Rejected and Pregnant I Fled The Pack novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66

+15 Bgnus

Chapter 66

I sat with that for a long moment, genuinely surprised by the unexpected offer, turning it over carefully. “Why would your Alpha extend something like that to someone he’s never even met?”

“Because alliances between packs should mean more than just trade agreements and territorial boundaries,” Charlotte said. “Because he believes, and I agree with him, that protecting wolves fleeing genuinely dangerous situations matters more than staying neutral out of political convenience. And frankly, because the situation with your mate’s father losing control the way he apparently has, unpredictable and possibly dangerous/is exactly the kind of thing our pack prefers to get ahead of rather than wait and see how it unfolds.”

I processed that, understanding the layered motivations behind the kindness-genuine solidarity, certainly, but also careful political awareness of exactly how volatile things had become. It didn’t make the offer feel less genuine, exactly, but it added useful context I appreciated having.

“I don’t know if I’ll need it,” I said honestly. “Things have been… complicated, but Damon’s father did apologize a few days ago. We’re still not sure whether to trust it.”

“Keep the offer in your back pocket either way,” Charlotte said. “No pressure, no expectation you’ll ever actually need it. I just wanted you to know the option exists, in case things ever shift in a direction that makes it necessary.

11

“I appreciate that,” I said, genuine gratitude threading through the words. “More than I can probably express properly right now.”

We talked for a few more minutes, Charlotte sharing a little more about her own story-the pack she’d fled, the two difficult years building an independent life before finding her way to Ashford, the mate she’d eventually found there who’d apparently helped her heal from everything that came before. Something about her openness, her willingness to share her own vulnerable history so easily with a stranger, made the entire conversation feel less like a political maneuver and more like something genuinely kind, despite whatever underlying calculations her Alpha might also be making.

By the time we ended the call, promising to stay in touch, I felt something unexpectedly lighter settling into my chest-not quite hope, exactly, but something adjacent to it, the reassurance of knowing there was somewhere else entirely, some fallback option beyond simply trusting Damon’s father’s fragile, uncertain change of heart.

“That was unexpected,” Callum said once I’d set the phone down, his expression thoughtful.

“Very,” I agreed, adjusting Willow slightly against my shoulder, feeling her small, warm weight settle deeper into sleep. “Do you think it’s genuine? The offer, I mean, not just political maneuvering?”

“I think it’s probably both,” Callum said carefully. “Genuine solidarity, likely real sympathy for what you’ve been through. But also, yes, useful political positioning for Ashford, being seen as a pack willing to protect wolves fleeing dangerous leadership, especially with everything happening here so publicly right now.” He paused, considering. “That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad offer, though. Sometimes the most useful alliances are the ones where everyone’s motivations align, even if they’re not purely selfless.”

I nodded slowly, turning the entire conversation over in my mind, feeling something quietly settle into place- not a decision, not yet, but the comforting knowledge that if everything here eventually did collapse despite our cautious hope, despite Damon’s father’s uncertain apology, I wasn’t actually as isolated as I sometimes still felt.

“Should I tell Damon about this,” I asked.

“I think you should,” Callum said. “Not because you need his permission for anything, but because it’s exactly the kind of information that affects both of you, and he’d want to know you have that option regardless of what

1/2

Chapter 66

+15 Bonus

happens here.”

I nodded, already composing the message in my mind, and looked down at Willow, sleeping peacefully against me, entirely unaware of the quiet, unexpected lifeline that had just extended itself toward us from a pack neither of us had ever had any contact with before.

Whatever came next-whether Damon’s father’s change proved genuine or simply another patient maneuver, whether the fragile peace we’d been carefully building here held or eventually shattered-I understood, sitting there with Callum in the quiet afternoon light, that I had more options now than I’d had even a week earlier. More allies, more paths forward, more people willing to stand between my daughter and anything that might eventually threaten her.

It wasn’t safety, not fully, not yet. But it was something adjacent to it, something that felt, for the first time in longer than I wanted to admit, like actual hope instead of just careful, exhausted survival.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify