Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Day of the Ceremony Belene's POV My fingers anxiously trace the flowers embroidered into the b odice of my wedding gown it's a delicate white contera weightless and ethereal I look more like a wood nymph than a bride I remember the day we chose it, Bastien and ill was the first dr es s we foun d that did not completely overpower m y w frame three years ago. We tried countless others first, but the moment i steppe d in to the gossamer fabric i wen tace said it all ith u 's This is the way of rejection ceremonies Marriages end as they begin We will wear the same clothes, meet at the same moonlit altar with f r i ends and famil y l ook ing on, we' ll even play the samnem Vet instead of vows to love and keep each other we will vow to p art. Inst ead of excha nging rings w e'rarm or e then, and instead of shifting to run together beneath the stars, we'll divide, f or ging new p aths in directio ns of our own c hoosing Of course, Bastien and I never ran together in the first place . We wa lked th ro ugh the fores t hand in hand, a sweet concession for the loss of my wolf Tonight I expect he will shift, and I have a fairly good idea where he'll run rath er to whom he'll r un. I've replayed my conversation with Arabella over and ov er i n my head. A t f i rst I thou g ht I must h ave m ish eard her, after all Bacon himself told me Arabella was his mate. Yet the more I ponde r o ur conver sation the clea rer it be com es Bastien is m y mate, or the would have been if I still had Luna, It explains why I a lwa ys felt connected t o h im, w hy he a lways ma de me feel safe Those horrible women at Gabriel's birthday w ere right, I am to o broken to b e any thing but a b urden. My one c hance to be whole might have been finding the man the goddess ch o se for m e, but fate had oth e r plans. My mate doesn't want me without my wolf, Who could? Teardrops pool on my lashes and I suck in a shaky breath, trying to tell myself that one d ay I m i ght find a wolf wh o is able to look past my shortcomings. One day I might be enough for s om eone, somewhere. The tears fall anyway, rolling down my cheeks in gray rivulets of m ascara, It doesn't matter if I'm enough fo r som eone else The only person I want is Bastien, and no matter what I do, or how long I live - he will n ever w ant me Bastien's POV I used to have nightmares about losing Selene, now those horrible dreams are becoming a reality. In less than an hour, we are going to formally end our marriage and part fore v er. Axel has been giving me the silent treatment f or days, protesting my decision to go through with the cere mony. I'm not any happier about it than he is, but I have to do this for Selene. This is what being an Alpha is all about, I rernind my stubborn wolf, taking care of others, putting their needs above your own Being an Alpha is also about being in control. He replies grumpily. Do you feel in control right now ? No . We both know I don't. I haven't been able to eat or sleep for days. I haven't been able to think about anything other than the fact that I will never get to hold my mate in my arms again. Not only that, I'm going to have to watch her build a life with another wolf - an idea that not only makes me feel completely unhinged, but positively murderous. So rather than focusing on things that are truly important like Blaise's hunt for Volana wolves or my Alpha training. I've been wallowing in grief and fantasizing about winning Selene back. The necklace A rabella helped me pick out is sitting on my dresser, wrapped up in a velvet box and decorative paper. When 1 bought it I told myself it was merely a parting gift for Selene, a token of appreciation for our years together and good will for the future. But deep down I imagined it might convince her to give me another chance. #Chapter 21 Rejection Day Ridiculous. Axel chides, apparently feeling very vocal now that he's finally speaking to me again. You think a pretty trinket is going to tell her something three years of marriage couldn't? A growl rumbles in my chest. He's right of course, there's nothing I can do or say that will change things now. It's too late. It was probably too late when we met. Selene's heart belonged to another years and years before I came along. Gabriel's PO V Disappointment and regret churn deep in my belly. This is not the path I hoped my son would walk. His marriage to Selene started on difficult footing, but the stru g gle was never between them. For all the horror of her past, I truly thought Selene had found peace with Bastien. The sweet little wolf was afraid of her own shadow, but she was never afraid of her mate, and caring for Selene had softened Bastien in so many w ays. Watching her heal and witnessing them grow together made Odette and I endlessly happy; we were both shocked speechless when they announced the rejection ceremony. A shadowy f ig ure emerges in my periphery, illuminated by the dim terrace lanterns. He's tall and thin, dressed in all black and exuding undisguised hostility. Green eyes glow in the darkness, but I can't see anything more of his face. "Whate v er your complaint," I begin, for it's clear that's what he has, "only cowards hide in the shadows. Be a man and show yourself." "Show myself?" His voice sounds familiar, yet I can't place it. "You mean y ou don't recognize me, Uncle?" The young man's fists clench at his sides. "You really are a heartless bastard." He hisses. "I figured anyone who could kill their own flesh and blood would be - but I hadn't imagined you would show so little remorse." "You don't know what you're talking about." I snarl, "You have no idea how much it hurt me to fight your father. It was the hardest thing I have e v er done, or ever will do." "I don't believe you." Frederic spits. "And what do you mean to do about it?" I demand, practically swaying on my feet. "Why are you here?" "I'm here to finish my father's work." The words barely have time to land before he launches into an attack. My fo gg y brain jerks me out of his path just in time, but I'm too slow to deflect his rebound assault. Claws rip into my back as I stumble forward, triggering the shift. I only transform part way, spinning around to face him before he can sink his teeth into my throat. I launch my body into his, knocking him to the floor and rolling in a vicious tangle of flailing limbs as we both attempt to land blows. He's young and strong, and I am about as agile as a drunk, but he is still no match for me. I've been Alpha for longer than he's been alive, I was fighting wars while he was still in diapers. I throw the insolent pup over my head, lunging for him as he bounces across the floor. As one we shift fully, and my wolf takes over. I close my jaws around his hind leg, dragging him yelping and whining over the carpet. Pain dilates his pupils, the black pools slowly eroding his irises to a neon corona. In the light Frederic's gray fur is so similar to his father's it takes my breath away. For a moment my addled mind believes it is my brother beneath me, returned from beyond the grave, A single moment of hesitation is all it takes. I freeze for a fraction of a second, and Frederic's claws tear through my carotid artery. Blood gushes from my body, draining my life in a relentless flood. As thick, coppery liquid fills my mouth, Frederic shifts back to human form, standing over me with a callous grin. "You've lost, old man." He announces snidely. "And Bastien is next." My growl comes out as a strangled gurgle, and my nephew laughs. "His little mate too, and their pup." Confusion furrows my brow, and his laugh becomes an outright cacklé. "Oh that's right. Frederic taunts. "You don't know: Selene's pregnant." Before dying, 40-year-old Lin Chuxue learns that her husband, Lu Mingzhe, never truly loved her and their son, Lu Xuan, favors his father’s former lover, Su Yun. Reborn into the seventh year of her ma...