CHAPTER 1 Dead To Me

TARA

"Aidan, love, I-I wasn't sure… so I went to see the pack doctor. I'm two weeks gone," I said my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm pregnant."

My heartbeat thrashed in my ears as I finally found the courage to tell him. I was beyond terrified, but I was sure that Aidan and I would go through this together. After all, he was the Alpha of Pack Attica.

Aidan looked up from his phone, and the color completely drained from his face. "No, you're not."

My mouth fell open. What?

"I-I am," I said, fumbling through my pocket for the picture the doctor gave me of the baby. "I'm preg-"

"What the fuck, Tara! Stop saying that. You're not pregnant for fucks sake! Are you that pathetic to lie with something as dire as this?"

I flinched at his tone. Aidan was never mean to me. He never raised his voice or used foul language at me.

"Why would I lie? I swear by the moon, it's yours," I pleaded, tears filling the back of my eyelids, blurring my vision.

With fists clenched and veins bulging from every visible surface of Aidan's body, I knew he was furious.

My throat went dry, my breaths became shallow and haggard, and I didn't realize I was sobbing until the salty flavor of tears slipped past my lips.

"How long have we been mates?" Aidan barked.

"Aidan," I began, but he cut me off.

"Answer the goddamn question, Tara."

"Four weeks," I cried, breaking into more tears. "But it's true. I am carrying our child."

He wasn't hearing me. All Aidan could hear and see was red. "And how many times have we been intimate, Tara?"

I looked up at him with burning eyes, lungs constricting in my chest, and I whispered. "Once."

I remembered that day vividly even if it was weeks ago. Aidan had confessed that he loved me just as much as I loved him, and caught up in the heat of the moment, we completed our mating bond, tying us as one for life.

I wasn't so sure of that anymore.

"And we were being safe," Aidan said. "So, why do you think this lie would stick?"

"I don't know how it happened, but believe me, I won't lie about something like this. Aidan, I'm scared," I begged. "My parents… they're going to kill me. Please, I need you," I rambled on.

In a werewolf pack, there was no worse scandal than an unmated werewolf getting pregnant. Aidan and I didn't announce our union because the pack wouldn't have taken me for their Luna since I was from an omega family. We were waiting for the right time to announce our bond to the pack, but it wasn't my fault that an Alpha's seed was so potent.

Aidan's shoulders fell, and his voice dropped low in disappointment. "I thought you were different. I had real feelings for you, but I didn't know you were just a fraudster desperate for a title."

Each word from his mouth was like a dagger to my soul. How had I become the villain? I never cared about Aidan's wealth.

My body shook as I thought of what was going to become of me. How was I going to tell my parents that their precious eighteen-year-old daughter had lost her virginity, and gotten pregnant out of wedlock?

"Aidan. I can't do this without you. I…" my voice broke off, and I sprawled on the floor, crying.

He looked down at me from the bed, his face not giving off any more hints of his feelings, and he stood up. Without so much as a second glance at me, he walked away. From me and my baby.

This wasn't how I imagined this to go. What was I going to do?

Was I just going to let Aidan walk away from us?

No. I would fight for him. I didn't care what it took, I would make him see the truth.

I gathered my clothes and sped out of the building in time to see Aidan's car leaving the premises of the hotel where we usually met.

Running in front of the incoming car, I prayed for Aidan to stop. He was on full speed and didn't look like he was going to stop. My chest heaved, and tears rapidly fell from my eyes. The tires finally screeched loudly, and the car stopped right in front of my face.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I ran to the driver's side.

"Aidan, please!" I frantically pulled the door open and held onto his sleeve.

"Don't test me, Tara," he said, gritting his teeth. "Take your pregnancy to the other person you fucked. I feel so sorry for you. You will never love someone if you can stoop to this."

"Are you accusing me of cheating on you?" I asked with more tears marring my makeup.

Aidan pulled out his phone and tossed it to where I crouched on the ground.

On the first slide, there was a picture of a man and a woman in front of the packhouse, holding hands. My mouth slacked because I couldn't remember ever being in a place like this. I never visited the packhouse. Not after what I went through there.

"That's you, isn't it?"

I swiped left, and the two people were hugging on the next slide. Left again, and they were kissing.

"How is this possible?"

It looked too real, but I was certain it wasn't me, because I couldn't ever cheat on Aidan.

"Aidan."

"News fly, Tara. Not only did multiple people tell me about this, but there's also a video of you two in bed. Swipe again if you'd like to see it. Why would you think you can hurt me, and then turn around to pin a pregnancy on me?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No. No. No. Aidan. You can't believe this. It's not me!"

A humorless laugh escaped his lips and he ran a hand through his dark hair. "As if I knew you would deny it. Do not let me set my eyes on you ever again. You are as good as dead to me," he spat and kicked the car to life.

I held onto his pants. "Aidan. Look at me, you'll see that I'm not lying," I said, hoping that I could reach the man I had quickly fallen in love with in a short time.

With an annoyed growl, Aidan grabbed my neck, and his claws unsheathed, drawing blood from my tender skin. He swung his free hand back as if to hit me, and I whimpered, cowering in fear.

He didn't hit me, but I could feel the heat radiating from his flared nostrils. "You. Are. Dead," he gritted, pushed me to the dirt, and sped off, the tires barely avoiding my feet in the process.

I scooted to the side of the road and cried long and hard. I didn't know how long I was there for, but when I regained myself, it was getting dark.

Memories of the last conversation I had with Aidan flashed through my mind, and I burst into a fresh round of tears, clinging to my flat stomach and my bruised neck.

I had too much to lose. I was too young and unprepared for this. My father barely had enough to take care of myself and my sick mom, and even if he did, he would never forgive me for disgracing the family. The pack would ostracize us even more than they already have.

Pulling out my phone, I dialed my closest friend, Kayla. Kayla was the pack's previous Beta's daughter, and she had been with her mate for over four years. She was older than me, so I was sure that she would have a clue about what I would do.

She picked on the first ring.

"I was just about to call you, baby," she said in her peculiar sing-song voice. "I have something for you."

"Kayla," I croaked, more tears running down my cheeks.

"What's wrong, babe?" I could feel her sitting upright and taking on a serious face.

"I…I need you to help me," I said in between sobs. "C-can you help me? Please?"

Determination dripped from her next words.

"What do you need me to do?"