Page 63 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

Yet still I’d been hesitant to bring Raine around—had my subconscious known?

“I don’t see the need to. We are perfectly fine,” I say.

There is a stony silence that follows—one that is obviously displeased with my not immediately bending to their will.

They are used to my father taking their advice at any given notice. However, my mother taught me differently and therefore poisoned my mind for everything, as the elders would say.

“We would like both of you to come here and present yourselves to us,” Lenari, our middle oldest elder says.

“Are you concerned I have not picked a good match for my Luna?” I ask.

There’s another stony silence, but this is one of discomfort. Maybe it’s wrong of me to force my authority over them so early into this—I’m not yet king and once I am, there will be some things that even I won’t be able to have a final say in.

However, tradition is tradition and despite all of that, I will still be their king. Their respect for me is unfortunately ingrained into their bones, whether they like it or not.

“No, Your Grace.” Boleus clears his throat. “That’s not it at all.”

“Excellent.” I smile. “Then I shall see you all at my ascension.”

None of them say anything, nor do they stop me as I turn and head back out of the chamber. I keep my composure until I leave the sanctuary and then finally, I let myself breathe and my hands shake.

I wish my mother was still here.

28

Raine

The beauty of the Southern packlands is somewhat staggering when we arrive.

I’d expected it to be dry and arid compared to the cool humidity I left back home, but the expanses of dry brush and large jagged mountains in the distance surprise me. Staring at them when we reach the peak of our climb before heading down into the valley, I shift and stand in awe of what’s to be my new home.

From here, small speckles of yellow wildflowers peek through the long grass down below, swaying gently in the wind. The earthy scent of dirt, not as dense as back home, fills my nose. I breathe it in deeply as I try to memorize the smell.

Behind me, someone shifts and stands at the edge of the overhang by my right. I glance over, surprised to see Rose smiling peacefully at the view ahead.

“Pretty magnificent, isn’t it?”

I nod. I’m going to have to get used to not having the cover of tall and dense forests to move through when out for a run. Though, who’s to say I’ll even be able to leave the estate at all once I get there.

For all I know, Nyx will keep me barefoot and pregnant until I’m no longer able to be.

“There’s our packlands.” She points to a spot in the valley, a few miles from where we are. From here I can see the impression of a small village tucked between rock formations. “And that’s Spider Creek. It’s a human town.”

Her finger shifts slightly away, pointing to another town, larger than the one before. From the looks of it, it’s not that far away from the Soleus territory. Maybe a fifteen-minute run, if that. Why would Soleus have their village so close to humans?

Surely if they’d begun to be encroached on by the humans, they could figure out a way to move. Any shifter pack has to deal with that on occasion. Humans are like parasites, always loving to spread to every corner of the damn planet with no regard for anyone but themselves.

“Do you…go there often?” I glance at her.

“What, to Spider Creek?” She shrugs. “Sometimes. There’s a pizza place there that has a killer Friday menu. Whenever I’m not out on patrol those nights, you’ll find me there.”

A shifter willingly dealing with humans—never thought I’d see the day.

Rose is certainly unique.

“Ladies,” Wren’s voice cuts through from behind us, startling me. “Shall we?”

He motions with his hand toward the path leading down the incline, which several of his packmates are already taking, a bland expression on his face.

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