Page 13 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

T he Villain

Ivy

The loud classical music kept playing as I stared at my mother’s bedroom door. Holding back tears, I rubbed my throbbing cheek. That had been the first time my mother had ever hit me. I was used to her emotional abuse, but this was a new low, even for her.

My adrenaline had run out, and all that I was left with was sorrow.

I ran down the hallway to my room and slammed the door. With a quiet sob, I collapsed onto my bed and cried into my pillow.

How could my life change so much in one night? My Fated Mate rejected me, Russell was dead, and my mother had shown me what a truly awful person she was.

I cried until my purple pillow was wet with my salty tears. All while the pregnancy test I’d purchased was burning a hole in my pocket.

My period was late, and my cycle had always been consistent. I was rarely even a day late. That and the fact that I had thrown up this morning were the reasons I bought the pregnancy test.

But my late period, and even throwing up could just be from stress…

Right ?

I wiped my tears away, sat up, and pulled in a shaky breath. But I couldn't calm myself down. I knew that I wouldn't be able to breathe fully until I knew what the future had in store for me.

Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do right now, I had to take that test.

There were a lot of decisions I had to make, and I couldn’t do that without knowing whether or not I was carrying Asher’s child.

Cold fear gripped me just thinking about the possibility of being pregnant.

Goddess, how could Asher and I have been so irresponsible? My memories from our night together might be hazy, but I was certain that we hadn’t used protection, and I wasn’t on birth control.

I gripped the small rectangular box and pulled it out of my pocket.

No time like the present.

Before I could chicken out, I stood from the bed, locked my door, and went into the bathroom that was connected to my room. With shaking hands, I took the test out of the box, but just reading the directions made me dizzy.

I put the test down on the marble counter and began to undress for a shower. I was only delaying the inevitable, but I needed to build up my courage. I took off the silver necklace my grandmother gave to me like I always did before a shower.

“I miss you so much, Grandma,” I whispered, picturing her sweet smile and kind brown eyes. “I could really use your advice right now.”

Once I was dressed in my own clothes—jeans and a comfortable blue shirt—I braided my long hair back. As I brushed my teeth, I stared at the white, flat stick on the counter. How could something so small potentially change my life forever?

Stop delaying. It’s time.

I took the test, and as I waited for the result, I paced my room, nervously biting my lip. Once the two minutes were up, I slowly walked back to the bathroom. My feet were dragging. It felt like someone had attached hundred-pound weights to my ankles.

I picked up the test without looking down and shut my eyes.

You have to look in three…two…one…

When I opened my eyes, I let out a loud gasp.

As I stared at the test, my heart slammed against my chest, and my breathing became shallow. My hands were shaking around the white stick, but I could still see the two lines. I was frozen to the spot, unable to move. I was unable to do anything except stare at the proof that I was pregnant.

I just couldn’t accept the fact that I was carrying the child of the man who had rejected me last night.

A month ago, when I had looked at myself in the mirror after getting ready for the gala, I had felt so grown up. But now, I felt like I was a little kid again. I was only twenty. How was I supposed to handle everything that was happening to me?

How was I supposed to raise a child? Should I tell Asher?

No.

My mind and body immediately rejected the idea.

I saw the resentment in Asher’s eyes as he glared at me last night.

He couldn’t stand the sight of me. Now that Russell had passed away, he would hate me even more.

He was certain that I played a role in my mother’s scheming, and even though that wasn't true, a person’s perception of a situation was their reality.

And in Asher’s reality, I was the villain.

What if I told Asher that I was carrying his child, and he rejected both of us this time? I couldn’t handle that after everything else that had happened. I barely survived his rejection last night. My heart couldn’t take any more agony.

Especially now that my heart was beating for two.

My mother had said that Asher wanted us out of this house. I was assuming he wanted us out of the city, too. I couldn’t imagine that he would let us stay in his pack that he was now the leader of.

So, I had to get out of this town.

And I was going to do it without my mother’s help. I was done with her. I had to keep my pregnancy a secret from my mom. What if she tried to use my future child the same way she had used me?

I set the test down on the counter and looked into the mirror. I let out a long breath and then cupped my still-flat stomach. A feeling of maternal protectiveness flowed through me that was so strong it almost knocked me to the ground .

Mommy is going to keep you safe, little one.

For my unborn child, I couldn’t afford to break down.

Now was the time for action.

With a new purpose. I began to pack. From the closet, I grabbed the worn suitcase I’d brought with me to Russell's house when my mother and I moved in. I only packed the clothes I owned before I moved here. I wouldn’t take anything that would remind me of Asher.

Next, I wrapped the pregnancy test in toilet paper and stuck it in the front zipper of the suitcase.

I’d throw it away in a random dumpster. I couldn’t leave it behind for my mother or—Goddess forbid—Asher to find.

As I stuffed my toiletries into my suitcase, I paused.

Shit.

I’d been so focused on getting out of here as fast as possible, I had no idea where I was headed to.

Should I try to go back to my old pack? Maybe I could move in with Maeve and her parents. Was that far enough away from the man who had rejected me?

Panic began to churn in my stomach. I had no place to live or a pack to call my own. What kind of life was I going to give my child?

Stop. That's just your anxiety talking.

I didn’t have to have everything figured out right now. I could take this one day at a time. I’d been saving up, and I had enough money to survive until I could find a job that would hire a pregnant twenty-year-old with no experience.

As I zipped my suitcase closed, I took a deep breath.

This decision felt right. With the way things were going right now, anywhere was better than here.

Twenty minutes later, I was ready to leave my life behind and start a new one.

There was a small part of me that was screaming to find Asher and beg him to help me take care of our unborn child.

But I shoved that voice to the back of my mind.

There wasn’t room in my new life for someone who had shattered my heart.