Aria’s POV

This wasn’t the first time this happened. It’s been happening repeatedly in my relationship with the Alpha. Ever since I was mated with him, all he ever talked about was Janna. It makes me wonder—why did he even choose me to be his mate, to be the future Luna of our pack, if Janna was clearly more important to him? It’s so frustrating.

At first, I let it slide. I thought it was just part of his responsibility as the Alpha—to talk to, socialize with, and manage his pack members, especially those in higher ranks. But now, I’ve realized something: he doesn’t love me. He’s just using me—using my name, my beauty, my title. They call me the ‘eternal beauty’ in the pack, and maybe that’s why he chose me. Not because of love, but because it benefits him.

I think he prefers a strong and fierce wolf. Someone like Janna—she has that strength he admires. And now, I’ve had enough.

I took off the pendant he gave me—the one that was supposed to symbolize our love, or maybe just my love for him—and left it on the table. I’m done. I want to leave. I want to end whatever it is we have.

Without thinking twice, I left the territory. I found myself heading toward the lead healer’s place, even though I’d already been there earlier today. When I arrived, she was surprised to see me again.

“Oh, Aria, why are you here? Have you told the Alpha the news, that you’re going to have a pup with him?” she asked.

“I want to get rid of it,” I said bluntly. “I want to kill the pup.”

“What?!” Alicia, the lead healer, stood up in shock. “You can’t do that! The Alpha will be furious! Aria, you have to think this through. You can’t act so rashly!”

I shook my head at her. “I’ve had enough of the Alpha. Even though I’m his mate, the future Luna, I’ve never felt his love. Not once. I feel like he’s only ever used me—for his own gain. He’s always there for Janna. Always protecting her, always thinking about her. Never me.”

I held back my tears in front of Alicia. She let out a deep sigh and moved closer to me.

“You need to calm yourself, Aria. Ending this pup’s life won’t change anything. It’ll only make your pain worse, and in the end, you might regret it,” she said softly. “And don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone in the pack about this. This is confidential. It’s something only you and the Alpha should discuss. But here’s my advice: talk to him. Maybe he just doesn’t see things clearly yet. Maybe he’ll realize his mistakes when you tell him you’re pregnant.”

I froze at her words. Honestly, they made sense. I hadn’t told Bennett the news yet. And thinking back, he’s been dropping hints for a long time—signs that he wanted this. He’s always said he wanted to start a family, that he was ready to take care of a pup.

A small smile formed on my face as I remembered those moments. “Okay, maybe you’re right,” I said quietly.

“Good,” Alicia replied.

I left her territory and made my way back to the pack house I shared with Bennett. I waited for him there, but he was taking longer than usual to come home. The sun set, and it was already late in the evening by the time he finally arrived.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, and it was clear he was furious. I tried to keep myself calm as I approached him.

“Bennett, I need to tell you something. It’s important. Please, you have to listen,” I said.

But before I could continue, he cut me off. “Let’s finish this, Aria,” he said coldly.

“W-What?” I froze. “What do you mean? What do you mean by ‘let’s finish this’?”

He went silent for a moment. Neither of us spoke, but the tension between us was suffocating. I watched as he clenched his fists and then looked me straight in the eyes.

"I reject you," he growled, his voice sharp and unrelenting. "You are no longer my mate, and I don’t want you in my life."

I stared at him, completely stunned. My chest tightened, and for the first time in a while, the emotions I had been holding back spilled out. Tears streamed down my face.

“But why? W-Why?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“It’s over, Aria,” he said, his tone cold and detached. “I’ve never really loved you. I love Janna more.”

Those words shattered my heart. Right there, he confirmed what I had feared all along. He loved Janna—not me.

I don’t remember much of what happened after that. All I recall is running away from him, my vision blurred by tears. I never told him the truth—that I was carrying his pup. And I never will.

I’ll raise this pup on my own.

Aria’s POV

What hurts the most is that Bennett doesn’t even care that I ran away from our house. He didn’t come after me. I left without a word, without a second glance, and he just stayed there, like I never even mattered. I thought he would try to stop me, that maybe he’d show some concern, but no.

