Chapter 1: Pregnant
(Scarlett’s POV)
The dress glittered like icy chains, taunting me as I stood in front of the boutique mirror. Its diamonds reflected the golden lights above, mocking my
predicament.
The ceremonial robe, tightly secured around my torso, felt suffocating, like a prison I never agreed to enter, My fingers twitched, resisting the urge to
tear it apart
It was prepared for my engagement ceremony with Alexander, the Alpha of Amber Pack, future Northern Alpha King.
He was not even my mate. But my family forced me to engage to him.
The saleswoman fussed over my curls, unaware of the storm brewing within. Her hands smoothed the fabric of the bodice, but I barely noticed.
My emerald eyes stared back at me in the mirror, sharp and cold. No softness remained in them. Not with the ridiculous farce they expected me to
play out.
Emma’s voice suddenly blared through our telepathic connection, throwing my inner turmoil into overdrive. “Scarlett Her tone was desperate,
urgent, like she couldn’t get the words out quickly enough.
“What?” I asked silently, my voice steady despite the instinctive tightening of my chest. Something was wrong–it was all over her thoughts, leaking
into mine
“I was just at the sanitarium,” she said, pushing the words into my mind. “I saw Alexander. He was there… with Grace”
My breath caught. Heat rushed to my face, and my shoulders stiffened. Alexander? With Grace? At the sanitarium? I clenched my fists, nails biting
into my palms. My wolf, Cora, stirred, prickling with unease.
Emma hesitated, but I could feel her persistence, her determination to tell me the truth no matter how much it might hurt. “Scarlett Grace is
pregnant. With his child”
Her words detonated in my mind. A wave of betrayal and fury blasted through me, shaking the foundation of everything I had been bottling up inside. The anger was raw, scorching, and unrelenting. It brimmed so fast, so fully, that the edges of my vision darkened for a moment.
“Are you sure?” I demanded, gripping the edge of the mirrored vanity as if it could steady the chaos building inside me.
by it if I wasn’t.” Emma’s thoughts were both steady and apologetic. She knew what this would do to me.
“I wouldn’t say it i
The saleswoman adjusting my hair turned to me with a wide, oblivious smile. “Miss Winters, would you like me to tighten the robe a bit more? It enhance your-”
“Leave” My voice came out cold and sharp, devoid of hesitation.
The saleswoman blinked, her hands dropping to her sides.“–
” said, leave!” I snapped, my tone fierce, brooking no argument. She flinched, her pleasant demeanor giving way to fear. Without another word, she scampered out of the room, the sound of the door clicking shut behind her,
I didn’t even spare her a second glance. My focus had zeroed entirely on the cruel absurdity of this day, of my engagement to Alexander–a man who
had betrayed me in the worst way possible.
Grace. Pregnant, The words echoed in my head, slicing through me like jagged blades. I had spent years swallowing his indifference, years pretending that this bond–a political tie by force–mattered in some small way. But this? There was no pretending anymore.
My hands moved before my thoughts could catch up. I tore at the robe with a force that surprised even me. The soft fabric ripped apart in my hands. beads and gems scattering to the ground. The intricate ceremonial dress fell in a heap at my feet, nothing more than a discarded symbol of this false
union.
I stepped over it and grabbed my cost, Enough. Enough of this humiliation. Enough of Alexander. Enough of it all
The hallway leading to his office was lined with staff pretending not to notice me. Their eyes darted away as I passed, but I could feel their whispers, their curiosity, followed by their pity. It made my stomach churn
His office door loomed ahead, carved and polished to perfection–just another thing he felt he had to control. My heels clicked against the floor with
Chapter 1: Pregnant
each step, a steady rhythm that drowned out the whispering voices around me.
I didn’t knock. I didn’t care. I pushed the door open with enough force to make the hinges groan.
Alexander was there, lounging arrogantly in his chair like a king surveying his kingdom. His short dark hair glistened under the light. His gray eyes flicked up to meet mine with a casualness that made my blood boil. He held a stack of papers in one hand, a cigarette in the other.
“You’re late,” he said, his tone lazy and dismissive.
The smell of smoke hit me immediately, sharp and invasive. He knew I despised cigarettes, yet here he was, lighting one deliberately even as he spoke to me. My wolf growled low in my chest, just loud enough for me to feel it vibrate through my ribcage.
“Alexander,” I said icily, my voice cutting through the smoke–filled air like a whip. “Would you care to explain why I had to learn from a third party that Grace is carrying your child?”
His fingers stopped mid–motion. For the barest moment, a flicker of annoyance flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by his usual well–practiced smirk.
“Grace has returned,” he started, leaning back comfortably in his chair, exuding that infuriating confidence. “She’s… ill. Silver poisoning”
I stared at him, unmoved. He didn’t even flinch under my glace. Instead, he allowed himself the luxury of blowing out a long strand of smoke as if this situation were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
“She’ll need my support,” he added, his voice smooth and controlled. “Because of this, I believe it’s wise to postpone the marking ceremony.”
He slid a piece of paper toward me, his cigarette dangling between his fingers. The document was neatly typed, outlining the postponement of “our ceremony with clinical precision. Like my life was a business transaction,
Something inside me snapped.
I grabbed the paper and ripped it in half. Then into quarters. The sound of tearing filled the office, the shreds of his proposal falling to the floor like
ashes. His eyes widened for just a second before narrowing.
Postpone?” I repeated, my voice low and steady, though the anger behind it was sharp enough to cut through stone. There’s no need.””
“Scarlett,” he started, his tone taking on that condescending edge that made my wolf bristle. “You’re overreact-
“Let’s sever the mate bond, Alexander I interrupted, my words hitting like a slap to the face. The casual, arrogant mask he maintained faltered as my declaration truly sank in
I stepped closer, leveling him with a gaze full of fire and steel. “Now. Right here. Let’s cut the bond.”
For the first time since I entered the office, Alexander looked truly caught off guard. His composed expression cracked, the weight of my words hitting him harder than even I anticipated. His wolf, Logan, prowled beneath the surface, grasping at the bond that had already begun to crumble. But didn’t feel it–not really. Not anymore.
Without sparing him another word, I turned and slammed the door shut behind me. The bond tugged weakly at my consciousness, Logan’s thoughts brushing against Coras, desperate and searching. But Cora remained silent, her stance mirroring mine. We were done.
The first thing I heard as I walked back into the office wing was the sound of whispers. Low but persistent, like a swarm of gnats buzzing inches from my ear. The staff didn’t even have the decency to lower their voices completely.
“She destroyed the ceremony dress..”
“What does she expect after everything? Grace is already-”
“Serves her right. The Alpha only—”
Their audacity send–lightning shooting through my veins. Anger rolled off me as I came to a halt, my wolf pushing her dominance to the surface. The laughter stopped immediately. Every eye turned toward me, wide and full of regret
My gaze zeroed in on the boldest one among them–a trembling Omega barely strong enough to hold my stare. I marched toward them with slow, deliberate steps, my heels striking against the floor like thunder.
“Look at me,” I commanded, my voice low but full of authority.
The Omega’s head jerked up instinctively, their fearful eyes locking with mine. Emerald power flared behind my stare as Cors and I let just a fraction of our dominance slip free.
Chapter 1 Pregnant
“You might entertain fifth here, I hissed, my tone dripping with venom. My grip on their trembling chin was firm but not cruel. “But your Alpha isn’t the only one with teeth”
I let their chin go with a sharp flick and raised my head high, my posture screaming defiance. My heels clicked with finality as I walked out, leaving silence in my wake.
They could whisper. They could pity me. But they would never break me.
