Chapter 1: Pregnant
STELLA
"I am pregnant, and you are the father, Travis!"
I was over the moon, standing in front of our pack mansion and telling that news to my longtime boyfriend, Travis. He was my first and hopefully my last mate and was the Beta of one of our considered enemy packs, Westwood Pack. My parents even contradicted our relationship, but they had no choice, as we were mates. And surprisingly, he got me pregnant.
"What?!" Travis reacted differently, not to what I had expected. He was supposed to be joyous, but he was stunned instead. "I mean, why the hell will you be pregnant?! I haven't even had sex with you!"
My eyes broadened, and the smile on my lips faded. I reached out his hand and held it, then placed it in my womb.
"It's our pup, Travis. Don't deny it. We both have been influenced by alcohol at the Werewolf gathering party." I hated it when I had to explain when we had it. "Remember that? You even whispered to me—"
He didn't let me finish what I was supposed to expose, and he countered, "No way! If you have sex that night, then it might not be! And it just explains why I am not the father!"
Travis shook his head, moving his hands away from my womb. He stepped back, and I was about to move closer to him, but he signaled me to stop.
"I want to make this clear to you. I won't accept your pups as mine, and I want to end our relationship, our bond. I don't want you to be my mate anymore," Travis bravely said, without even trying to explain to me the reason why.
We had a strong bond and fought our relationship against all the hindrances.
Tears couldn't help to escape from my eyes. It was painful, like being stabbed a thousand times in my heart. I didn't expect this, and we were supposed to celebrate.
"What went wrong, huh? How about me and the future of our pups?" I asked, picturing the possible future without him. "How can I tell my parents I'm pregnant without you?"
Travis sighed. He moved his gaze away from me and couldn't stare directly into my eyes. He remained silent, seeming oblivious to what to reason out to me.
"Nothing's wrong." He was calm but still couldn't face me. "My inner wolf and I can feel we are not meant for each other. We were meant to be enemies, meant to be strangers, not lovers, so let's end this."
I shook my head and didn't want to agree. As I was about to open my mouth to explain, he had already said something.
"I, Beta Travis of Westwood Pack, will reject you, Luna Stella of Gravenwood Pack…." He suddenly said the rejection oath. "And from now on, our bond will be cut, and we will no longer be mates."
I kneeled in front of Travis and held his hands while tears kept flowing from my eyes. "This isn't true. Please tell me it's a dream, please…."
Travis pushed me slightly, making me sit on the ground. "I have a new mate. Begging me will be meaningless, so stop it!"
Right after Travis said that he dashed away, and in a blink, he was gone from my sight, and our years of bond ended with that shit. Why couldn't he admit to being the father of our pups? Damn, he gave me a headache, and I was supposed not to cry over that bastard who couldn't stand his responsibility as a father.
'Don't cry, Stella. I can sense it. We have a new mate that will accept us….' Shane, my inner wolf, reminded me. She was saddened by what happened but slowly accepted that this happened for a reason and a new beginning.
I stood and wiped the tears, bringing my gaze to the balcony. No one, apart from our pack doctor and Travis, knew I was pregnant. I wondered what his father's reaction was when he found out. Fingers crossed, I hoped he would accept me.
Hours had passed, and I faced my parents on the second floor of our pack mansion. They were about to enter their room to rest as they attended a werewolf conference and had just reached home. Their gazes were darting already at me, but I had a hard time spilling the tea.
"So, will you tell us something or not? Stop wasting our time, will you?!" Father's voice was too cold. He was about to leave, not until I had spoken.
"Travis and I broke up," I admitted. It was the truth, and I presumed they would be on cloud nine. ".....and I'm pregnant with his pups."
"What?!" Both my parents asked in unison, realizing the last words I spilled wouldn't ease their furiousness towards me for loving an enemy but rather double the anger they had in their hearts.
Father came forward and slapped me in the face. Luckily, my mother stopped him from doing it again.
"I've told you to break up with him already! You're too hard-headed!" Father yelled, pointing his fingers at my womb.
"I'm so sorry, father. I hope you can accept me."
"No, we won't accept you. Get out of this pack, and I'll forget I have a daughter blinded by love! Get lost!" He shouted once again.
I almost collapsed, realizing it was the hardest decision he had ever made. As for my mother, she secretly sobbed at my father's side, shaking her head. My father was unstoppable and used his power as an Alpha.
"Arthur, it's our daughter. Let's just accept her!" Mom couldn't hold it anymore and interjected.
Father glanced at Mother. "If you side with your stupid daughter, then both of you move out of my pack."
As his decision was voiced out, Mother's sorrowful eyes eyed me as if she couldn't leave the pack. It was damn fine for me, so I nodded my head, wanting her to realize that I was okay.
"Fine. If you can't accept me, I'll leave and will never be back here."
Right after I said those, I got into my room and packed some of my things, jewelry, and money I could use for my survival. Afterward, I left the pack mansion. Before moving far away, I glanced back at the pack mansion. On the balcony, I glimpsed my parents standing there, watching me.
With a sigh, I dashed away into the woods, unknowingly where my feet would be brought me into the night. My werewolf eyes activated, making me glimpse the darkness. On my way to the unknown, Shane comforted me and always reminded me of the safest direction whenever she sensed danger.
In the woods, the wild animals were already roaming around, a night owl sounded that echoed into the stillness of the night, and a howl from the east was heard. It had been minutes I was running, bumping a bush, and sometimes almost hit by the trunk, but I hadn't seen any nearby houses nor a pack. Yet, it was clear that I was too far from our pack border.
As I continued running, tears made my eyes blurry. All the challenges I had faced lingered in my mind. They all abandoned me, and I only had my inner wolf and future pups in me. I will never forget what they have done to me.
Suddenly, I returned to my senses and heard footsteps behind me, sniffing an unfamiliar scent from that stranger. I am certain I hadn't met that stranger before.
'It's bizarre. I can feel how strong he was, but somewhat weakened,' Shane reported, as she was trying to make sure we followed the safe route.
'What do you mean?' It confused me. Did she just mean Alpha followed me?
'I'm not quite sure though, but I can feel it… He's somewhat cursed. Run!'
With her words that scared me, I dashed two times faster than my normal speed, yet in a careful way not to hurt the pups in my womb. In the minutes of running, I caught a glimpse of a light from an old house in the woods.
I had no other choice. There were no other houses I could see around. With that, I opted to stop there, hoping someone who lived there wasn't a rogue.
Standing in front of the old oak door, I knocked while looking behind me. His scent was getting nearer and nearer, and my heart almost skipped its beat.
"Anyone in there?! Please let me in! Someone followed me!" I yelled, hearing footsteps moving into the door.
The door was unlocked, and an old woman with a confused face scanned me. "Oh, dear. What are you doing this late?"
"It's a long story, but someone is following me. I am afraid they're rogues and want to take me and my pups." I held my womb and saw the old woman move her gaze into my hand. "Can I please stay here at least tonight?"
"Oh sure, come inside. You're welcome here anytime you like." She opened the door wide, and I went in. Afterward, she locked the door and sighed.
"Thank you so much!" I heaved a sigh of relief entering her old house, but I glanced at the glass window at the side, seeing the fierce yellow eye of someone peeking at the bush.
My eyes widened, and I felt electricity running through my veins upon eyeing him. Yet, as I blinked, he was gone.
'Who is he? And why is he following me?.... Is he a mate?'
