Pregnant After Rejection: The Luna's True Mate

Celine's POV

"What the heck?" I muttered when I heard strange muffled sounds coming from Rowan's room.

I frowned and stepped closer to the door. At first, I thought I was imagining things. The sounds were faint but they grew clearer the longer I stood there.

A woman's voice drifted through the door, followed by a low male groan making my stomach twist. No, It couldn't be. I tried not to imagine things.

My hand slowly pressed against the wooden surface as my heart began to pound harder with every passing second.

Another woman? In Rowan's room? A painful knot formed in my chest. Then something else hit me. Why did the voice sound so familiar?

I swallowed hard and reached for the doorknob and my fingers trembled so badly that it took two attempts before I could turn it.

The door creaked open and the moment my eyes landed on the scene before me, the world seemed to stop.

Everything went silent including my breathing, my thoughts and even my heartbeat.

For a moment, I just stood there frozen, unable to move, speak and believe what I was seeing.

The woman tangled in Rowan's arms was not a stranger, it was Ivy, my best friend.

The girl who had grown up with me, trusted like a sister and knew every secret I had ever shared.

My lips parted but no words came out, only a shaky breath escaped. Tears burned my eyes and I blinked rapidly, hoping the image would disappear but it didn't.

The two people I loved most in the world were together making out in the very room where Rowan had invited me today.

The room where I thought we would celebrate our future but instead, I had walked into my worst nightmare.

......

Earlier That Day

Today was the Moon Goddess Festival, the most important celebration in Blackcrest Pack.

It was a day of blessings and a day when unmated wolves found their fated mates. A day when mated wolves strengthened their bonds before the entire pack and tonight was supposed to be special for me and Rowan.

I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt as the thought of becoming Rowan's Luna made my chest flutter.

I imagined standing beside him before the entire pack, imagined hearing everyone cheer and imagined finally taking my rightful place at his side.

My phone suddenly rang and I nearly jumped before rushing toward the bedside table.

The moment I saw Rowan's name on the screen, my smile widened. "Hello?" I answered.

"Celine." His deep voice instantly sent warmth through me.

"Today's the Moon Goddess Festival," Rowan said. "I'd like to spend the day with you." My heart skipped.

"Really?" A small chuckle came through the phone.

"I've already arranged everything. I'll send clothes, shoes, jewelry; the whole package. You won't need to worry about anything." Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"Thank you, Rowan."

"They should arrive before noon."

"Okay." I couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you." The call ended shortly afterward but my excitement remained.

Hours later, the delivery arrived exactly as promised and Ivy was the one who brought it upstairs.

"Celine!" she shouted. "You got a package!"

I hurried out of my room to see that she was already examining the box with curious eyes.

"Let's see what's inside," she said.

"Ivy!" I laughed and snatched it away. "It's mine." She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Fine, open it already."

I carefully removed the wrapping and found a gorgeous red gown laying inside. It was elegant, beautiful and expensive.

Alongside it were matching heels, a designer handbag and a stunning set of gold jewelry.

I gasped.

"Wow." Ivy's eyes widened. "These must have cost a fortune."

I nodded proudly. "They're from Rowan."

Envy flashed across her face so quickly that I missed it because I was excited.

"Your mate?"

"Of course."

She crossed her arms and asked, "Is he finally announcing you as Luna tonight?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

Her lips tightened and she looked irritated for a while but the expression disappeared almost immediately.

"You should get ready."

I smiled and gathered the items.

"Yeah, you're right."

As I walked away, I didn't noticed the dark look lingering in Ivy's eyes.

......

A little later, Ivy appeared at my bedroom door fully dressed.

"I have somewhere important to be," she said. "I might be back late."

I was too distracted by my excitement to think much of it.

"Okay."

She gave me a strange smile and left.

......

Present Time

"What the hell is going on here?" My voice exploded through the room making both Rowan and Ivy jerk in shock.

They scrambled apart immediately and panic flashed across Rowan's face while Ivy grabbed the blanket to cover up.

