Page 61 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Lycan King

“You’re right. I could have stuck around and watched you take another female. I could have asked to be transferred to another pack, but I chose to take my life into my own hands for once. That’s my business, not yours.”

“You are my mate. Your business is my business.”

“No,” I growled. “We aren’t mates. You made sure of that.”

“How dare you use that against me! It’s not what I wanted at all, but I couldn’t shake the feeling it was the best thing to do! I am a king! I have more lives to worry about than just my own.”

It disgusted me to hear him use that as an excuse. How was being bonded to me a burden? How was it affecting anything for the kingdom?

“Fated mates allow someone to become stronger. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“But you were weak!”

There it was. Everything I feared was laid bare. He still considered me weak. He didn’t know everything I had been through and still viewed me as lacking. It wasn’t until I chose to live, shedding everyone else’s expectations, that I finally felt free. The strength within me surged once I recognized my worth and understood that if I wanted to live, I needed to make the choices to do so.

If he couldn’t see how his choices led to this outcome, then I couldn’t help him. I knew what my choices had resulted in, and I was now happy with where I was in life. I had connected with my lycan, and I had a pup to live for. That was all I neededif he didn’t want to accept that this was his fault and fix what happened between us.

“Get out. I won’t say it again,” I said firmly. He stared at me for a few moments longer before turning toward the door. I heard his feet stomping as he left, but I couldn’t stop myself from calling after him. “Don’t come back until you’re ready to be an adult and talk about this.”

He slammed the door behind him.

Good riddance. If he didn’t come back, that was on him.

I had a life to live and a baby to raise.

29

Maximus

The way I barreled through the hallways, not caring if I bumped into anyone, had others jumping out of my way. The anger pulsing through me made me want to rip apart every inch of this place, but it wouldn’t solve the issue at hand. My mate had a baby. She had been pregnant this whole time and kept it a secret from me. Even if she wanted to remain unbonded, she could have sent me a letter to tell me I had a pup out there somewhere.

That is never something to keep from your mate. I don’t care how angry you are—you tell me about my children!

My lycan rose to the surface and snarled at me.Big talk coming from the one who listened to a bitch over his queen!

I snarled back at him, the rage growing as I realized my lycan was on her side. He was a part of me. The damn lycan should be siding with me, angry about his mate keeping this from him.

But it was my fault for her disappearing. I shouldn’t have cared about superficial things and should have kept my focus on my mate and finding a cure for whatever was going on with her. Because of my sins, I wasn’t there for the birth. I learned about it afterward and had to hear how she almost died because of my neglect.

I was stupid.

But I needed her to see how I regretted what happened between us. If I wanted her to understand that, now was the time to show her. My anger was getting the best of me. I could feel it swirling inside me, needing to be released on someone or something. I walked out of the clinic and into the woods. I didn’t stop until I was deep enough among the trees and let out the howl building inside of me before I punched the trunk of a tree. I needed to release what I felt before I walked back in there. I kept punching the trunk, not caring about my skin splitting open and blood running down my fingers as I vented everything I felt on the tree.

I thought I needed someone better because of her struggle with her lycan.

Kylie was right about coming back to talk things over like adults. That’s what I should have done in the first place, but the pent-up rage roaring inside me wasn’t what I needed to bring into that room again. It was my fault Kylie yelled and caused my pup to become afraid. That’s not how any pup should be welcomed into the world. Yet again, I fucked something up, and I needed to let this shit go before I walked back in there.

When I could lift my arms again, they sagged to my sides, and I felt the blood dripping from me. I twisted my body around and then plopped onto the ground, pulling my legs to my chest andthreading my blood-covered fingers through my hair. I couldn’t believe this all happened because of one mistake.

“I am such an idiot.”

You can say that again.

Shut up. You don’t need to add more to this.

I’d agree, but you are the one who was thrown out of the room.

The growl that came out of me was mixed with a sigh. This was all too much.

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