*Zara*
The celebration in Drogomor pack was in full swing, and I was trying my best to not show how obvious it was I was queasy.
I tried to keep a bright attitude as people from Drogomor stopped by and visited, asking questions about how matchmaking was going.
“Oh, Zara! Your services may be needed soon for my sister....”
“Miss Star! I still can’t believe you went to the Dark Realm! What an adventure!”
“How is the lily cultivation going?”
“What you do is so magical!”
And so on. I replied in a polite manner to all comnts and inquiries, but my stomach was twisting and turning to the point where it was extrely hard to concentrate.
I avoided the stares of everyone at the table while they carried on, talking about how wonderful it was to have rida back, and asking about the future of the pack.
“Are you and Noah going to make it official?” soone asked.
Noah avoided the question entirely, which earned a questioning look from rida.
“We have to settle in first before making any major decisions,” he said instead.
I was glad he was standing his ground on that. It was a sha that he and rida weren’t working out in his eyes, but secretly, I was relieved.
I felt so selfish for thinking that.
I let out a soft groan as both the fatigue and nausea intensified. My hands rested on my stomach, clutching it as if that would actually help.
rida’s stare fixed on , and I figured she would say sothing to back up, given what we’d talked about.
But that was not what happened at all.
“Oh honey, you look so ill!” she blurted out. “You really shouldn’t have co tonight with your pregnancy symptoms.”
The entire table went dead silent, and I widened my eyes. I lifted my head, shocked into silence for a mont, trying to gather my thoughts.
Noah looked between and rida, his expression unreadable. I felt panic rush through . Everyone knew, and I wondered what I should do. My reputation was completely shattered.
“I–”
My words died in my throat as I tried and failed to get control of the situation.
When my eyes landed on rida, I noticed a vindictive glint in her eyes, and the slightest hint of a smirk.
Oh, my Goddess. She’d outed my pregnancy on purpose.
Now, anger rushed through , and my wolf was furious too. It wasn’t like I could shift and go for the throat, though. I could only sit there, staring in horror.
I eventually cleared my throat and broke the silence, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “I am very sorry. It’s true. I’m newly pregnant.”
I bowed my head and turned toward the door, attempting to leave just as Noah stood up, causing to turn my head and furrow my brow.
“The baby is mine,” he announced.
I nearly fell to my knees and passed out right there from the stress of it all. My emotions were a mixed storm of everything.
The weirdest thing I felt, though, was sadness... not because of what he’d done because I knew he had his reasons, and I would find them out soon.
It was because I really wished, at that mont, that it were true. I really wanted him to be my fated mate, and I wanted the baby growing inside of to be his.
I felt a tear trickle down my cheek at that realization. Why couldn’t it have worked out that way? He had my heart. I was falling for him, hard, but it wasn’t ant to be.
Was it?
Noah continued to work on damage control. “I apologize. I was going to make the announcent at a better ti.” His tone was confident and determined.
Whispers cascaded through the hall as the Drogomor pack shared their surprise with one another. I looked over at Issac and Estella, whose eyes were wide in shock.
Then, I looked back over to Noah. He looked toward and gave a reassuring smile, then turned back to the crowd.
“I will stand by her, and my child, no matter what. I want to make that clear,” he said.
With that, he walked over to my side and took my hand.
He quickly tried to leave the celebration, pulling toward the hall toward my current Drogomor room. I was about to say sothing when we were intercepted.
Issac and Estella had followed us out.
Drogomor’s Alpha glared at his son. “Office. Now.” He wasn’t leaving any room for debate.
We hurried to the office in silence, and the anxiety I felt on the way there only worsened my symptoms.
This was all such a horrible ss. rida couldn’t keep her mouth shut on this, and I wondered why. Maybe she knew Noah wasn’t going to be with her, I thought.
Was she that ignorant of his wants and needs? What about her own? Why would she take a hit at , who only wanted them to be happy?
The questions kept swirling in my mind.
We arrived at the office and sat down. I shrank in my chair, my heart pounding and my sickness intensifying. Before long, I knew I’d need to rush to the bathroom again.
Issac’s jaw was clenched as he looked between and Noah. “You chose not to tell anyone about this, either of you, until it was revealed now... without consulting us?!”
Estella nodded. She reached up and rubbed her temples, clearly at her wits end. “Was this a choice for you both? Why have you been silent about it to us? What about rida?”
