Shunned By An Alpha, Cherised By A Lycan

Chapter 347:

“I’m pregnant,” I say, my voice steady but quiet.

For a moment, the room is completely silent. Ryder just stares at me, his eyes wide, like he can’t quite process what I’ve just said.

Then, slowly, a smile spreads across his face—a real one, not the half-hearted smirks he’s been giving me lately.

“You’re serious?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nod, my heart pounding. “Yeah. I ran a test. It’s real.”

He takes a step closer, his expression softening in a way that makes my walls start to crumble. “Jasmine,” he says, his voice filled with emotion. “That’s… that’s amazing.”

Layla hums in approval. “See? Told you he’d be happy.”

“Don’t push it,” I mutter under my breath before meeting Ryder’s gaze. “This doesn’t mean everything’s magically fixed between us,” I warn him.

He nods, his smile fading slightly. “I know,” he says. “But it’s a start.”

For the first time in a long time, I feel like maybe, just maybe, we might actually have a chance.

Ryder’s POV

Two days.

It’s been two fucking days since Jasmine slapped me across the face.

Don’t ask why. I’ll give you the details.

I had it coming, I guess. I pushed her, told her we needed to go back to our pack. I thought it was the right thing to do, the safe thing. But Jasmine? She had other ideas. Instead of talking it out, she let her hand do the talking. And honestly? I can’t even be mad. Though I’m definitely shocked by her sudden change of character. I couldn’t tell what had gotten into her, but I knew she’d been broken severely. I promised to make it up to her, in any way she wanted.

The sting of her slap was nothing compared to the look in her eyes—that raw, unfiltered fury mixed with pain and betrayal. It cut deeper than any weapon ever could. Trust me, you wouldn’t want your mate or someone you love giving you that look. It speaks volumes about your failure. It tells you exactly what you’ve failed to do.

Since then, I haven’t dared bring it up again. There’s no point. I know when to pick my battles, and Jasmine is a force of nature I don’t want to cross when she’s like this. At least if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to never argue with a woman.

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Instead, I’ve buried myself in work, trying to piece together the mess left behind. My mind keeps circling back to what Luna Anna said before she died—that the real culprit, the mastermind behind everything, is still out there.

It’s a puzzle I can’t seem to solve. The pieces don’t fit, the timeline doesn’t make sense, and the more I dig, the more questions I uncover.

I just can’t figure out who’s behind all this. The math isn’t adding up. What do they want, and why did they want Jasmine? How are they involved, and where does Luna Anna fit into all of this? All these questions are damn well piling up, and I need fucking answers.

I’m so deep in my thoughts, hunched over a stack of papers in the room they provided for me, that I don’t even hear the door open.

Then I catch her scent—Jasmine. My mate. My fucking addiction. She’s like the air I need to breathe, the thing I need to survive. Trust me, seeing her alone brings out the same person in me.noveldrama

The moment I sit up, it’s like the atmosphere shifts. She’s standing there, her oversized sweater hanging off her frame, her arms crossed like she’s ready to pick another fight.

The moon goddess help me, I hope I don’t get more than a slap this time. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s not to talk too much. But there’s something different about her today.

She looks… lighter. There’s a spark in her eyes that wasn’t there before. It throws me off guard.

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