Rejected While Carrying His Heir

The autumn wind bit at my cheeks, but I barely felt the chill. My hand rested protectively over the curve of my abdomen, a warm, solid reminder of the life growing inside me. Five months. The heir to the Ironclaw Pack. For ten years, I had stood beside Alpha Waylen, pouring my family’s wealth and my soul into this territory. I had sold my ancestral lands to fortify his borders, silencing my own doubts to amplify his roar. Now, finally, we were bringing a new life into the world we had built.

"Luna Arabella, we should head back," Nova said, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. My best friend’s golden eyes scanned the tree line, her warrior instincts twitching. "The border patrol reported a scent earlier. It’s faint, but I don't like it."

"Just a few more minutes, Nova," I smiled, rubbing the swell of my belly. " The pup likes the fresh air."

Snap.

The sound wasn't a twig breaking under a boot; it was the cracking of bone. Before Nova could shout a command, the forest exploded. Shadows detached themselves from the trees—Rogues. They smelled of rotting meat and desperation, their eyes wild with madness.

"Protect the Luna!" Nova screamed, shifting mid-air into her brown wolf.

Chaos erupted. My small escort was instantly overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. A snarl ripped through the air as a rogue lunged at me. I stumbled back, my hands instinctively covering my stomach. I couldn't shift. Shifting now, with the pup so large, could kill us both. I was vulnerable in my human skin, a fragile thing in a world of claws and teeth.

"Waylen!" I screamed through the mind-link, the panic searing through our bond. "Ambush! The North Ridge!"

I dodged a slashing claw, feeling the wind of the strike against my neck. Nova was fighting two at once, her muzzle stained crimson, unable to reach me. I was cornered against an ancient oak, three rogues circling me, drool dripping from their jowls. They knew who I was. They wanted the Alpha’s heir.

Then, the earth shook. A thunderous roar tore through the clearing. Waylen.

My heart leaped with relief. My mate was here. He burst through the brush, his massive black wolf tearing the throat out of the nearest rogue. The Alpha aura rolled off him in suffocating waves, bringing the attackers to a momentary halt.

"Waylen!" I cried out, reaching for him. I was safe. He would never let anything happen to us.

But then, a high-pitched scream pierced the air.

"Waylen! Help me!"

It was Helena. Why was she here? She was standing near the edge of the skirmish, clutching her ankle, her face a mask of terrified fragility. There was no rogue near her—not within twenty feet—yet she wailed as if death were breathing down her neck.

Time seemed to slow. Waylen’s massive wolf froze. He looked at me—encircled by three snarling beasts, my hands shielding our unborn child. Then he looked