The Alpha's Rejected But Defiant Fated Mate

ALLEGRA RIDDLE'S POV:

I stood before the large bay window in my chambers, staring out at the manicured lawns of the estate. The view, once a source of quiet comfort, now felt like the walls of a very beautiful prison.

Holly, my personal maid, hovered near the door. She still had something of a little girl about her--slight, brown-haired, with worried eyes and hands she could not stop wringing.

"My lady... are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Holly," I said, my voice sounding hollow and distant even to my own ears. Fine was a lie, but it was the only armor I had left.

My governess, Mrs. Gable, entered without knocking. She was a stern but kind woman who had been with me since I first arrived as a frightened bride. Her lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line. "This is an outrage," she declared, her voice trembling with indignation. "To bring that woman here! And pregnant, no less!"

I said nothing. I just traced the condensation on the windowpane with my finger. Their anger felt like it belonged to someone else, a fire burning in a distant house.

"Mrs. Gable," I said at last, turning around. "I need the household ledgers. All of them. And the key to the strongroom."

She blinked. "My lady?"

"The Luna manages this estate," I said. "Until Carson dismisses me, the kitchens, the stores, the servants, and every coin that keeps this pack fed and clothed--those answer to me."

Mrs. Gable's lips curved into something that was almost a smile. "Yes, my lady."

Holly stepped forward. "Shall I fetch the ledgers from the steward's office, my lady? I know where he keeps them."

I looked at her. "You know where the steward keeps the ledgers?"

Holly nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I help him copy them sometimes. He doesn't trust the other maids, but he trusts me."

"Then fetch them," I said. "And Holly--say nothing to anyone about why."

"Of course, my lady."

A knock came at the door. It was Rose, Eleanor's attendant. "Luna Eleanor requests your presence in the morning room, my lady."

I nodded, dismissing her. The summons was inevitable. I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. The walk from my chambers to the morning room felt like a gauntlet, the portraits of long-dead Welches seeming to judge me from their gilded frames.

I found Eleanor pacing in front of the fireplace. The morning sun streamed in, but the room felt cold. The usual warmth between us was gone, replaced by a tense, awkward chill.

"Allegra," she began, stopping her pacing. "I am so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's not your fault, Eleanor," I replied, my tone even. I refused to cry. I refused to show them the weakness they expected.

Eleanor sighed, running a hand through her silver-streaked hair. "I've already spoken to him. I told him Finley must be sent away, that we could arrange a quiet cottage for her, provide for her and the child... even arrange a respectable marriage for her later." This was the standard way a noble pack handled such indiscretions. A quiet, clean solution.

"And what did he say?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

The door opened and Carson strode in. He came alone this time. No Finley trailing behind him like a pale ghost. That, at least, was something.

"She is not going anywhere," he stated, his voice leaving no room for debate. He looked directly at me, a challenge in his eyes.

Eleanor whirled on him. "Carson, you cannot be serious! Think of the pack's reputation! Think of Allegra! She is your mate!"

"Finley is carrying my child. My heir," he said. The words dropped like stones into the silence.

The word "heir" hung in the air, a deliberate blow. I had been his brother's mate and then his for five years, and I had failed to produce one. It was my greatest failure, the constant, unspoken accusation against my position as Luna.

"She saved my life on the battlefield," Carson continued, his voice softening as he spoke of Finley. "She was injured protecting me. I owe her. The child is innocent in all this."

"So you would shame your own mate? The woman who has run this household in your absence?" Eleanor's voice rose, laced with disbelief.

"I am not shaming her," Carson said, turning his full attention to me. The weight of his Alpha presence pressed down, a physical force meant to command obedience. "I am asking her to do her duty."

"And what duty is that?" I asked, my voice quiet, but clear as glass.

"To accept Finley. To welcome her. To ensure she and my child are cared for. You will remain the official Luna. Your position is secure. I simply require your... understanding."

He expected me to break. To weep. To argue. To give him the dramatic, jealous scene he could then dismiss as feminine hysterics.

I looked at him, this man my heart once yearned for, this mate the Moon Goddess supposedly chose for me. And I felt... nothing. Just a vast, cold emptiness.

I took a slow breath. "Alright," I said.

The single word threw the entire room off-balance. Carson stared at me, his brow furrowing in confusion. This was not the reaction he anticipated.

Eleanor looked at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Allegra... you don't have to..."

"It's alright, Eleanor," I said, giving her a small, tight smile. "Carson is right. The child is innocent. As Luna, it is my duty to ensure all members of this pack are cared for." I was using his own logic against him, wrapping myself in the mantle of the perfect, dutiful Luna. It was a role I could play in my sleep.

"But if Finley is to stay," I continued, "there are arrangements to be made. She will need a proper allowance. A maidservant. A midwife, eventually. All of that costs money."

Carson frowned. "The pack will provide."

"Will it?" I asked, tilting my head. "The pack's stores were nearly empty when you left. The winter was hard. The debts your father left behind--I paid them. With my dowry. If you wish Finley to be kept in the manner you clearly intend, you will need to tell me where the coin is coming from."

Carson's jaw tightened. He had not thought of that. Of course he hadn't. He had been too busy playing hero on the battlefield and bedding the woman who saved him. He stiffened and did not say another word.

"I will see to it that Miss Leach has everything she needs," I continued, my voice serene. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have duties to attend to." I reasserted my role, subtly putting him in the position of a petitioner rather than a commander.

I could not stand him standing there, blocking my way out. I strode forward, shoved past his shoulder, and left.

I didn't look back, but I could feel his stunned gaze following me.