The Pregnant Luna Mated to Ex’s Best Friend (Aria) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Unable to Conceive

Chapter 26: Unable to Conceive

(Aria’s POV)

The apartment felt strangely empty after Dominic left. I sank into my sofa, exhausted by the day’s events. My wolf whimpered within mè, confused by everything that had happened.

The sudden ring of my mobile phone made me jump. Alexander’s name flashed across the screen, sending a jolt of anxiety through me. My finger hovered over the decline button, but something made me answer.

“Hello?” My voice sounded small even to my own ears.

“Come downstairs.” Alexander’s voice was curt, devoid of its usual warmth. “I’ll sign your papers.”

My heart stuttered. “What?”

“You heard me. If you want the severance, come downstairs. Now.”

The call ended abruptly. I stared at the phone, wondering if this was some kind of trap. After his reaction to Dominic earlier, I wouldn’t put it past him.

Still, if there was even a chance he’d sign the papers… I grabbed my jacket and a small silver–tipped letter opener from my desk drawer, slipping it into my pocket. Protection, just in case.

The elevator ride down felt interminable. My thoughts raced wildly, my wolf pacing anxiously beneath my skin. What had changed Alexander’s mind so suddenly?

Outside, the cool evening air hit my face. Alexander was leaning against the old oak tree near the entrance, partially hidden in shadow. His usual confident Alpha demeanor was gone, replaced by a brooding anger. A purple bruise bloomed on his jawline where Dominic had struck him.

“That was fast,” he remarked as I approached, keeping a safe distance between us.

“You said you’d sign the papers,” I replied, my voice steadier than I felt.

Alexander’s amber eyes studied me, searching for something. “What’s really going on between you and

Blackwood?”

The question caught me off guard. “I don’t see how that’s your business anymore.”

“You’re still my mate,” he growled, then caught himself. “For now.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the mild temperature. “Where are the papers?”

“So it’s true then?” Alexander pushed himself off the tree, taking a step toward me. “You and Blackwood?”

My wolf remained quiet within me, not reacting to her mate’s presence as she once would have. I took that as

a sign.

“Believe what you want,” I said coldly.

Alexander shook his head, disbelief evident in his expression. “It can’t be real. It’s a charade, isn’t it? He’s just

using you to get to me.”

I didn’t answer, letting his assumption hang between us. Let him think what he wanted if it meant getting my

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Charter 26 Unable to Con

freedom.

It won’t work, you know,” he continued. “Dominic Blackwood wouldn’t tie himself to a she–wolf from a low ranking bloodline. Not permanently.”

The words stung more than they should have. “At least he hasn’t abandoned me at our mating ceremony.”

Alexander flinched as if I’d struck him. His wolf’s scent shifted–the sharp tang of aggression fading into something more complex. Remorse, perhaps.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, surprising me. “For Claire. For the ceremony. For your mother.“.

I stared at him, caught off guard by his sudden change in demeanor.

“I handled everything wrong,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “When Claire called that day, telling me she’d taken those pills… I panicked. I couldn’t let her die because of me.”

“And our ceremony?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. “Our guests? My mother?”

Alexander’s eyes clouded with genuine pain. “I was coming back, Aria. I swear it. By the time I reached the hospital, Claire was already stable. Her attempt wasn’t…” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “wasn’t as serious as she made it sound.”

My wolf growled softly within me at this confirmation of what I’d suspected all along.

“I was driving back to the ceremony when you called,” he continued. “I had no idea your mother had collapsed

until I reached the venue.”

Part of me wanted to believe him. The part that had loved him for twelve years, that had dreamed of being his Luna, of bearing his pups.

“Give me another chance,” Alexander pleaded, his voice dropping to that tender tone he’d used in our early days together. “There’s nothing between me and Claire. It’s you I want, Aria. You I need.”

He took another step toward me, his scent wrapping around me–familiar and once–beloved.

“I’ll make it up to you for the rest of our lives,” he promised, his amber eyes searching my face for any sign of softening. “Please. Don’t throw away three years of mating over one mistake.”

I stood frozen, momentarily stunned by his unexpected plea. For a brief, dizzying moment, I imagined saying yes. Returning to our life together, to the comfort and safety of being Luna of the Storm Pack.

My wolf remained oddly silent, offering no guidance. She should have been yearning for her mate, especially

with him standing so close, emanating such raw emotion.

Her silence told me everything I needed to know.

“No,” I said softly but firmly. “I can’t just forget what happened, Alexander. You broke something between us that day–something I don’t think can be fixed.”

His face fell, hope giving way to desperation. “Aria, please-”

“You hurt me,” I interrupted, my voice breaking slightly. “Not just at the ceremony, but for months before that. Every time you ran to Claire. Every time you pushed me aside.”

Chapter 26: Unable to Con

“I need you to let me go,” I whispered.

Alexander’s eyes reddened at the edges, a sure sign his wolf was close to the surface. “Does it have to be this way?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

I nodded, a sense of melancholy washing over me despite my relief. We had been happy once, before Claire’s return. Before the strain of trying for a pup had worn us down.

1 blinked in surprise. The Territorial Registry was where mate bonds were officially recorded–and where they could be severed without the messy legal battle involving pack councils and territory officials. It would be so much simpler than the fight Benjamin Quinn had been preparing for.

He walked away, his shoulders rigid with suppressed emotion. I watched him go, feeling as though I was watching the end of a chapter in my life.

isn’t it?”

“Absolutely! Do you want me to come with you tomorrow? Moral support and all that?”

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