Page 86 of Rejected and Pregnant By the Alpha
Better?Julian asks, and I look up, meeting his intense gaze.
Better,I confirm, watching his lips twitch as he fights a smile.
“Royal magic has settled into our queen, meaning the Goddess has accepted her as the mother of our nation,” the priest calls out joyously, turning to the side where a crown sits on a marble column.
“Now, with this crown placed upon your head, I crown you, Hannah Cross, luna queen of werewolf-kind. May your life be long and your reign be bountiful.” The golden crown is placed upon my head with these words, and the priest backs away, a smile on his lips. Julian steps forward, offering me his hand, which I take, allowing my mate to help me stand.
“I present to you my mate, Luna Queen Hannah Cross!” Julian calls out, placing his hand on the small of my back. The audience cheers, the chants of “Long live the queen!” floating above us all.
Five years ago, I would have bent the knee, ready to defend Julian’s mate and become her hidden shadow. I never thought that I would stand before alphas, lunas, and their betas, a crown atop my head and Julian by my side. But I guess fate has a way of making things happen without anyone being the wiser.
79
Julian
Watching Hannah laze on a lounge chair surrounded by lunas, with Savannah in a bassinet to her left and Saben sitting beside her, I can’t help but feel like my life has reached peak happiness. Her crown had been replaced with a dainty tiara after we left the throne room before the ball started. I knew she was still getting used to the feeling of being connected to all of werewolf-kind as the luna queen, so I took her to a quiet room to rest, where Saben and Savannah were waiting for us.
Now, four hours into the ball, I can tell that Hannah is ready to call it a night. It’s the way she fights to keep her eyes open and rubs her pregnant belly absently. I know I have to step in to rescue my little family and bring them to our wing of the palace so we can put our pups to bed before climbing into our own for the night.
“Your Majesty, you seem distracted,” a wolf calls out, and I turn to find Alpha Morrison of the High Tides pack on the coast of Quebec looking at me.
“Sorry, Alpha Morrison. I was watching my queen,” I admit with pride, grinning like a lovestruck fool.
The alphas around me chuckle, some commenting that with a beautiful mate like Hannah, it’s no wonder I seem distracted. Waving off their playful banter, I excuse myself, stating it is late and that I do not want to put too much stress on Hannah with her being pregnant. Thankfully, many of these alphas understand my sentiments, having mates of their own, but the single ones look at me enviously. Promising to meet with these alphas before they return to their respective packs later this week, I make my way toward the ladies, catching snippets of them fawning over Saben and Savannah.
“Excuse me, ladies,” I call out, watching a few straighten in their seats at the sound of my voice before they turn to face me.
“It is getting late, and my mate and I need to put our pups to bed,” I continue, coming up with an excuse for Hannah and me to leave. Some of the lunas nod in understanding, while others pout, the scent of jealousy seeping off them. Holding back my sneer, I move to Hannah’s side, helping her from the lounge chair. Before I can lift Savannah into my arms, Aileen zips in from out of nowhere, cradling the pup to her chest.
“Help Hannah to the royal wing. I will carry Savannah,” the vampire says warmly, making me chuckle. I notice a few uneasy glares thrown our way at her appearance but ignore them. Aileen is family to us because she is related to Savannah and becauseshe took on the role of a big sister to my mate, being there when Hannah needed her.
“Thank you, Aileen,” I say, letting Hannah lean against me for support.
“Don’t mention it, Jules. We are family,” the vampire calls back loud enough for those around us to hear. The glares thrown in our direction disappear one by one, and I feel Hannah relax, her blue gaze scanning the room.
“I can help with Savannah, Auntie Aileen,” Saben calls from my side, his green gaze locked onto his sister.
“I know, Saben,” Aileen replies, ruffling my son’s hair. “But who is going to help your papa take care of your mama?” she adds, and I chuckle. Well played, Aileen. Well played.
Saben thinks over her words thoughtfully before his little body skitters to Hannah’s other side, taking her hand.
“Then I will help Papa take care of Mama,” he declares, his gaze set in determination. The wolves in the room whisper about how thoughtful my son is, claiming we are blessed. I preen at their words while slowly guiding Hannah out of the room, wishing everyone a good night and to enjoy the ball as we pass by them. As soon as we are outside the room, Hannah sighs with relief and leans into me.
“Thank you so much,” she groans, Claira appearing right on cue with a wheelchair.
“Hannah linked me to get it,” my mate’s beta says, and I nod, helping Hannah sit down.
“If another luna had asked me how I plan to maintain traditions within the packs, I was going to claw her face off,” Hannah groans, her words setting off alarm bells.
“What do you mean by ‘maintain traditions’?” I ask, pushing the wheelchair while Claira picks up Saben and carries him toward the elevator we are heading toward.
“What I mean is that many lunas believe a she-wolf should not be ruling a pack. They think that now that I am luna queen, I am going to give up Haven Trail. Boy, will they be surprised when they find out I plan to pass Haven Trail on to the pup inside me, as I believe Savannah will have a different future ahead of her,” Hannah answers, taking the tiara off her head and running her fingers through her hair.
“They also don’t know the plans you have to create a school dedicated to training the alphas, betas, and thetas of all the packs. That’s going to be a fun surprise in the coming years,” Aileen butts in, and I smirk.
Two weeks ago, Hannah suggested to me that we needed a boarding school–type place for wolves of all kinds to train and make alliances. I thought it would be a great idea as it would allow the more volatile wolves on the verge of shifting to learn about the world outside of their packs. Many would be able to find their mates there upon turning eighteen, and others would be tested to see if they were the right wolf to lead their packs into a brighter future. It was an even playing field for alpha pups, as I have witnessed many times the collapse of a pack because the eldest male received the title of alpha when he did not deserve the role.
“That is going to be a fun thing to announce next year at the first Alpha Summit,” I muse, watching a smirk grace Hannah’s lips as we crowd into the elevator.
