Page 159 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

The bond snaps in place, and in her misty eyes, I know she feels it too.

My heart continues to beat like a drum, anxiety forming in my stomach. I can feel my release dripping out of her onto the table beneath her.

“Do you accept?” I whisper against her lips, kissing her if only to hold onto this perfect moment a little longer.

Before reality comes back and bites me in the ass.

Raine slides her hands in my hair as she kisses me back with so much depth and passion that I think I really could disappear within her.

My cock softens inside of her, but I make no move to vacate her warmth. Warm, sticky cum drips down my shaft as she hums against my lips.

“Of course I accept,” she says.

Warmth spreads within me at her acknowledgment. I push some wild hair behind her ear, laying my lips to my bite mark again, knowing whatever comes next won’t matter.

Because Raine is mine.

And no one is going to take what belongs to me. Not now, not ever.

71

Raine

I awake in Nyx’s bed, alone. The feeling of elation I’d long forgotten hits me like a brick.

I still couldn’t believe Nyx claimed me. It was sudden, not unlike the first time I’d been claimed...by Aiden.

But I couldn’t find it in me to be angry with him when it felt so right.

I’d had every intention of talking to him after my discussion with Aiden.

I’d thought long and hard about the best way to proceed.

Delilah had said Aiden was purposefullyavoidingstarting a war, but the truth was that he still could. He wouldn’t be the first king in history to do so, especially over an heir.

Which was why I needed to see him. I needed to know if Aiden truly felt something for me beyond remorse or if his feelings were tied up in the life we’d created.

But perhaps I also needed to know if there was anything left in the ashes of our dead flame.

And the moment I kissed him, I knew. With Nyx’s mark warm on my neck and Aiden’s mouth cold against mine, I knew the fire between us had been extinguished.

And it wasn’t because of Nyx’s claim, though I am sure it helped.

The moment I saw Aiden when he claimed he wanted to fight for me, I knew what I felt was different. And as much as Aiden protested that we could find the magic between us again, I knew there was no salvaging something broken.

Because Aiden could not fix this—he could not repair a bond he rejected—he needed to let me go, and I needed to let go, too.

But Delilah was right. Nothing would erase the truth from my womb, and the last thing I wanted was to be at the center of a war or for my child to be the cause of one.

Which is why I wanted to speak with Nyx about a treaty. If Aiden and Nyx agreed to align themselves, our child could unite our kingdoms instead of dividing them.

As much as I wanted to forget the Northern King, I could not bring myself to hide the truth from my child. My father defected from our pack, and I suffered the consequences of his actions.

How could I condemn my child because of my choices and the hand that fate had dealt me?

How could I be so harsh to a man who was half of my child? How could I turn that piece of love into misery? I would be no better than Daniel.

If Aiden could let me go and accept that our bond was over, I would be more than willing to let him into our child’s future.

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