“I was going to let down rida after the celebration,” Noah said calmly. “I see her as a good friend now. Tis have changed.”
“That does not explain why you didn’t enlighten us, your parents, to this knowledge,” Isaac growled. “Noah, you’ve led us on so many tis with this nonsense. How do we know it’s true?”
His eyes landed on , and I tried my best to give him a formal smile, but I was in panic mode. I broke eye contact, trying my best not to hyperventilate.
“It is true. I should have said sothing before. I am sorry,” Noah said.
“You were trying to get with Zara as a distraction from finding a true mate,” Estella said. “How do we know that isn’t the situation that has gone too far?!”
“It isn’t. Zara and I are together and truly have feelings for each other,” he said.
Well, one part of that statent was true, in that case, I realized.
I did have feelings for Noah, as much as I tried to tell myself to ignore them... strong feelings, beyond just adoration and appreciation.
I truly wished we were together and it all could work out. The realization that it wasn’t ant to be just made spiral even further into lancholy.
Alpha Issac shook his head. “Regardless of whether he is playing gas, Zara Star is now pregnant with the heir and will marry Noah. That is that.”
I focused on Issac, wanting to refuse. It would shatter the charade, but this all was going too far. Even if Noah and I did have feelings, it just wasn’t reasonable.
The baby wasn’t his, either, as much as I wished it was. It was my true mate’s, and he was out there sowhere.
But when Issac’s eyes fixed on , I saw the sheer frustration swirling in them. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. No matter what I said, it wouldn’t change his mind.
I kept my mouth shut and just nodded, closing my eyes and letting out a soft sigh.
“Let escort Zara to her room,” Noah said, his tone concerned. “She is clearly in need of so rest.”
With that, the eting was adjourned, and we headed to my room. I was dead silent on the way, and when we got there, I needed to visit the bathroom before coming out and collapsing on my bed.
“Noah,” I whimpered. “What have you done? This isn’t ant to happen. You know the baby isn’t yours. I can’t marry you.”
“I know,” Noah said with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair, and I noticed a pained expression settling on his face. I wondered if he, too, wished it was. “But it was the only idea I had at the ti.”
“To blurt out the child is yours?” I asked. “Your parents looked like they were ready to explode. We could have just told the truth.”
“And entirely ruin your reputation?” he asked. “We’ve hidden the truth for so long because we both know it would shatter it. The rogue situation is getting handled, but you can’t rely on just the Luna Lilies.”
“I... know,” I said with a sigh, a tear trickling down my cheek. “It’s just, this all is so unexpected. I wanted to find him, and we’d start a family, and—”
“Look Zara,” Noah said. “I wish the child was mine.”
He stared at longingly, and I felt my heart clench. I didn’t know whether to answer that I shared his thoughts, so kept silent.
He continued, “I may have feelings for you now. But I am well aware of how important true mates are to you. You helped see it, too. I want you to be happy and comfortable. I did this to help you.”
“I understand,” I said, clutching my stomach and feeling more tears spill from my eyes.
Noah got up and walked over to the side of my bed, gently wiping so of them away.
Our eyes t, and I felt that rush of sadness hit again. He’d admitted it, too. He wished the child was his, and I shared that sentint.
His voice was soft and reassuring. “I am so sorry it went this way, Zara. Really, I am. We can pretend to be a couple, alright? I will be by your side until you find your mate. Then—”
He sighed. “We will end it.”
My heart clenched at that. Not only did it feel so wrong to lead everyone on and play pretend like this, but in the grand sche of things, it would delay Noah finding his fated mate too.
It would damage his reputation, and people would no doubt label him an untrustworthy person. It was all such a ss.
I wanted to refuse for the better of both of us, but Noah had gone out of his way to save my reputation. He had the ability to handle more of this than .
I was going to face a massive amount of ridicule that would be completely career-ending if we didn’t go through with it.
Therefore, I closed my eyes and nodded. “Alright,” I said softly. “We can pretend like that, Noah. What if you find your true mate during that ti?”
“They will need to understand. Any mate that’s true, soone I’d want to be with, would have to understand how complex this is.”
“At least is shows how loyal of a friend you are.”
He chuckled. “It does, which is why I’m sure, whoever they are out there, they won’t hold it against when the ti cos... neither will your mate, Zara.”
I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh. I sincerely hoped he was right.
It was a big ss.
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