Even though I hate him right now, and I’m furious and heartbroken over everything that’s happened, I can’t completely leave. I can’t fully walk away, no matter how much I want to. The wolves still think I’m his mate. They have no idea what’s really going on inside my heart. They don’t know about the storm that’s raging in me—about how much pain it’s causing, how it’s tearing me apart from the inside.

“Hey, how’s life? Why aren’t you with Alpha Bennett?”

The question caught me off guard. It was Maria, my best friend, sitting across from me, looking concerned.

Ever since I became Bennett’s mate, I’ve been living with him in the biggest house in the village. It felt like a dream at first, like everything was perfect. But things changed, and now, I can’t even stay there anymore. I came back to my old home, the place that used to feel like mine. I left most of my things behind at his place, but I still have a few things here, just enough to get by.

“I’m fine,” I said softly, trying to hide the truth. “We’re okay.”

But I wasn’t fine. Not at all. I felt like there was a hole inside me that no one could fill. I felt empty, hollow.

“Are you sure?” Maria asked, her voice filled with worry. “You slept here last night. You’re always at Alpha Bennett’s house. If something’s wrong, you can tell me, you know that, right?”

I took a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t keep lying to her. Maria was my best friend. She deserved the truth.

“I—I don’t know how to say this,” I started, my voice trembling. “Bennett… he rejected me, Maria.”

Her eyes widened in shock. She stood up, staring at me like I was insane. “What? He rejected you? But… you’re his mate!”

I felt my throat tighten, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m not his mate anymore,” I whispered, breaking down. “He rejected me. And... I’m pregnant, Maria.”

The words hit her like a punch to the stomach. She didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me, completely stunned.

I told her everything, the truth.

“I… I can’t believe this,” she finally whispered. “Alpha Bennett is putting Janna first? Over you, his mate?”

I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “He doesn’t care about me, Maria. Why would he? He doesn’t care that I’m pregnant with his pup.”

Maria’s face twisted with anger and disbelief. She paced the room, hands clenched in frustration. “This is insane. He has to know! He needs to know he’s going to be a father!”

I shook my head, unable to look at her. “No. He doesn’t care. He hasn’t cared for a long time. I don’t even know why I should bother telling him. He’ll just shut me out again.”

“But you’re not in a position to raise this pup on your own, you know that, right?” Maria’s voice rose in panic. “You have no rank now. You were an omega before you met him. How are you supposed to survive? How are you supposed to raise a pup?”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked down at my hands, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me. “Maybe… maybe I should just leave, Maria. Start over somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say anything, something outside caught our attention.

We both stood up and walked over to the window, staring out. The village was starting to gather in the center, people murmuring, forming a crowd. My eyes landed on Alpha Bennett, standing in the middle of it all. He was with someone else—another man who seemed vaguely familiar to me.

Maria nudged me gently. “Looks like we should go. Alpha’s gathering everyone. You can’t just ignore this.”

I hesitated, feeling torn. “I don’t have to go if I don’t want to, right? I don’t have to face him.”

Maria gave me a knowing look, but she didn’t push it. “You’re right. You don’t have to go. I can tell you everything when it’s over,” she was about to leave when I stopped her.

With a sigh, I gave in. “I’ll go with you,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Maria nodded, understanding my hesitation but not questioning it.

We walked out of my house and made our way to the center of the village. The moment we arrived, I saw Alpha Bennett standing tall on the front porch of the grand hall, his presence demanding attention. Kneeling beside him was the man I didn’t recognize.

We stood in the crowd, watching quietly, trying to blend in. Then, Bennett’s gaze swept over the group, and when his eyes landed on me, everything inside me froze. I bit my lip to hold back the tears and quickly looked away. The pain was too much. His eyes were cold, distant—just like they always were whenever he looked at me. He didn’t care.

“Everyone, gather here,” he called out, his voice firm and commanding. “I have an announcement to make.”