"I'm a Volana wolf, a target of Evil. My blood can grant eternal life.
My father locked me up since I was 10. He killed my wolf and tried to rape me.
No wolf. No mate. No hope.
Until Bastien offered me to be his contract mate.
When 3 years contract comes to the end, I am pregnant.
Yet, he's going to reject me.
---
""I'm going to be a mother!"" I breathe in blissful disbelief.
I can't wait to tell Bastien.
I've been grinning like a fool ever since leaving the doctor's office and practiced sharing the news while I drove.
Butterflies flutter rapidly in my belly as I climb the stairs, my body thrumming with anticipation.
But the ecstatic smile slips from my face the moment I walk in.
Bastien is already there, waiting for me. He's sitting alone in the darkened living room, a tumbler of amber liquid clasped in his large fist and a severe frown dominating his handsome face.
Finally he speaks, ""Tomorrow I'm going to have my father put things in motion for our rejection ceremony.""
---
I am Bastien's burden. He marries me for duty. But when I leave to give him freedom, he goes crazy looking for me. When we meet again, he says he loves me."