fueled my resolve to transfer back to Shalandra Pack, hoping we could build a den-a family.

But now, staring at the "Little Moon" label on his phone, hearing the pet name he'd lavished on Tiffany countless times, it hit me like a lightning strike.

He hadn't been calling out to me that night.

He'd mistaken me for Tiffany.

That fleeting warmth, the spark that set my heart ablaze, was just a drunken mix-up.