Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By Contract

Fiona's POV

I woke up to a ceiling stained with brown patches and a sharp scent of herbs telling me I was in the pack clinic. I tried sitting up, but my body protested as soreness wrapped around my limbs like chains and a dull ache pulsed in my lower abdomen. My mouth tasted bitter. 

"Easy there," came a familiar voice. 

I turned to see the pack doctor, Miriam, setting down a vial on the counter looking both relieved and worn out.

"You scared everyone," she continued gently. "Your wolf nearly gave out from the stress."

I gave her a faint nod as I allowed my memories to trickle back to my vow renewal night with Kael and how he left me alone the whole night to fuck his little miss. 

"How long was I out?" I croaked.

"A day and a half."

"A whole day?!" 

"And half," she added.

"Have Alpha Kael come to see me?"

Her smile flattered.

"I...I sent Gareth to inform him that night after he had dropped you off. But..." She glanced towards the door, then back to me. "But I haven't seen or heard from him since then."

I swung my legs off the bed, wincing in pain. I had to go find Kael and see what was keeping him away even though I already knew. 

"No, no," Miriam rushed towards me. "Luna, please. You need to start taking things easily from now on for the sake of the little one growing inside you."

I froze. "The what?"

"The baby," she said gently, "You're pregnant."

I stared blankly at her as my breath hitched. "I'm...having a baby?" The words rolled out in a whisper.

 She nodded.

Despite the storm of betrayal, my heart lifted as our childless years had once been Kael's greatest worry and talk of the day before Laila returned. 

I clutched my stomach, a small smile breaking through my lips. "Have you told anyone? Alpha Kael needs to hear about this at once," I said, trying to stand up again, but Miriam held me down.

"No, I haven't, but you need to rest and allow Gareth to go fetch the Alpha for you."

"But he has been on that all day," I stressed, frowning.

Just then, the door swung open, revealing Gareth. The frown on my face was instantly replaced with a warm smile.

"Finally," Miriam said with relief, also smiling.

But seeing he was alone, our smiles faded. 

"Where is Alpha Kael?" I asked impatiently.

"He's...busy," Gareth said flatly. "He asked me to escort you back to your room and that he would come check in on you once he is done with what he is working on."

"This is insane," I muttered breathlessly as I jumped off the bed and stormed out of the clinic before they could stop me.

I marched into the pack house and went straight to Kael's chamber with Nyra stirring uneasily within me. 

Just as I reached the hallway, I saw him about to step into his room.

"Kael!" I called with a damning voice that was sharp with frustration.

His hand froze on the door knob as he turned in my direction, faint surprise flashing in his eyes. "Fiona?"

"I'm glad to find you here. We need to talk."

I moved to make my way into the room, but he blocked the entrance with his broad frame. 

Frowning, "why aren't you letting me in?" I asked.

"No...no reason in particular. Whatever you want to say, we can talk about it out here, can't we?"

It was at this point the familiar honeysuckle scent that I characterize Laila with hit me, snapping my composure into pieces.

"So this is what you're busy with?" I barked at his face.

Without a word, Kael seized my hand and dragged me straight to the front yard. 

"Why are you doing this?" Kael asked with a low voice that was edged with steel as the tension between us now crackled like wildfire.

"Doing what?" I snapped. "I walked in on you fucking your ex two nights ago and babysitting her this morning while I fought for my life at the pack clinic and you dare stand there and question my reaction?"

 "Fiona..."

"Don't Fiona me! You keep empowering her to humiliate me publicly and act like I am overreacting to it," I interrupted.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in an exasperated manner. "You're overthinking this and making everything harder by playing the victim."

I stared at him, stunned. "What...what did you just say to me?" I asked in a voice that could pass as a whisper.

"You should know," he went on, "an Alpha is entitled to other females even though he has a Luna. And let's not forget this is my first love we're talking about, not some random rogue."

His words pierced through what little hope I had left, leaving me dumbfounded for a while.

"She's the only one who can handle and satisfy me, you know what I am talking about don't you?"

With tears burning in my eyes, "What are you insinuating, Kael?" I roared. 

