Ella sat on the examination table in the clinic, her fingers nervously drumming against the cold metal. Her mind raced with thoughts, her heart beating faster than ever. She didn't want to be here, yet she needed confirmation for what her body had been trying to tell her. The room felt suffocating as the doctor's eyes flicked between the monitor and her face. The faint sound of the ultrasound machine beeped in the background.
"Congratulations," the doctor said, his voice cutting through her cloud of thoughts, "you're having a baby."
Ella's world seemed to stop in that moment. Her vision blurred as she stared at the screen, unable to process the words. Her fingers clenched the edge of the bed, her stomach twisting in knots. "A baby?" Her mind raced back to that night, the heat, the passion. Alpha Derek. "Oh no, this is not supposed to happen." She whispered under her breath, her hand resting instinctively on her flat belly. Panic surged through her veins as flashes of that steamy night played like a cruel film in her mind.
Collecting the ultrasound result from the doctor, she thanked him quickly, her voice barely above a whisper, and headed out of the clinic. Her head was buried in the paper, eyes glued to the results as she walked down the hall, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when she bumped into someone.
A hard, muscular body collided with hers, causing her to stumble. "I'm sorry, I—" she looked up, and her breath caught in her throat. It was him. **Alpha Derek.** And beside him stood a woman, tall and elegant, with long blonde hair cascading down her back, her fingers intimately laced with Derek's.
"Ella?" Derek's voice was low, filled with surprise, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "What are you doing here?"
Ella froze, the ultrasound result hidden behind her back. Her heart pounded, and she could feel her palms sweating. **Should I tell him?** Her mind screamed for her to speak, to tell him everything, but then she noticed the way his hand rested so casually on the woman's waist. They looked so close, so intimate. The realization hit her like a slap in the face.
"I...I...I..." Ella stammered, her voice small, not knowing what to say. Panic seized her, but she steeled herself, straightening her posture as she lifted her chin defiantly.
"Who are you to ask?" Her voice came out cold and harsh, as if she were scolding him, a weak attempt to shield herself from the vulnerability she felt.
Derek's eyes flickered with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. "Can you be more polite?" he responded, his tone firm.
Then, almost as if sensing her unease, he added, "About what happened before... if you need any help, just let me know."
For a fleeting moment, hope sparked in Ella's chest. Maybe he would listen. Maybe there was a chance he would understand. "Actually... Alpha Derek... I..."
But Derek cut her off abruptly. "Later," he said dismissively. "My Luna and I have an appointment to get to."
And just like that, he turned his back on her, his arm protectively draped over the woman's shoulders as they walked away towards the doctor's office, leaving Ella standing there, frozen and devastated.
She watched them walk off, her heart shattering with every step they took. **What was I thinking?** She thought bitterly. She had briefly hoped that she could tell him about the baby, that maybe things would change. But now she realized how foolish she'd been. He had made it clear—he already had a Luna, and she was nothing more than a mistake, a one-night stand.
The bitter laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. **What was I expecting?** She muttered to herself as she clutched the ultrasound result tighter. She had believed, just for a second, that he might care. But he didn't even give her the chance to speak.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Ella turned on her heels and hurried out of the hospital, her heart aching more than ever.
When she got home, she barely made it through the front door before Sandra appeared, snatching the test result from her hand with a wicked grin on her face.
"Oh, look what we have here," Sandra sneered as she waved the paper in front of their mother, Christine. "Ella is pregnant."
Christine, who had been lounging on the sofa, quickly stood up, her face twisted in disgust. "You shameless slut!" she spat as she stormed over and slapped Ella hard across the face, sending her crashing to the ground. "So you're carrying a bastard!"
Tears blurred Ella's vision as she clutched her throbbing cheek, unable to believe how cruel her own family could be.
"You've ruined this family's name even more," Christine growled, her voice dripping with venom. "Now we'll have to marry you off to Lord Anthony before that bump starts showing."
"No!" Ella cried out, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please, Mom, no! Lord Anthony is a monster! He's killed all of his wives—he'll kill me too!"
"You should consider yourself lucky," Sandra mocked, her voice filled with malice. "He needs an heir, and you're just worthless enough for him to accept."
Ella's pleas fell on deaf ears as her stepmother and Sandra brushed past her, leaving her sobbing on the floor.
Broken and desperate, Ella could hear her wolf Lila whimpering inside her. **Ella, we have to run. For us and our pup.**
Ella wiped her tears, feeling the urgency in Lila's voice. "But where can we go?" she whispered, feeling utterly hopeless.
**Anywhere but here,** Lila responded. **We can't stay here—it's not safe.**
Taking a deep breath, Ella knew Lila was right. She couldn't stay, not in this house, not in this pack. She quickly gathered a few of her belongings, stuffing them into a small bag. Glancing one last time at the place she once called home, she whispered, "I, Ella Brown, hereby sever my ties with the Silver Crest pack."
The words felt heavy on her heart, but she knew it had to be done. As tears streamed down her face, she knelt down, crying bitterly as she made one final, heartbreaking declaration.
"I, Ella Brown, reject you, Alpha Derek of the Moonstone Pack, as my mate."
The pain of the rejection tore through her, sending a wave of agony that left her breathless, but she stood strong. She had to. Transforming into her wolf form, she ran, leaving behind the pack, the pain, and the man who had shattered her heart.
As she bolted into the woods, her tears mixed with the wind, and the only thing left behind was the echo of her pain and the severed ties to a life she no longer belonged to.