The Dragon king's Second Mate

Family is just a word

~Aspen's pov~

"Positive? Shit."

Three pregnancy tests and they all have the same readings. I am f*****g pregnant. I should be happy, I should be excited. I'm pregnant for the alpha who chose to have me as his girlfriend.

But I'm not.

Caeser has been avoiding me since he took my virginity four weeks ago, and now I'm not sure how to announce to him that I'm carrying his child. Good luck to me.

I'm already a stain to my family. Trying to explain to them that the alpha who put a baby in me was ignoring me like I was the bubonic plague, wouldn't exactly win me any favors.

In the Darkmoon pack, Omegas are worth everything. They're more fertile. They're more beautiful, most cherished by alphas.

God knows, I wish I was an omega.

Betas, like me, gammas, and zetas, we're not anyone's first pick. Even if we ended up mated to someone, they would reject us for an omega. That was the life in this pack.

You're either born with a bright future, or you're not.

When I was born an Beta, my parents hated me. They saw me as a failure. But it got worse when I ended up growing to have white hair instead of my mother's thick brown, or my father's auburn curls.

White haired wolves are the descendants of the moon goddess Selene.

We are not treasured by our fellows wolves. We're an abomination. A sign that the goddess has people she favors. People given special ability and more blessings- ha! I'm kidding.

The first descendants that came to the world treated the werewolves like trash. They subjected them to so much hate that any new descendant is treated the same way those previous ones treated the wolves.

As you can see, I went from being hated … to being f*****g despised.

I'm twenty six now, currently working at a farm and paying rent to stay in the home I grew up in.

I'm Aspen Mandel, in case you didn't know. Mandel isn't my family's last name, it's just half of my middle name. Because I'm not allowed to carry our last name.

From the age of ten, I've had to work for everything I have in this house. My right to eat, to breathe- yes, I pay breathing fee every month or my brothers will beat me senseless, and take that right to breathe from me.

I pay for everything.

Two years ago, one of the strongest alphas in the pack chose me as his girlfriend.

Yes, he's over thirty. But I don't see the age as a problem. He was the first man to look at me without disgust. I caved.

My life didn't change. People treated me nice in front of Caeser, but behind his back, they made sure I knew how much of an embarrassment I was to him.

Our relationship was good, despite everything people tried to do to make him dump me. Which included my mother trying to tell him my younger sister, an omega named Clementine Sicilian, would be a better woman for him.

But Caeser defended me, pointing out all the good sides I didn't know I had to me.

I love him.

I finally decided we could sleep together, and now I can't even find him. He's not picking up my calls, or returning my letters. The people of this pack are starting to notice.

And they won't let me hear the end of it.

I sighed, and rinsed the third pregnancy test. There's no way I'm having this baby out of wedlock.

I'd be shamed for the rest of my life. Things are already bad enough. I can't do this on my own.

No one will hire a pregnant beta whose alpha didn't want her. I wrapped all three test up, and shoved them into my bag.

Slinging it over my shoulder, I made my way out of the room. My footsteps were quiet as I went out through the back door. My dress was flew with the current of the wind, and I let myself enjoy the little bit of peace.

Goddess knows my life rarely has peaceful moments.

I looked at my fingers…. Working on the farm had left with me callouses that healed every now and then.

Another reminder that this world is not for the weak.

I can't afford to be weak. I literally cannot afford to be weak. Or I would be homeless, and starving.

I made it over to the main streets, carriages went by and I watched. The alphas rode with their omegas. Women and men who will never have to work a day in there lives.

Like my little sister.

I don't hate Clementine, but she hates everything about me. If I breathe in the same room as her, she'll stop herself from inhaling air.

My parents have made it a rule, I have to pay her fifteen dollars per hour if we have to stay close to each other for long. Or even if we converse.

We don't talk, thankfully. She hates having to look at her disappointing older sister.

I held my hat on tightly so the wind wouldn't carry it away. I can't afford to buy another one.

I kept walking until I was at the entrance to the woods.

It's Thursday, and if I know Caeser, he usually comes out to fish on Thursdays. There's a lake on my three miles from here. I puffed air, and made myself walk the length.

I have to do this, I reminded myself. A palm pressed over my stomach.

The walk went by a little bit too fast for me. I wanted to enjoy the silence for a little while longer.

"No way, is that how you do it?" I heard a female giggle as I approached the lake.

Is that Clementine? I never would have pegged her for a fisher.

I stared at the back of her figure, the rays of sunlight light made her look like an ethereal being. A male stepped close to her, his fingers tracing a line up her spine.

Caeser!

"Yes, that's how it's done. But you won't have to do that ever. With me as your alpha, I'll be taking care of everything while you just sit yourself down at home and have my babies."

Clementine stared at him as though he was god's greatest gift.

I remember that line, he'd used the exact same thing on me.

What the f**k?

I growled, announcing my presence. Caeser and Clementine jumped away from each other.

My sister turned around fast, her panicked expression vanished when she saw me.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Just me? What is happening here!" I asked. Shooting a look between them.

She giggled, that annoying sound that made me want to drown her. But violence is never the answer, and I can't harm a soul.

If not, I'd have killed my family by now.

"Didn't you hear? Alpha Caeser asked me to marry him."

"....."

My sister was just two years younger than me, and my eyes widened. Caeser asked her to marry him? She's the same age I was when he announced he wanted to date, and court me.

My blood turned to ice. I couldn't even feel the wind on my skin.

