Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate novel Chapter 37

 Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate Chapter 37

#Chapter 37 The Eros Pack

Selene’s POV

The mountains seem to go on forever. I never realized how much distance is between the pack territories until now. Of course, most people don’t travel on foot anymore. In a car the journey would probably take a day or two, on foot it drags on for two weeks.

I might enjoy the adventure more if my situation was different. The landscapes around me are beyond compare, but I cannot enjoy their beauty – not when I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.

I know everyone in Elysium thinks I’m dead, but part of me is still afraid Arabella might be coming after me. Was she fooled like all the others? Was she watching when my mysterious rescuer carried me from the flames?

Though I’m no closer to understanding who saved me, I know this is the only explanation for my survival. I was unconscious and on the verge of death; somebody had to have braved the fire to rescue me.

My first thought was Odette, but I don’t think she would have taken me from Elysium and left me in the forest. Yet she and Arabella are the only ones who knew I was at the cabin. In one brief moment of insanity I even considered the possibility that Arabella returned for me out of sudden remorse, or perhaps more likely, to instigate some sort of cruel mind game.

Of course, evil mistresses aren’t my only concern on the road to Eros. There’s also rogues and bandits to fear. Without a pack to govern the land, crime and violence rule all neutral territories. No one is safe where anarchy reigns, but especially women traveling without protection.

The hikers who came to my aid when I first woke in the forest, a pair of Vega wolves named Chloe and Annie, have been nothing but lovely to me. They lent me clothes and shared their supplies, even changing their planned route in order to help me reach my destination. Though I haven’t shared my story with them, or even revealed my true name, they have not pried.

It seems this is one of those unspoken bonds of womanhood; we do not need to know why one of our fellows is on the run to help them. We all understand the reasons women might need to flee far too well.

When at last we cross the final ridge of the mountains and the Eros territory spreads out on the horizon, we all share a sigh of relief. “We‘re almost there.” Chloe wraps an arm around my shoulders. By this time tomorrow we’ll be over the border.”

Just hang on one more day,” Annie says, appearing on my other side. “Then you can sleep for a week.”

I haven’t told either woman that I’m pregnant, but the baby made its survival known in the same way it’s marked is presence from the day I conceived. I’ve been so ill on the journey that I’ve avoided having to explain to Chloe and Annie that I don’t have a wolf. I haven’t been in any state to contribute to the hunting or camp labor, and I’m certain they know the truth.

In the end, I don’t have to wait another day to reach safety. Just before dusk, as we’re forging a low water crossing, the sounds of approaching wolves send us into high alert. We bolt together to stand in a tight ring in the middle of the water, communicating possible escape routes with our eyes.

Just as we‘re about to dive into the river, I smell a familiar blend of sea mist and sandalwood, and throw out my arms to stop my friends from fleeing. “Wait.”

The huge shifters who burst through the trees are all in their animal forms, and though I’ve never seen Drake’s wolf, I’d recognize his bright green eyes anywhere. They widen to saucers when he sees me, and he transforms immediately, hurtling toward me through the water and throwing his arms around me.

“Oh my god, I thought you were dead.” He breathes against my neck.

“Drake,” I gasp, my feet swinging around his calves, “I can’t breathe.”

“Oops!” He returns me to the ground, “I’m sorry. It’s just – Selene, I went to your funeral. That’s where we were coming from.” He explains, gesturing to the men around him. “We just stopped for a run because we’ve been stuck in the car all day.”

“Selene?” Chloe and Annie say in unison. This is not the name I gave them.

Shooting them an apologetic look, I turn back to Drake. “As far as anyone is concerned, I am dead.” I answer firmly. “And I need to stay that way.”

The Eros pack territory is about as different from Nova lands as a place could be. Settled among the tidal forests and salt marshes of the Western coast, their capital Asphodel is a true marvel of engineering. A floating city, dissected by hundreds of saltwater canals and intertwined with living bridges woven from mangrove roots, it feels wild and wondrous in a way the caves of Elysium never did.

Under the mountains life felt dark and cramped, no matter how beautiful the exteriors or near the forest. Nothing ever changed or shifted; how could it when the city was literally set in stone? Here the ground beneath my feet is different one moment from the next, and the oscillating tide breathes life into every corner of the marsh.

“How do you run?” I wonder aloud, gaping at the floating docks forming an endless maze through the city. The Eros wolves are known for their speed, but I cannot comprehend how they could develop such skills without solid land.

Drake grins widely, “There’s a reason we’re the fastest pack on the continent.” He boasts good-naturedly, “When you spend your life running on water, running on land is child’s play.”

Laughing feels so foreign to me, “But don’t you get frustrated having to always stay on paths, and what about hunting?”