I was the daughter of Alpha Colton's maid, the girl who scrubbed the floors of the pack house while everyone went about their busy life. I had been in love with Alpha Colton since I came of age.
Little did I know that the moon goddess made us fate mates. I was mated to an Alpha. Not just any Alpha... Alpha Colton. My Colton.
We had waited for three long years to have a child. The pack members had started murmuring about it, some said it was because of my rank. That my blood couldn't produce an heir for the Alpha because I was too weak. I came from the omega family, the weakest in ranks.
But now, I had a miracle. I was finally pregnant with the Alpha's heir.
"He'll be happy," I whispered to the empty laundry room. "I can't wait to share this news with him"
I waited for the car to arrive and when it did, I jumped in and urged the driver to drive faster. I needed to see him. I needed to see the joy in his steel-gray eyes when I told him our pack finally had an heir.
But as I reached the pack house and stepped out of the car, the air felt... wrong. The securities at the company gate didn't meet my eyes. They looked at me with a strange, lingering pity.
There was also a strange scent, but my senses were too short. I didn't join the training program to train my wolf's senses.
However, I ignored them, and hurried toward the Alpha's office. I didn't knock. I wanted to surprise him. With reserved strength, I pushed the heavy oak doors open, the words "Colton, I'm pregnant" resting on the tip of my tongue.
The words died in my throat.
He wasn't alone. Sitting on the edge of his desk, her manicured hand resting smoothly on his shoulder, was Victoria. The Beta's daughter. The woman who had abandoned him the moment he found out I, the maid's daughter, was his fated mate.
The woman who was now back.
"Amelia," Colton said. His voice wasn't as warm as it sounded on nights we were together. He sounded cold. He looked at me as if I were a smudge of dirt on his shirt.
I froze, my hand instinctively covering my stomach. "I... I didn't know you had company"
Victoria let out a melodic, luring laugh. She looked radiant in her designer silk dress, a sharp contrast to my simple cotton shift. "Oh, Colton and I were just catching up on old times. Right, Alpha?"
I looked at Colton, searching for the man who kissed me softly every morning. I found a stranger instead.
She called him Colton in the presence of someone else, not Alpha. I only refer to him by his name whenever we're alone.
"Go back to the cottage, Amelia," he muttered, turning back to a stack of papers. "I'm busy"
"The cottage?" I asked, my voice breaking. "What about our home?"
My wolf whimpered. The memories of what happened to me when I lived in the cottage came crashing back. My wolf was affected the most because she decided to take anchor all the pain, letting my human side suffer less. The cold floors, the malnourished food, the insults, those were my nightmares.
"Why not the cottage?" Victoria's voice rang through. It sounded sweet, but it was like venom to me. "That's where you belong,"
I looked at my mate, the one who was supposed to protect me. He didn't even look at me nor say anything.
"Just go, Amelia. I'll see you later," that was all he said.
My heart fractured, but I stayed rooted to the spot. I could hear them whispering as I stepped back into the hallway, my wolf howling in confusion. Then, Victoria's voice rose, loud enough for me to hear through the cracked door.
"You know, Ben mentioned that you two were still... trying to have a baby. How pathetic is that?"
I held my breath, waiting for Colton to defend us. To tell her how much he wanted our child.
"You heard wrong," Colton replied. "We aren't trying for anything"
My blood ran cold.
"Well, you really should tell Ben then," Victoria chuckled. "I can't exactly tell him that you got your tubes tied just to make sure that maid's daughter never trapped you with a pup, can I?"
The world tilted. I leaned against the cold stone wall, the positive pregnancy test still tucked in my pocket, feeling like a death sentence.
He didn't want a miracle. He had ensured it would never happen.
So... whose baby was I carrying?