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

52. Aiden

52

Aiden

Nyx Calloway.

The King in the South has my mate.

Fuck me.

Pacing around my office, back in my own lands, I find myself wondering for the thousandth time how the hell I’m going to get to Raine now.

There’s absolutely no way to cross the southern borders without starting an absolute shitstorm, especially while trying to hide Raine’s relation to me. There’s no doubt in my mind that as soon as the Southern alpha king gets word that he’s got ahold of my fated mate, she’s done for.

And why wouldn’t he hurt her? As a brutal monster, he will do whatever he can to cripple me. It would certainly give him enough power to take as much of my land as he wants while I’m too busy trying to survive with our bond shattered.

Across the way from me, Delilah sits on the small lounge while anxiously watching me pace back and forth. We’ve been like this for hours, the silence overwhelming, since we’ve gotten back from her packlands.

With the discovery of Raine’s destination, while good to know, I’m so scared for her. That alpha’s treatment of his own is rumored to be abysmal, so for a breeder? She might as well be locked in that damn cage like Delilah described Daniel had in his basement.

“Fuck!” Both of my fists slam down on my desk, rattling the thing.

Behind me, Delilah gasps.

Hanging my head over my desk, nothing but regret fills me. How could I be so stupid? No matter what the truth was, at the end of the day I should’ve kept Raine here. I should’ve just put her up in one of my estate’s rooms and waited until the baby could be born and we could test to make sure they were mine, instead of just giving in to the ravings of a crazy man.

She was my mate. My fated mate. And I threw her out like trash.

Stupid…stupid…

“Um…Your Grace.”

Pulling in a deep breath, I say, “What, Delilah.”

“You’re going after her…right?”

Lifting my head enough so that I can turn to look over my shoulder at her, I notice that both of her hands are twined together nervously.

“I can’t with the current state of my position,” I say.

Her brows knit together. “What the hell does that mean?”

Sighing, I push myself up from my desk and turn to sit back on it instead. “It means that by being an alpha king, I can’t just go willy-nilly traipsing over another alpha king’s borders. That’s a recipe for a war.”

“Okay…then meet him at the border and explain that Raine was sold illegally to him.”

“He’s not going to care, Delilah. Surely you know the rumors surrounding him.”

Her mouth clamps shut at that.

The unfortunate truth is that either way, Raine is in a very precarious position. Regardless of how she’s being treated at the moment, if I were to show any kind of interest in her, that would be Nyx’s one-way ticket into using her against me.

Even if, by some miracle, he doesn’t kill her, what’s to say he won’t torture her instead? If she’s no longer pregnant, what’s to stop him from using her for what he paid for? Hell, he could already be trying to do so as we speak.

My fists tighten at my sides at the thought, my alpha instincts flaring instantly at the thought of anyone else touching what’s mine.

“Your Grace, with all due respect…who cares?”

My eyes snap up to meet Delilah’s.

She’s frowning now. “Who cares if you start a war? She’s your fated mate . And she’s pregnant with your heir. Isn’t she worth it to you?”

My heart thunders in my chest at that, my wolf crooning softly in sympathy. My entire life, my father had beaten it into me that letting my emotions cloud my objectiveness would be the downfall of our pack. His relentlessness in making me a cool and level-headed alpha like himself had been all-encompassing.

Yet all I really do care about is Raine and getting her back. Fuck my responsibilities. Fuck running my pack. Fuck starting a war.

Don’t you dare ruin this pack after I’m gone : my father’s words echo in my head.

“I can’t risk other people’s lives, Delilah.”

She huffs at me. “That’s such a cop-out! Who else is going to rescue your mate other than yourself? If I had a fated mate, I’d walk through fire for them! I’d storm down to the South and demand that she be given back! Hell, I’ll do that right now just because she’s my best friend!”

