Page 150 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha King

Especially the part of me that easily submits to the probing of Nyx’s tongue in my mouth.

His lips curl up in the corners as he whispers into my mouth, “Good girl,” before placing his lips at my ear, nipping my flesh with his teeth.

I suck in a breath as he places a soft kiss beneath my ear before turning away, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall, my thighs wet with heat from the ferocity of his kiss, and I remember we are not alone.

Aiden growls as Rose gently sets her hand on my arm. Delilah’s gaze meets mine, and neither of us says a word as Rose leads us to the courtyard.

67

Raine

I can barely contain myself or my nerves when I set foot in the courtyard. Delilah is the first to speak.

“So that is what has changed,” she says, her voice tinged with jealousy. With hurt.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut.

“I told you, it’s complicated.”

Delilah scoffs. “Yes, it looked quite complicated when the King of the South had his tongue shoved down your throat.”

I can’t help but snap, turning to her with a bite of my own.

“Do not judge me!” I say, feeling anger boil to the surface. “You have no idea what I have been through, what—”

“Really, Raine?” She shrieks. “Has the Southern King poisoned you so much you’ve forgotten that it was I who set you free from Daniel’s cell? Is his venom so potent that he has bewitched your brain?”

I shoot her a scathing look. “Of course I remember!” I say, thankful Delilah is keeping her distance. Right now, I feel far too agitated for closeness.

“Then how can you stand there and act as if I, too, have not endured hardship tofind you?My best friend! To bring you your fated mate!”

Tears beckon to spill from my eyes. “I did not ask you to do such a thing!” I snap.

Delilah is in front of me within seconds.

“You didn’t have to, Raine!” she says. I can see the tears in her eyes, my own pain reflected in her gaze. “That’s what friends do. They tell each other the truth and fight for one another.”

I look to Rose, who stands in the corner, watching us intently. Her usual smile is plain, a mask.

But her eyes look misty as well.

“Do you love him?” Delilah asks, and the tension is as thick as leather in the open air.

Rose watches us, her chest rising and falling steadily, betraying no hint of worry or concern. But I know she, too, is waiting for my answer.

I open my mouth to speak, and Delilah stops me. “Don’t you dare say it is complicated, Raine. I want the truth.”

She holds my gaze like an alpha.

“Yes,” I say, my voice solid and unwavering. I don’t miss the gasp from Delilah’s lips or the smirk on Rose’s face, though she says nothing.

“It wasn’t...I didn’t plan for it to happen...I didn’t mean to—”

Delilah nods slowly, and the words come of their own volition.

“Daniel sold me, Delilah. I didn’t know what to think at first—I mean, why would a vicious alpha king like Nyx want someone likeme?” I look up at her, the tears sliding out of my eyes without permission. “Broken. Beaten. Pregnant.”

I can barely look at either Rose or Delilah as the memories resurface of those first few days when I couldn’t be certain of even my own shadow. I feared everything, even myself, then.

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