"That you'll never be enough for me, not the way she is so you better start getting used to the way things are around here now," he replied, his lips curved into a cruel smirk.

"You bastard!" I spat, anger surging through me like fire, scorching my veins. My wolf growled deep inside, wanting time for her to take over the moment.

"Watch your tongue woman if you don't want to start considering rejecting you," he took a step closer to me till we were only inches away, seizing me with his gaze for a while before turning to walk away.

"If that is how you truly feel, then maybe it is time we both stop dancing around. You want to reject me? Fine, go ahead! Reject me. Reject me and your heir if that will make you happy!"

His head snapped back. "Heir?"

"You heard me right," my hands trembled, "I am carrying your pup, your heir."

His lips parted despite himself. "A heir?" 

"Yes."

He turned fully around and stepped back to me, his presence now overwhelming as his scent ignited the mate bond, with my wolf aching to submit. But I forced myself to resist. 

"I can't deny our bond, Fiona. Neither can you. So stop fighting me because of this unwarranted anger of yours plus you know I love you," Kael's lips brushed my ear as he whispered in a husky voice.

His words almost unraveled me, and I was so close to pulling him into a tight hug, but I clenched my fist, glaring up at him. "Are you still going to go on with denying the fact that we are perfectly made for each other, then reject me and your heir just because of that pathetic parasite clinging to you?"

Before Kael could answer, a familiar voice cut in. "Kael, you're out here."

I whipped my head around to see Laila, arms crossed beneath her saggy breast. Rolling my eyes, I scoffed, "Here comes the walking disgrace herself."

"Fiona," Kael called cautiously.

"It's fine, Kael. Let her spit her venom. She's right after all, I deserve whatever she calls me, I deserve what's happening to me. I brought it all on myself anyways," She said in a well rehearsed manner.

Tilting my head sideways, I smirked coldly. "Why are you really here?" 

She allowed her gaze darted from me to Kael and then to me again before going on to say, "I was exiled from my pack for an offense I didn't commit. I had nowhere else to go so I found my way back to my home."

"Bullshit!" I roared. "You came back because Kael is Alpha, so enough of your sob stories."

Laila scoffed. "My return has nothing to do with Kael or his position as Alpha."

"Oh really?" I sneered. "It's hard not to think otherwise, considering you once broke his heart because of that very position.

"That is all in the past now," she retorted.

"So if you are not here scheming, then why are you here?" I pressed, shifting the weight of my body to my left hip.

"I have told you everything, and if you won't listen, I don't think there is a need for this conversation anymore." She turned on her heel, ready to walk away but as she took a few steps, her body wavered.

"Laila?" Kael called quizzically.

She staggered a few more times before dropping flat to the ground.

"Laila!" Kael exclaimed as he dropped on his knees beside her, cradling her in panic. "Help! Somebody help!" He yelled with his eyes wide in terror.

Gareth rushed out of the house in no time, sprinting towards them.

I stood there for a moment, watching the chaotic scene unfold in front of me before I turned around and quietly walked back to my room.

I closed the door and sat on the bed, the scene replaying in my mind like a broken record.

"Exiled for a crime she didn't commit?" I scoffed bitterly, "I'll never buy that."

I was certain Laila was not here of her own will but someone else. Someone had planted her back in Kael's life, and they meant to use his weakness for Laila as a weapon against us.

But no matter how I turned the issue over in my mind, one truth kept pressing and that was how I'd only get answers from the man who knew Laila best.

Alpha Derek.

The leader of the Silvercrest pack that is blind, yet feared more than sighted Alphas as he gutted traitors with one claw and wielded power that couldn't be matched. They said making a deal with him was like shaking hands with the devil making it shocking  that Laila once stood a chance with him.

His presence was indeed a sacred one, but I had no choice. To be able to get Laila out of the way and get my marriage back to what it used to be before that whore showed up, I need to find the hole in her story that no one seemed to be noticing, and point it out for all to see. And if there was no hole...then I would dig one myself. 

All in all, I needed the blind Alpha.

But the question now was how do I get into his presence?