Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha King (Forbidden Alpha Kings #4)

13. Raine

13

Raine

Positive.

I drop it into the sink out of pure shock.

Oh gods.

I’m pregnant.

I’m actually…?

My wolf rumbles, pleased at the news. But of course she is. This pup will be living proof of mine and Aiden’s bond—our union together. What better way to celebrate the beginning of a mating bond than with a child?

“What does it say?” Delilah’s voice comes over my shoulder.

“I-I’m…”

She squeezes past me to look into the sink, gasping at the test. “Oh my gods! Raine!”

Her arms come around me instantly, hugging me tight while she bounces a little.

“Congratulations!”

I wish I could be happy too, but all I’m worrying about now is what’s going to happen in my future. Will Aiden be upset? Happy? Will his pack welcome me and his unborn child without hassle? Or will I get some pushback, randomly appearing out of what feels like thin air?

My eyes begin to water, fear taking over.

What will Daniel do?

He’ll want to see me soon just to make sure I’m still alive and breathing. If Aiden doesn’t come to claim me by then, I’m screwed.

Delilah must smell my tears because she’s pulling back from our hug to look at me. “What’s wrong? You’re not happy? Oh, Raine. This is a blessing. I’m sure your mate will be elated that you’re growing his pup. That’s every male’s dream, you know.”

That is true. Any male worth their salt would be enamored with the idea of their mate being swollen with their pup: visible proof of a job well done.

But my situation is much more complicated than that.

“My mate.” I gasp out a breath, trying to hold back a sob. “He’s…”

“What, Raine? Write to him and tell him. I bet he’ll come claim you then.”

I shake my head, a few tears falling. “It’s Aiden.”

Her brows knit together. “The alpha king? What about—? Oh, you’re worried your mate won’t get approval. Listen, if he’s a male worthy of you, he’ll fight tooth and nail against his alpha to bring you home.”

“No.” I wipe at my eyes, frustrated that I can’t just get the words out like I want to. “It’s Aiden .”

She stares at me for a long moment. “I’m confused.”

I pull in a deep breath, settling myself. “My mate. Is Aiden.”

Her jaw drops. “As in…the alpha king…?”

“Soon-to-be, yeah.”

“You—I.” I think I melted her brain. “ How ?”

“We met in the gardens the first night. Well, more like ran into each other. We talked for a bit and then bam . The mating bond snapped into place. That’s who I was spending my time sneaking around with.”

“But…he was…with the other females?”

I nod. “I know. He told me that it was a formality with his pack elders. I guess they wanted to set him up with someone before he took his place as alpha king. He told me he never expected to run into his damn mate. But I guess since his pack had been hell- bent on him attending the ball and not offending anyone, that’s why he had to go along with it.”

Delilah slowly lowers herself until she’s still on the side of my bathtub. Her eyes are wide while she listens quickly, taking in all of the information I’m spouting at her. I can’t imagine how the hell any of this sounds.

If I were in her shoes, I’d think my best friend was having some kind of mental breakdown. Being mates with the alpha king? Whose ball we just so happened to attend? Of course it seems far-fetched, because it is.

“Say something,” I beg.

“You’ve been sending letters to Aiden Summers…our alpha king.”

Oh shit, the letters.

Instantly, I spin on my heel and hurry out of the bathroom. Rifling through the papers on my desk, I pull out a few of the letters, all of which have Aiden’s name signed at the very bottom. Turning, I spot Delilah slowly coming out of my bathroom, looking completely lost.

“Here, see?” I hand them over to her. “His signature is on the bottom.”

“Holy shit .”

I breathe out a laugh. “I know. I didn’t believe it at first either. I mean…how random is that? For me of all people.”

She shakes her head. “Raine, it isn’t random. You deserve a male who’s going to treat you like a damn queen. Hell, you will be one once he comes to claim you! But you need to write to him and tell him. He may be dragging his feet with his pack so as not to ruffle any feathers, but you need to get out of here soon. Daniel can’t know you’re pregnant. He’ll freak out.”

I grimace.

Freak out is probably an understatement. I can’t even imagine what he’ll do to me if he realizes I slept with the damn alpha king and am having his child.

My hand finds my stomach, covering it protectively. I’ll do anything I can to save this baby—to protect it from my alpha and his wicked ways. Who knows how long I have until Daniel decides he wants an audience with me.

But Delilah’s right. I don’t have long. I need to act now, before something bad happens.

“I’ll write him a letter and send it tonight when the rest of the pack is asleep. That way, it’ll get to him within a few days. If you can keep Daniel distracted until Aiden can come get me, we can keep this under wraps.”

She nods sharply. “Of course. I’ll ask him about setting me up with someone. That’ll keep him occupied.”

I grab her shoulders, squeezing them. “Thank you, Delilah. Once Aiden comes, I’ll have him take you with us too. I don’t want you left here after I’m gone.”

She blinks in surprise but then smiles. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One step at a time, okay? Let’s get you out of here first. Then we’ll worry about me.”

Ugh, she’s right. As per usual. “Okay. Letter first.”

I really hope Aiden gets it in time.

***

I end up not only sending Aiden a letter, but the pregnancy test too. I doubt he’ll want proof, but just in case his elders do, that right there speaks for itself.

As I shut the mailbox door, I feel a weight suddenly being lifted off my shoulders.

Once he receives my package, his elders will have no choice but to allow him to come get me. Soon, we’ll be able to start our life together, just as we both had hoped for.

It’s been a long few weeks without him. Funny enough, before meeting him, I never cared about tracking days. My life within Andromeda had always dragged, marked with occasions of being harassed or beaten by Daniel.

Those were the only times I had any deviation in my day-to-day because outside of that, I was simply a forgotten nobody.

Now, things will be different. I’ll get to live a free life with my mate and my baby.

Smiling, I shift as soon as I pass through the tree line and take a casual trot back to my cabin. The city isn’t far from our settlement, but it’s enough of a distance that I can enjoy a short run by myself without having to worry about anything else.

It’s late at night, so everyone in Andromeda is sleeping, aside from the few border patrols Daniel will have sent out before nightfall. Thankfully, my cabin is a ways away from any patrol routes, leaving me to my peace and quiet.

Counting down the days until Aiden comes to get me is both exciting and frightening. Hopefully Delilah will be able to keep up her end of our plan and keep Daniel occupied until Aiden gets here.

Movement from my left catches my attention, slowing me down. Straining my ears to hear the sounds within the forest, the only thing that I can pick up on is my own breathing.

Which is the opposite of good.

Where are all the crickets and the other nighttime forest sounds?

Something jumps out at me, causing me to stumble back to avoid it. Belatedly, I realize that it’s one of my packmates, Ryin, who growls at me.

Come with us.

Fuck.

I’ve been caught.

Turning, I dash through the tree line and make my way back to the pack. If I can somehow get to Delilah’s, they may call off the chase and leave me alone, thinking that I’ve gotten the memo to not sneak out.

I’ve got no such luck though, because soon I’m cut off again by another shifter, Lelana.

Stop running!

My heart is pounding hard in my chest.

A hard force hits me from behind, tackling me into the dirt and sending us both skidding a few feet before we come to a stop. I feel Ryin’s hot breath on my neck while he pins me with his teeth.

Don’t. Move.

Lelana’s gleeful voice enters my head next. You’re in deep shit now, Raine.