Marry Kade Turned Into My Worst Nightmare

“There will be no wedding. I’m pregnant with Alpha Kade’s child.”

The words rang through the grand ballroom like a death sentence.

The air turned thick. The soft hum of conversation vanished. Glasses stilled mid-air, frozen between lips and anticipation. The scent of roses and expensive champagne—once intoxicating—now sickened me.

I turned, my heart pounding so loudly it roared in my ears.

Alicia, my mate's first love stood at the entrance, her crimson dress hugging her curves, her dark curls spilling over her shoulders in a picture-perfect wave. She looked like a goddess of destruction, standing there with her hand pressed to her stomach. A claim. A warning. A knife to my throat.

I didn’t know her. But I knew Kade.

And when I looked up at him—the man I was supposed to marry tonight, the man who had sworn to love me, to cherish me—I knew.

Knew before he said a word. Before he even breathed.

And in his eyes, I saw everything I needed to.

Shock. Guilt. Something far worse—something that shattered me in an instant.

The room around me swayed. I felt the walls closing in, the weight of hundreds of eyes pressing down on my skin.

I gripped the fabric of my gown, forcing my breath to steady. My fingers curled around the silk, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing would be enough.

This isn’t happening. This isn’t real.

I had fought for this love. I had given Kade my heart, my trust, my soul. I had stood by his side when no one else had, believing that one day, we would rule together. That he wanted that. That he wanted me.

But now—

Now, I was just a woman left standing in the wreckage of a love story that had never truly belonged to me.

"Kade?" My voice came out thin, brittle. A whisper, but in the silence of the hall, it might as well have been a scream.

He exhaled. His shoulders tensed as if the weight of this moment had finally crashed onto him. Then, slowly—too slowly—his gaze met mine.

And I saw it. Hesitation. Regret.

Not denial. The breath I had been holding escaped in a sharp exhale.

He should have said something by now. Should have reached for me, fought for me, given me some sliver of hope to cling to. But he didn’t.

The woman took another step forward, her heels clicking against the marble like a war drum. “I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important,” she said softly, falsely sweet. “But Kade, our child deserves a father. I can’t do this alone.”

The words cracked through my ribs, cutting deep, leaving wounds that would never heal.

I fought to keep my breathing steady, fought against the wave of nausea rising in my throat. My body screamed at me to run, to flee before the reality of this betrayal crushed me whole.

But I stayed. Because some twisted part of me still wanted to believe that Kade would choose me. That he would fight.

That he would tell her to leave, take my hands in his, and say that this didn’t matter—that we would find a way through it together.

But instead, his voice came out quiet. “Raven...I need to talk to her.”

The final blow. I let out a breathless laugh, but it wasn’t out of humor. It was sharp, broken.

“You’re choosing her.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried through the room like a storm.

I watched as his jaw tensed, as something flickered in his expression, a brief flash of guilt.

I felt my knees weakened. My heart, my soul, the bond that tied me to him—it all twisted into something unbearable.

All those whispered promises. The nights spent dreaming of our future. The vows he had sworn in the dark, words meant only for me.

A soft chuckle broke the silence.

Not from Kade. From her.

I turned, my stomach coiling in disgust as she tilted her head, amusement gleaming in her gaze. And then, as if she hadn’t already ruined me beyond repair, she placed a delicate hand on my mate’s arm.

Mine. Or at least, he had been.

“I didn’t mean to ruin the night,” she said, but the slight upturn of her lips told a different story. “But it wouldn’t have been fair to let you go through with this when Kade is going to be a father. You understand, don’t you?”

Understand? Oh, I understood perfectly.

I understood that fate was never on my side. I understood that I had never been Kade’s first choice.

I understood that no matter how deeply I had loved him, it would never be enough to make him love me the same way.

I forced my head high. My voice didn’t shake when I said, “Congratulations.”

Kade’s eyes widened slightly, as if my calmness startled him.

Good. I wanted him to be surprised. I wanted him to feel this moment burn into his soul the same way it was carving itself into mine.

“You both deserve each other.”

Then, I turned. And I walked away.