Page 28 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Julian
Standing so close to Hannah with just a large table between us, I take a deep breath and inhale her vanilla custard scent.
It calls to me and makes my blood sing, but guilt creeps in once again.
I was a fool to be blinded by rage that day, to have blocked out her scent while I yelled and screamed at her.
“Hannah,” I begin, feeling a lump in my throat. “I’m… I’m sorry for hurting you. For believing in those rumors,” I continue.
I watch Hannah’s face for a reaction, and other than her eyes slightly widening in surprise, she maintains a stoic expression.
My apology comes out like word vomit as I apologize for everything: for pushing her away once the rumors started.
Most importantly, I apologize for slapping and kicking her that day.
“I am sorry for not putting our packmates in their place when the rumors began. I am sorry for distancing myself and pushing you away.”
She scoffs at this, crossing her arms over her chest but doesn’t say anything else. She is letting me speak, and for that, I am grateful.
“I am sorry for not believing you. I thought you were trying to take the luna queen position seven years ago when you were sixteen because you were by my side during one of my ruts, and I thought you were going to take advantage of me.”
“But I never did,” Hannah interjects, a brow raised.
“No, you never did,” I confirm, my head hanging in shame.
“You were just doing your job in protecting me, but by then, I had started to believe the rumors, and you being in my room when my rut hit just solidified them in my mind,” I continue, looking up at Hannah.
“I know I fucked up. I kicked you, slapped you, and threw you off my bed. I screamed at you, called you horrible things—things a mate should never say to their other half.” My voice cracks as tears of guilt well in my eyes.
Looking at Hannah, I search her face, trying to read her emotions, but she shakes her head.
“I am so sorry, Hannah. I’m sorry for hurting you.
I’m sorry for banishing you. I know I don’t deserve it, but will you give me a second chance? ”
I take a step toward her, but she backs away, her reaction shattering me. I want to pull her into my arms, bury my face in her neck, and breathe in her scent. But Hannah looks like she will fight me if I try to get near her.
“I can’t forgive you, Julian, and I can’t give you a second chance,” she states, her arms falling to her side as her gaze turns into a glare.
“You believed everyone else but me, and in the end, you hurt me—physically, mentally, and emotionally.” She backs up another step, slowly inching away from me and toward the door.
“I lost my parents because they died protecting you. I lost my dignity and spent most of my life alone because I was your hidden guard. You left me when I needed you the most, when I needed my friend, all because you valued your image and pride more than loyalty and friendship. So I will never forgive you,” she continues, her words shattering my heart into tiny, sharp pieces and making it hard to breathe.
“I thought my birthday would be different—that I would find my mate and prove to you I did not want the luna queen position once and for all—but then you turned out to be my mate.” She laughs, the sound hollow and harsh, and I flinch.
This was not the Hannah I knew as a pup.
“I submitted myself to you, allowed you to claim my body to help you through your rut. Those three days were a blur, and because we barely had anything to eat since your body could only focus on fucking me, I was left weak, and then you hurt me. You hit me and kicked me.”
Her words slowly grow louder until she is shouting at me. I feel Fabian stirring in my mind but send him an order to wait outside because I deserve Hannah’s anger. I deserve to be yelled at by the woman I should have protected and been loyal to.
“And then you rejected me, and you still haven’t apologized for that.”
“I don’t even know when I rejected you,” I cut in, feeling frustrated with myself.
“Well, I do.” She scoffs, running a hand through her hair.
“It happened the moment you said, ‘You are not my mate, and I will never accept you as my mate’ and I felt the mate bond snap in half, shattering inside me.” Her voice breaks as she says this, and I watch helplessly as Hannah angrily wipes tears from her face.
“I… I’m sorry,” I whisper, clenching my hands into fists.
“Sorry doesn’t fix things, Julian. Actions do, and your actions have shown me I can never trust you,” Hannah says, her voice a soft whimper as a flash of hurt and betrayal flickers across her face.
I open my mouth to say that I would do anything to win her over, but Hannah has already turned on her heels and pulled open the door to the conference room, leaving me standing there filled with remorse, guilt, and regret.
It seems that if I want to win Hannah back, I will have to prove to her that I am willing to change.