I admire her fire, I really do. However there are certain things that can’t be done no matter how much you may want them. “Delilah—”

“No!” She pushes herself up from the couch and crosses the room in order to stab her finger right in the middle of my chest. “Shut up! You are such a goddamn asshole, I swear to the gods! Can you for once think with your heart and not your head?”

My lips part again to speak, only to be cut off once more.

“And another thing!” she goes on. “You really think Raine isn’t praying, wishing , for you to come save her? If the other alpha king is so horrible like everyone says he is, how can you leave a pack member who was once under your rule to suffer like that?”

Shit.

Would my father rescue Raine if he were in my position?

She stabs me in the chest again with her finger. “Gods, focus . This isn’t about what other people want. What do you want?”

“I…”

She watches me expectantly. “Well? Forget everyone else. Forget your title, forget your pack. What does Aiden want?”

The last time I was asked something like that, I’d been a child, still attached to my mother’s hip. She was always good about separating me from my duties acting as heir, even shooing my father off when his lessons became overbearing.

I wish she were here now so that I could talk to her—ask her for her advice on what to do. She’d always been my voice of reason, the person who could get my head to listen to my heart. With her gone, I’ve fallen into the pattern of listening to whatever my father taught me, taking his word as law.

Now, those same lessons are failing me. I’m failing everyone around me.

The right thing to do, and what I want to do, are two completely opposite things.

“I want to go get Raine.” Admitting it out loud like this is terrifying, even if it’s only in front of Delilah.

She nods sharply, a determined expression coming over her. “Then let’s go get her. Fuck the war. She needs us.”

She does. Raine, my mate, needs me. She needs me to come rescue her because as Delilah said, who else will?

“Alright.” My voice shakes a little as I speak. “Let me loop Camden into this. He’s going to need to stay behind to run the pack while I’m gone.”

“I’m coming too.”

Nodding, I say, “Let’s get packed, then.”

Just as we both turn to leave my office, the door is shoved open and the last person I expect to be standing there emerges.

“Your Grace.”

Anais.

Shit.

Automatically, I move in front of Delilah to shield her from view. Aside from the small circle of packmates that know she’s here, everyone else has remained ignorant—and I’d like to keep it that way.

Anais’s eyes snap to her, widening.

“We’ll speak later,” I tell her, nodding to the door. “Please leave.”

“Why are you two in here alone?” Her tone rises just enough that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I don’t like being accused of things I haven’t done—nor would ever do. While I wouldn’t exactly call Delilah a companion, I’ve quickly grown to trust and respect her.

“That isn’t any of your business,” I say.

Anais’s hand tightens on the doorknob. “Why are you in here with her?”

Her eyes grow watery, a deep frown settling on her face.

Behind me, Delilah mumbles something quietly under her breath that I can’t quite catch.

“Anais. Leave.”

“You’ve been ignoring me, Your Grace. Why? What have I done? We’re supposed to have our mating ceremony soon and you’ve barely spent any time with me!” Her words are growing desperate.

“I don’t have time for this.” Reaching behind me, I grab Delilah’s arm and tug her along toward the door. If Anais isn’t going to move herself, then we’ll do it for her.

“No!” She blocks the doorway with her body. “You’re not leaving with her. I’m your Luna.”

What the hell is happening? I’ve never seen her acting so unhinged before. Ever since she yelled at me to let my feelings for Raine go, she’s been avoiding me, thankfully. And now of all times to try to come around to demand my attention again?

“Move, Anais,” I command.

She shakes her head quickly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not letting you leave with her. You chose me to be your Luna. Not some other female!”

Camden, I send through our mindlink.

“I have more important things to do right now than coddle your feelings,” I tell her. “Our mating ceremony is officially put on hold.”

She sputters.

Camden appears seconds later, realizing the situation without even having to ask me. He takes Anais by the shoulders, wincing when she begins to wail and flail her arms around.

“ Gods ,” Delilah mumbles behind me.

“Thank you,” I tell him, and quickly pass them by with Delilah’s arm still in my hold.

“Aiden!” Anais screams after me.