"What- that can't be true. I'm carrying his child!"

Clementine's happiness was gone in a matter of seconds. Caeser's too. They both stared at me in shock.

"No you're not. You-"

"Yes I am. Four weeks ago?" His eyes grew as big as the sun that bathed our skins with heat. "Yes, you f*****g remember how I allowed you to be my first. You can't marry my sister if I am pregnant with you baby."

"Don't be stupid, Aspen! You think anyone will care that you're carrying a child?" I turned to her, has she lost her mind? Of course someone will care. "Just listen to yourself. You have no way of proving that that child is even Caeser's. I know your life can never amount to anything, but trying to ruin a good alpha's chances of being happy is the lowest you have ever gone. No one will care about you and your bastard child."

I scoffed, staring at the girl everyone seemed to love.

The hatred, and venom in her words have never been clearer.

My gut had told me giving myself to Caeser was a bad idea, but I felt it was my duty as his girlfriend. Any omega in my position would have done the same.

But I am Beta, why didn't I use my head?

Caeser had played me, and honestly, I think it was obvious.

I found myself laughing hysterically to bottle my pain. "Oh Clementine, I know how to prove it. Once I start showing, I will go to the doctor for a test. Feel free to be married to the alpha who has a- what did you say? Bastard child."

Her sour expression brought me no satisfaction. "Don't do this. Okay." She paused, turned to Caeser then back to me. "I'll give you whatever you want, if you get rid of it. Money? Sure. I'll even get mom and dad to remove those restrictions and rules-"

I took a step back. "No. I will not do that. Caeser and I dated. He courted me. He said he loved me! He has to take responsibility for those words!"

"Who could ever love you?!" Clementine shouted, her tone filled with agitation. "You should have known he was lying the second those words came out of his mouth. Look at yourself, Aspen. If our parents didn't want you, why would any alpha want you?"

The moment she uttered those words, I realized that I hadn't felt any pain from seeing them together. Not until Clementine said those words.

I clenched my fist, and stared at her. She was furious, but the heart I'd opened to Caeser was cutting into pieces. Shattering like glass.

I clapped a hand over my mouth.

Tear poured out of my eyes, and I couldn't fight back the sob.

If our parents didn't want you, why would any alpha want you?

Those words rocked the world beneath my feet.

I thought about the times Caeser had made me smile. How he'd convinced me that using protection was stupid, that we didn't need it. I didn't need birth control.

But seeing the pride in his eyes as he stared at my sister, my blood who reminded me that I am unwanted in this world.

I found no strength to fight back the pain. For years, I'd carried it on my back that I was the disgrace of the pack, of my family.

My brothers have threatened to w***e me out countless of times, my sister never ones looked at me with love, and my parents force me to pay for my right to be their child.

Every happiness I'd clung too over the past two years, evaporated.

The situation seemed clearer to me now.

I stepped away from them. I could hear my own heart breaking with each sob.

"Aspen! Aspen, you can't leave! Not until I know you won't mention this child to anyone!"

I turned and ran from Clementine as she screamed for me to come back. I didn't stop.

As goddess descendant, I'm unable to shift, I don't have the capacity to find my mate. We're not given mates. I'm stuck in a life suffering for something I didn't do.

I didn't ask to be Selene's descendant.

I didn't ask to be born into the Sicilian family.

I didn't ask to be a Beta.

I didn't ask to date Caeser, or to have his unwanted child in me. No, he came to me.

It seems every issue in my life, was taken out of my my control.

My tears nearly blinded me.

Not knowing what to do next, I went to my father.

He was home by the time I arrived. Sitting in his shed in the backyard with my brothers.

The two of them immediately grunted as they spotted my tear drenched face.

"What happened to you?" My older brother asked. I fell to my father's feet and he tensed.

"Well, answer the boy! He asked you a question."

"I'm pregnant." I announced and the silence was loud.

"Is it Caeser's?" Father's voice was heavy with disinterest.

"Yes." I didn't look up, keeping my head pressed to the floor while I cried silently.

"Does he want it?"

I shot my head up, "What?" A smack hit my face from the left. I fell to the side. A loud ringing filled my ear.

"Didn't you hear father? Answer the goddamn question. I swear I've never seen a girl dumber than you."

"He…." I cried, from the pain in my heart and the pain on the side of my face.

"Don't make me hit you again!" The second oldest yelled. His eyes shifted to a golden glaze.

I lifted my hands, and apologized profusely. "I'm sorry. He doesn't want the child. He wants to marry Clementine."

"That boy finally got himself some sense." My father cheered, whistling a praise.

I blinked back my salty tears, they stung my eyes as they rolled down. "Father-"

"Shut up. If the alpha wants your sister, then we need to make sure the situation is clean. Clementine needs all the love during this time. Gotta avoid bad luck! Aspen, go to your room and sleep. The boys will be there to get you once I've gathered the whole pack."

Fear struck the center of my core. Gathered the entire pack?

For-

I was dumbfounded and unable to move.

"I swear, father I'm going to smack her again."

"See if I care."

I was up on my feet immediately, and rushing into the house. I didn't allow myself to analyze the situation until I was kneeling with my back pressed to my bedroom door.

I clutched my knees, and shuddered. Why the f**k did I go to my father?

What was I thinking? That he would see what Caeser had done as wrong and side with me for once?

Honestly, my brothers are right. I am the dumbest girl in the world.

I cried into my thighs, my life is over.