Page 31 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Lycan King

What the fuck did I just do? Why did I hear that witch’s laugh?

I fucking rejected my mate, but that’s not what I should have done, was it? Zephyrine’s laugh echoed in the depths of my mind. That bitch cursed me, and she somehow knew I had rejected my mate. This was making her happy. I rejected my mate just as I had rejected her.

I made a big fucking mistake.

15

Kylie

Instinct took over, and I started running. My lycan sprang forward without hesitation. My feet pounded the ground as my body mindlessly flew ahead. I knew Maximus was going to reject me the second he summoned me into his office. That was a truth I had to face. I realized he was shutting me out after a day of complete and utter silence, and that could only mean one thing. I braced myself for the harsh reality that was coming and convinced myself to expect it. I wanted to endure it with dignity. It drained me more than I cared to admit, but I made it out alive. I weathered it alone and didn’t stumble, but no matter how prepared I was, I would still flinch when getting punched in the stomach.

My suspicion was correct. Maximus rejected me because I did not meet his standards for a mate. My greatest fear had become a reality. The Moon Goddess gave me a mate, just for him to throw me away.

Only it wasn’t his idea to reject me.

It was that bitch’s idea.

How could it be possible for another female to whisper in his ear enough for him to reject me? If he trusted her opinion over the Moon Goddess’s, Nova meant more to him than I thought. All this time, I focused my energy on becoming stronger when I should have been focusing on keeping him away from her.

My paws squished against the wet ground, and my claws scraped against the pavement before I made it to the edge of the forest. I pulled myself out of my thoughts of self-pity to focus on where I was going. Where could I go? Returning to Ironhide wasn’t feasible. My father would just kill me or not even let me onto the property. Either way, I was already dead in his eyes.

No love lost there.

Other packs would alert Maximus to my location if he cared enough to look. I was a familiar face throughout the kingdom.Former queen,I had to remind myself.

Rogue territory. That is what we are now.

My lycan’s instincts never lied. Without my connection to Maximus and with the entire kingdom knowing I was once their queen, no pack would dare give me shelter, not without fearing the consequences. Being a rogue, especially one bearing the shame I did, granted me permanentpersonanongratastatus. Maximus would unravel at the thought of my departure. Even if he had already rejected me, his beast would never truly accept it. If I sought refuge in another pack, especially among other males,before the severed bond had time to fade, his mind wouldn’t hold. It would drive him to the brink, to madness.

Do you know the way?

I can get us there.

She whimpered as we fled. She didn’t like the weight of starting over with nothing pressing down on us. The thought of Maximus even considering another female’s counsel was unbearable. The path ahead wasn’t an easy one, but it had to be taken because there was no way we could go back after she recommended my rejection and exile. My lycan lashed out at the mere suggestion, and it took every ounce of restraint to keep her from tearing Nova apart.

We arrive tomorrow at the earliest. We will need to hunker down in the woods when I become too tired.

That made sense. The rogue territory was on the outskirts and in between another kingdom. Our pack was in the kingdom’s heart, making it easy for Maximus to travel to the others when needed. With it being in the center, it also meant a fair bit of travel for me to get where I needed.

The rogue territory would be my safest bet. All the stories depicted rogues as ruthless individuals who would stop at nothing to dismantle packs for their necessary resources, yet it was the only place I could consider seeking refuge in my state. Without a pack, I was a rogue.

Mate didn’t want us. We need to do what’s best for us.I could hear the heartbreak in her voice as my lycan talked to me. It angered her to know Maximus listened to Nova, and it gave herthe strength to get us out of there. It didn’t stop her from feeling the pain of the severed bond, though.He shouldn’t have listened to that female.

No, he shouldn’t have. Max wants his people to trust and respect him. Nova knows that and used it to her advantage.

We should go back and kill her. Rip open her neck and taste her blood.

I laughed. I felt it was weird to laugh; my heart felt ripped apart. Inside my chest still hurt from the rejection. This conversation didn’t help it stop throbbing.

Do you think she is worth it?

Anyone is worth killing if they come between you and your mate.

She won.

She shouldn’t have, Kylie. Something was wrong with our bond. You couldn’t feel it?

If there was a flaw in my bond with Maximus, I never noticed. The sheer bliss of being mated to him drowned out any doubts, eclipsing everything else. It had been wonderful—maybe not the perfect union I once imagined, but still something I cherished. He stepped away from me with an ease that didn’t align with what I had always been told about mate bonds, but no two pairs were the same. Amara and Eli’s connection had its own distinct shape, proving that bonds varied. Some mates could handle time apart without the pull driving them to madness, but separationwas unbearable for others. It all depended on circumstance, history, and something deeper that cannot be put into words.

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