For several seconds, nobody spoke or moved and he tension in the room became suffocating.

My chest rose and fell rapidly and I felt like I couldn't breathe like someone had wrapped chains around my lungs.

I stared at Ivy, my best friend and at Rowan, my mate. The betrayal was written all over their faces.

"Is this the important appointment you told me about?" I asked Ivy, my voice trembling.

Ivy lifted her chin and instead of looking guilty, she looked annoyed. "Oh, please."

My eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

She actually sounded irritated.

"Don't act so innocent, Celine."

I stared at her in disbelief. "What?"

She swung her legs off the bed and stood.

"You heard me." Her eyes narrowed. "Your mate has been frustrated for months."

I felt my hands curl into fists. "Frustrated?"

"Yes." She shrugged carelessly. "So I helped him out."

The room fell silent, even the pack members gathering outside the bedroom doorway looked stunned.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was the nerve, arrogance and complete lack of remorse for me.

My vision blurred with tears yet Ivy simply stood there as if she had done nothing wrong.

"You betrayed me," I whispered.

She laughed and sneered, "Well you were too busy acting shy around him. You are such an old-fashioned virgin."

My entire body shook in rage and I screamed, "How dare you."

I lunged forward and my hand tangled in her hair.

A scream tore from her throat and we crashed into a nearby chair while gasps erupted around us.

"Celine!" Rowan rushed forward as several pack members stepped into the room watching us.

The chair toppled over as Ivy struggled against me. Years of friendship, trust, sisterhood were all gone and destroyed in a single afternoon.

"Celine, stop!" Rowan finally pulled us apart and I stumbled backward breathing hard.

My hair was a mess and my hands were shaking but none of that mattered.

I pointed at the both of them and spat, "You both disgust me."

The room became deathly quiet.

"Celine," Rowan said through clenched teeth. "You're creating a scene."

I blinked and gave him broken, disbelieving laugh. "I'm creating a scene?After what I walked in on you cheating, that's your concern?".

The pack members exchanged uncomfortable glances and Rowan rubbed a hand across his forehead clearly irritated and embarrassed but not even a little sorry for his actions. "Celine, enough."

I stared at him waiting for an apology or regret but it never came.

Instead, he sighed heavily and said, "You need to stop embarrassing me."

The words hit harder than a slap and a sharp ache spread through my chest.

For a second, I couldn't speak, breathe or even blink before I gave a cold smile, the kind that appears when a heart finally breaks. "I'm embarrassing you?"

My voice came out eerily calm and Rowan's expression darkened.

"Celine."

I shook my head slowly. "No, Rowan."

The room fell silent as every eye was fixed on us.

I took one step forward and asked, "And what exactly are you going to do if I don't stop?"

Rowan's jaw tightened as a muscle ticked beneath his eye.

The Alpha aura around him suddenly surged and several pack members lowered their gazes instantly.

The air became heavy, oppressive and threatening but I didn't look away,

I met his eyes directly. Then Rowan opened his mouth and the words that left it made the entire room gasp including me.

The color drained from my face, my heart stopped and Ivy's victorious smile widened.m because whatever Rowan had just decided.....

Rowan's POV

Celine's words hung in the air and the entire room fell silent as dozens of eyes shifted between us, waiting for my response.

I stared at her, my jaw tightening because I hadn't expected that question from her here and not in front of the entire pack.

I understood that she was hurt and felt betrayed but the way she was challenging me in public only made my frustration grow.

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd as my pack members, warriors were watching and everyone were watching.

I could feel their judgment pressing against my skin making my fingers curl into fists.

A cold realization settled over me as this maybe this was the perfect opportunity to finally end something that should have ended a long time ago.

My gaze hardened and I drew in a slow breath before I spoke.

"I, Rowan Ashford, Alpha of Ashclaw Pack, reject you, Celine Everly, as my mate and future Luna."

The words echoed through the room and a collective ga