Agony in the Forest

*First Person POV. Three Months Later.*

My bare feet scraped against the rough forest floor, leaving small trails in the damp earth. Hunger gnawed at my hollow stomach, a persistent ache I had grown far too accustomed to. I slumped against the wide, moss-covered trunk of an ancient oak tree, my hands instinctively coming down to cradle my swollen belly. I was heavily pregnant with Kael's child, the very mate who had ruthlessly rejected me because of my Omega status.

I was mateless, starving, and utterly exhausted in the middle of the unforgiving forest. My life had devolved into a pathetic joke. I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in almost a week. My ribs jutted out beneath my ragged, dirt-stained dress, creating a sharp contrast with the round, heavy curve of my stomach. Through the dense brush, my blurry eyes caught a flash of dull yellow near the exposed tree roots. A fallen mango. Its skin was bruised from the drop, half-buried in dead leaves and mud.

I dragged my aching body toward it, my trembling fingers clutching the fruit tightly. I began desperately eating the fallen mango, not caring about the dirt clinging to the skin. The sweet, tangy juice coated my dry tongue, and a strangled sob escaped my throat. I sat there in the mud, crying bitter tears over how much the discarded fruit and I had in common. We were exactly the same. Both of us were thrown away and unloved by those who should have cared for us. We were left to rot in the dirt. I ate the rest of it in frantic bites. It was my twisted, sick way of validating the fruit, proving to the unforgiving forest that this broken thing still had worth.

For months, I had continuously debated turning back to my old pack. The nights were always the hardest. Wrapped in the freezing cold, I wondered if Kael would want me now that I carried his first pup. If he saw my round stomach, if he realized I was fertile, would he change his mind? Or perhaps, an even more foolish thought hijacked my brain—was he actively looking for me? Did he pace his grand bedroom, realizing the terrible mistake he made when he drove me out into the woods? Did he miss the mate bond that connected us?

But the brutal, unyielding truth always silenced those pathetic, hopeful thoughts. He simply didn't care. He had made it clear that I was nothing more than a temporary distraction. I had done him a massive favor by disappearing into the woods. He got rid of me, and I did the dirty work for him. I saved him the trouble of tossing me past the pack borders himself.

As dusk approached, the forest canopy grew thick, bleeding orange and purple hues into the sky. I needed shelter before the nocturnal predators emerged. I pushed myself up, my legs shaking under my own weight. I had become a nomad, jumping from den to den. I sought refuge in an empty, dark cave at the base of a rocky incline. I crept inside, letting my eyes adjust to the shadows. The musty scent of damp earth filled my nose. I took a deep sniff. The scent of the previous occupant was faded, long gone by at least four days. I felt immensely grateful that the absent dweller had left some thick, woven clothes behind in the corner. I gathered the coarse fabric, rolling it up to use as a makeshift pillow against the hard stone.

I lowered my heavy head onto the bundle. The moment my cheek touched the soft fabric, extreme exhaustion quickly pulled me into its dark abyss.

I didn't know how much time passed, but a deeply unsettling feeling of being watched eventually tore me from my sleep. The heavy sensation of multiple eyes burning into my skin made my pulse spike.

A heavy, unfamiliar hand touched my shoulder.

My eyes snapped open in terror. Raw panic spiked through my veins. I frantically scrambled backward, the rough stone scraping the palms of my hands. I pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms protectively over my swollen stomach as I realized I was completely surrounded by a large group of men. Their imposing figures blocked the cave entrance, trapping me in the shadows.

The man who had touched me stepped forward. "I will not hurt you," he assured me with a calm voice that vibrated through the small space. "I just want to know what you are doing on my land."

Panic immediately set in. My land. The words echoed in my skull like a death knell. I had foolishly wandered into another pack's territory. A guaranteed death sentence for a trespassing rogue Omega.

I scurried to my feet, desperate to put distance between us. But my numb legs gave out beneath the sudden weight. I instantly lost my balance, nearly crashing to the hard floor.

His strong, muscular arm instantly wrapped around my waist, catching me mid-fall. The sheer force of his grip knocked the breath out of my lungs.

For a breathless, suspended minute, we stayed locked in that falling posture. My chest heaved rapidly, and I looked up, staring directly into his chocolate-brown eyes. The dim moonlight filtering into the cave highlighted his face, and I couldn't ignore his dangerously handsome, chiseled features. He had a sharp jawline, a strong nose, and lips that exuded silent authority.

Yet, a bitter, reprimanding voice in my head scolded me: *Damn it, Gia! You have a mate!*

Even though Kael was a stupid jerk, even though he had told me to get lost and treated me like garbage, the cruel, biological reality of our mate bond still chained me to him. I hated myself for noticing this stranger's beauty.

"You haven't answered my question," the man pressed, his steady tone effectively pulling me back to reality.

I gasped and stepped away quickly, forcing his arm to drop from my waist. I created a necessary buffer of empty space between us.

He didn't reach for me again. As he folded his huge arms over his broad chest, he radiated an overwhelming, undeniable aura of power and strength. He was unmistakably the Alpha of this pack. The sheer dominance rolling off his body made my inner wolf lower her head in submission.

"I am sorry to intrude," I nervously apologized, my voice trembling as I kept my gaze locked on his chest. "I mistakenly crossed your border. I didn't know I—"

My flimsy excuse was abruptly cut off.

A sudden, scorching agony violently tore through my entire body. It felt like a white-hot spike driving straight down my spine. I was forced straight to the ground, my knees slamming hard into the unforgiving stone.

"Hey!" The Alpha rushed to my side in a panic. He dropped to his knees, gripping my shoulder tightly. "Are you okay? What is happening?"

I couldn't form the words. The searing heat of the pain spread rapidly, setting my blood on literal fire. My muscles convulsed. It wasn't the pain of childbirth. This was a dark, twisting torture that originated deep within my soul. The severed mate bond.

Kael.

The bond flared with sick, twisted energy, projecting his raw physical sensations directly into my nervous system. He was thrusting his cock inside another woman, fucking her hard, while our sacred bond tore me apart for his betrayal. The intimate violation shattered my final defenses.

I clamped my jaw shut, forcing myself to aggressively bite my tongue just to keep from screaming like a crazed woman. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. I fought through the torturous, death-like pain, desperate to speak. I wanted this Alpha to know what a terrible person my mate was. I didn't want his pity; I wanted to expose the Alpha who didn't deserve his title to the rest of the world.

I clawed at the dirt floor, gathering the very last sliver of my fading breath. My chest heaved violently as I forced my bloody lips apart.

"My mate…" I gasped out the agonizing truth, the words ripping my throat raw. "He is with another woman."

The Alpha's eyes widened, but his face quickly dissolved into the shadows. That devastating confession was the very last thing I said before absolute darkness washed over my vision, pulling me completely down into the silent, suffocating void.