Chapter 1 Painful Rejection

Evelyn's POV

My hands shook as I held the test results.

"Congratulations," the pack doctor said, avoiding my eyes. "You're pregnant. But as a wolfless Omega, you must avoid stress. Strong emotions could harm the baby."

I forced a smile, the words stinging like always. Omega. Wolfless. Pregnant again.

This should be happy news. Instead, I felt only fear. I knew the pattern: I'd carry this pup, birth it alone, then watch others raise it.

Diana, Alpha Calvin's mother, made sure of that.

"An Omega like you has no right to guide future Alphas," she always said.

I touched my belly gently. "Will they steal you from me too?"The question burned like acid in my throat.

That night, I prepared dinner and waited for Calvin and the boys. Hours passed. The food turned cold. My heart sank deeper with every tick of the clock.

I sat in the living room, unsure if I should call Calvin. Without a wolf, I could not connect to the pack bond or mind-link like the others.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, heart stuttering with naive hope.

Maybe it was Calvin. But it wasn't. It was a video.

Shaky hands opened the message.

The video showed the pack gathering. Calvin sat in his Alpha chair, wearing his black suit. The twins stood beside him, beaming. And there was Clara.

Clara, his first love from Calypso Pack, smiled like she belonged. Like she'd never left his side.

"Who do you love more?" she asked sweetly, touching Rhys's hair. "Aunt Clara or Mommy?"

"Aunt Clara!" Rhys answered instantly.

The video was captioned. "Alpha's Family." My heart sank.

I barely reached the bathroom before getting sick. Collapsed on the floor, crying.

Five years of cold marriage. Not once had Calvin smiled at me like he smiled at her. And now my own children chose her too.

The front door opened while I still sat there sobbing. Calvin carried sleeping Rowan upstairs, Rhys bouncing behind them. They stopped when they saw me.

"Mommy!" Rhys hugged my legs. "We had so much fun at the gathering with Aunt Clara!"

I forced a weak smile. "That's nice."

Calvin didn't even look at me as he carried Rowan upstairs.

Later, in our bedroom, I sat waiting. The door opened and Calvin stepped out of the bathroom, hair damp, robe clinging to his frame.

He saw me. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I want to talk."

He didn't move. "About what?"

"Why wasn't I invited to the pack gathering? I'm Luna. I should've been there."

He chuckled without humor. "Luna? Evelyn, stop pretending. Without that alliance, do you think I would've ever chosen you?"

His words sliced through me.For five years, I thought we had something. But now, he denied it all.

I swallowed hard. "And Clara? Is she the Luna you want now?"

His eyes darkened. He stepped closer, the weight of his Alpha aura crashing down like a wave.

"Don't test me, Evelyn. Know your place."

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. And then I said the words that had been buried in my heart all along.

"Then reject me."

A flicker of shock crossed his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly.

"After you married me, your pack merged with mine, Evelyn. If you leave me, you have nowhere to go," he said flatly. "If you're bored, find something useful to do."

I gave a bitter smile. So that's what he thought of me, just a bored woman looking for attention.

He turned to leave, but paused at my next words.

"I mean it," I said quietly.

He looked back with annoyance, completely unfazed. "I don't have time for your nonsense. I'm already busy enough. And if you leave the Pack, you'll never see the twins again," he said coldly before slamming the door behind him.

His words sent a chill crawling down my spine, my entire body gripped by a paralyzing fear.

My hand instinctively moved to my belly.

What about the pup inside me? No. I couldn't lose this pup too. I had to leave before anyone found out I was pregnant.

The next morning, at breakfast, I tried to smile as Rowan and Rhys devoured their food. Calvin had left early, as usual.

"Mommy," Rowan asked, "why can't you turn into a wolf?"

My hands trembled.

"Because... Mommy is special," I said.

Rhys pouted. "Aunt Clara says wolves who can't shift are defective. Mommy, are you defective?"

The cup slipped from my grasp. I barely caught it in time.

"No, sweetheart. Mommy's just... different."

"But Dad said--"

"Enough!" My voice cracked. "Eat and go to training. No more questions."

The twins fell silent. I retreated into the kitchen, pressing my back against the wall as silent tears fell.

Then the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see Beta Zeon.

"Luna Evelyn. Alpha Calvin has ordered you be relocated to the villa district. It's more private."

I froze. "But... the pups?"

"Alpha Calvin will arrange everything."

I knew what this meant.He was clearing space. For Clara.

I nodded numbly. "Okay."He left without another word.Upstairs noises caught my attention.

"Rhys? Rowan?" No answer. I rushed to their empty room, my heart dropping. My pups were gone.

I ran through the forest calling their names until laughter drew me to a clearing. There they were with Calvin, Clara, and Diana having a picnic.

I pressed against a tree, watching.

"Dad, show us your wolf again!" Rhys begged.

Calvin shifted into his black wolf form while the twins cheered, climbing onto him. Clara transformed too, her brown wolf circling them playfully.

"Aunt Clara is amazing!" Rowan exclaimed.

Diana smiled smugly. "Clara is the perfect Luna, unlike that useless one who can't shift."

My chest tightened. Would everything be different if I could transform?

Calvin's head snapped toward my hiding spot. "Come out," he ordered coldly.

The twins called "Mommy!" but Diana's glare silenced them.

"Why are you here ruining our peaceful picnic?" Diana sneered.

"My pups disappeared. I was worried," I said firmly.

Clara's smile dripped honey. "We should have told you."

"They're MY pups!" I snapped. "You can't just take them!"

"You're making a scene," Calvin warned.

"Let me! They're my children! Take everything else, but not them!"

Diana laughed. "Your pups? They're Bloodbane Pack heirs. What right does a wolfless Omega have in Pack matters?"

"The pups need a proper Pack mother," Clara added sweetly. "You can't give them that."

But when I called to my children, they hid behind Clara.

"Is it true you're not Dad's real mate?" Rowan asked.

"I want to stay with Aunt Clara," Rhys declared.

Clara smiled triumphantly. "See? They prefer me. I should be Calvin's mate, not a worthless Omega."

Calvin said nothing. He didn't defend me as if he'd been waiting for this.

The twins didn't want me, Calvin showed no love. There was nothing left here. For my unborn baby's sake, I needed to leave.

Through my tears, I decided. "I, Evelyn Blackwell, reject you, Alpha Calvin of Bloodbane Pack, as my mate and Alpha."

The mate bond snapped, searing pain ripping through me.

Calvin froze. For a moment, I thought I saw hurt in his eyes.

Or perhaps I imagined it.

I turned and walked away.