The Alpha Who Threw Me Away for a Fake Pregnancy Chapter 04

The Alpha Who Threw Me Away for a Fake Pregnancy Chapter 04: Leaving the Territory

The kneeling man rose in one smooth motion, unhurried, as if the dust and chaos of the Hale pack were beneath his notice.

“I know exactly where I am going,” I said, not bothering to soften my voice.

“Then you already know it isn’t out a side door with a suitcase.” His tone was too smooth, too calm for this crumbling house. “Leaving without a fight makes you look guilty.”

“I just finished the fight.”

“You signed a torn page and walked. That isn’t finishing. That’s fleeing.”

“Staying makes me look weak.”

I didn’t wait for him to answer. I pushed through the side door and marched into the biting wind. I didn’t go to the master suite. I went straight to the hall closet, grabbed my small leather suitcase, and packed nothing but the clothes on my back and a few necessities. I left the jewelry, the dresses, and the memories behind.

The gravel crunched beneath my shoes as I approached the asphalt of the main highway. The territory line painted a stark, faded yellow stripe across the road. The pine trees loomed on either side, casting long, dark shadows over the pavement.

“Arial!”

The shout echoed through the barren branches.

I kept my eyes on the yellow stripe.

“Stop right there!” Caleb ordered.

Gravel scattered behind me. Two pack guards sprinted past, cutting off my path. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, blocking the road, their hands resting cautiously on their holstered weapons.

Caleb marched up behind them. His chest heaved. The fresh scar on his cheek flushed dark red.

“You have a rogue breach,” I reminded him, my tone completely flat.

“The border patrol handled the stragglers,” Caleb snapped. He pointed a rigid finger at my suitcase. “Where do you think you are going?”

“Away from you.”

“You tore the severance decree in half.”

“I signed it.”

“You defaced a legal pack document!”

“It required my signature to dissolve the marriage,” I said. “You got what you wanted. The bond is legally contested.”

“You do not leave without my permission,” Caleb growled. “You are still an Omega of this pack. You will return to the house and prepare Sienna’s room.”

“I am no one’s Omega.”

“You have nowhere else to go!” he yelled, throwing his arms wide. “Your family is gone. Your wealth is tied to my territory. If you cross that line, you are a rogue.”

“Better a rogue than your servant.”

“You will starve.”

“I will hunt.”

“You will freeze.”

“I will build a fire.”

“I am your Alpha!” Caleb roared.

He unleashed his aura. A heavy, suffocating wave of dominance crashed into me. It pressed down on my shoulders, attempting to force my knees to the dirt.

I didn’t blink. I didn’t bow. My spine remained perfectly straight.

“Submit to me,” Caleb commanded, his eyes flashing gold.

“Your tricks don’t work on me anymore.”

“Turn around, Aria.”

“No.”

I stepped around the guards. They hesitated, looking to Caleb for orders. He gave none, too stunned by my resistance.

I stopped right at the edge of the yellow paint.

“If you cross that line,” Caleb warned, his voice dropping to a lethal pitch, “the mate bond will snap permanently. The pain will break your mind. You will die out there alone.”

“Watch me.”

I lifted my foot and stepped over the boundary.

Fire exploded across my left collarbone.

A sharp gasp ripped from my throat. The mate mark—a crescent moon intertwined with a wolf—burned like a branding iron pressing directly into my flesh. It felt as though someone was taking a hot iron and violently smoothing the skin flat, erasing the ink with pure heat.

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. My knees trembled, threatening to give out. The agony flared, peaking in a blinding flash of white light behind my eyes.

“Aria!” Caleb yelled. He rushed forward but slammed to a halt just inches from the line. “Come back! You’re killing yourself!”

“I’m freeing myself,” I ground out.

I clutched my chest, digging my nails through my shirt. The skin felt like it was melting under my fingertips. Every nerve ending screamed in protest.

And then, total silence.

The invisible chain wrapped around my ribs shattered. The heavy, suffocating shackle I had carried for two years evaporated into the cold air.

I pulled in a massive breath. My lungs expanded fully. The world sharpened. The crushing weight of his expectations, his demands, his betrayal—all of it vanished.

I stood tall, staring back at him across the yellow line.

Caleb stumbled backward. He clutched his own chest, his face draining of all color.

“It’s gone,” he whispered, staring at his empty hands.

“You wanted a true heir,” I said, my voice steady. “Now you have nothing holding you back.”

“You are a rogue,” he spat, his shock twisting quickly into venom. “No pack will ever take a barren, unmarked stray. You will crawl back to me begging for scraps.”

A massive engine roared in the distance, cutting off his threat.

Three black SUVs sped down the empty highway. Their tires screeched as they slammed on the brakes, forming a perfect barricade right in the middle of the road. Dust plumed into the air, coating the asphalt.

The guards beside Caleb raised their weapons, shifting nervously.

Caleb stepped back, his bravado faltering. “Who is that?”

I stared at the heavy vehicles. The side doors bore a massive, gleaming gold seal. A wolf rearing on its hind legs, clutching a sword.

The royal crest.

The driver’s door of the lead SUV swung open. The same man from the corridor stepped out, his tailored black suit untouched by the dust, ice-blue eyes sweeping the road with lethal precision.

“Kael,” Caleb muttered, his voice trembling. “The Royal Guard.”

Kael ignored Caleb entirely. He walked past the territory line, his shoes silent against the pavement, and stopped three feet in front of me.

He didn’t look at my suitcase. He didn’t look at my ex-husband standing yards away.

This time, with the whole pack watching, Kael lowered himself onto one knee on the rough asphalt.

The pack guards gasped. Caleb’s jaw dropped open.

Kael reached inside his jacket and drew out a heavy, dark gold box. The Lycan King’s totem was carved deep into the lid.

He held it up with both hands, head bowed in absolute submission.

“My Queen,” Kael said, his voice carrying over the wind. “The King requests your immediate return.”

I stared at the gold box.

“The King?” Caleb choked out from behind the line. “She is no Queen!”

Kael didn’t flinch. He kept his head bowed. “She is the only blood the throne has left. Say goodbye to your dead pack, Alpha Hale. She is coming home.”