Page 92 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

“That letter.” The words are hard to get out. “It was really convincing.”

I feel his eyes on me. “Enough to discredit your fated mate, though?”

Therein lies the problem.

The idea of fated mates is romanticized in our culture for many different reasons. They’re rare and unpredictable, with most shifters never having the opportunity to experience the overwhelming euphoria of having one.

Growing up, I never once considered the possibility thatIcould have a fated mate, and meeting Raine completely shifted my entire worldview. I had no idea how to handle it.

Coming into my alphaship had been tough after losing my father so soon beforehand, and with my elders pushing me to find a Luna in order to claim my right as king. None of that had ever included a fated mate, let alone having her dropped right at my feet.

She just never fit into the equation, so when it came time to do right by her, I panicked. Instead of presenting her proudly to my pack and damning what the elders’ opinions of it would be, Icowered and tried to bend to their will as much as possible so as not to rock the boat.

And here I am bearing the consequences of that.

I have nothing to say to Camden to defend myself. How can I when it’s become quite clear that I overreacted in a moment of intense emotion? I kicked my fated mate out of my pack, banned her, and then practically sent her back to be fed to another pack as a breeder.

Who even knows if she’s still pregnant at this point.

“You should’ve looped me in, Aiden.” His tone is firm, dropping my title.

“I know.” I really do—I know better. I wastaughtbetter.

“We could’ve avoided all of this if I got involved. I’m supposed to be your voice of reason, remember? I could’ve talked to her before you threw her out and got to the bottom of all of this. Even if she was lying, kicking her out wasn’t proper. She could’ve at least been sent to a sister pack somewhere close.”

His words make sense. All of it does, really, in hindsight.

That letter sent me into a spiral and by the time Raine showed up at my doorstep to beg for mercy, I’d already mourned the loss of her.

“I couldn’t bear to look at her.”

He sighs at me. “Well, now we’re stuck chasing her down.”

How true. It’s even more of a headache now than simply putting her up in housing like Camden suggested and never seeing her again.

He turns away from the lake and faces me, reaching out to firmly grab my shoulders and shake me while he speaks again. “We’re going to find her.”

Such determination, as expected of my beta.

“And then what?” I ask, because I truly don’t know.

Finding Raine and facing her are two very different things, and one of them I’m terrified of doing.

“Well, we see if she’s still pregnant. If she is, then we find out if it’s yours or not.”

That is if the alpha who currently has her even allows that. My authority over anything that has to do with the South is limited, if not outright banned.

If Nyx Calloway were to ever catch wind of me trying to meddle in one of his pack’s affairs, I’m sure I’d be hunted down for sport. Going toe-to-toe with another alpha king is the last thing I want, especially if it puts Raine in the middle.

Camden shakes me again. “Right?”

“Yes, I do hear you.”

He gives me a firm nod before letting me go. “Good. And stop hiding shit. I mean it. The next time I find out you failed to tell me something, you’re getting a swift kick to the balls.”

That has me wincing. “How am I supposed to have an heir, then?”

“Easy, either don’t lie to me or hope like hell that kid is yours.”

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