Divorced by the Alpha, Claimed by the Rogue

Emily’s POV

I should feel relieved.

Alina was finally gone from the house, and the constant tension that used to choke the air had eased. But instead of peace, all I felt was a bitter knot in my chest. Because her absence meant Lucian spent even more time with her now. And that thought made me sick with irritation I had no right to feel.

I rubbed my temple, exhausted. On top of everything, Aiden had a bounty on Lucian’s head. A fucking bounty. I told myself I shouldn’t care. His problems weren’t mine anymore. My real problem was the man who refused to leave me alone.

Knox.

His messages had gone from annoying to relentless. If I didn’t meet him at least once, I knew it would get ugly. So I made the decision. One meeting. That was it.

The security guards at his building didn’t ask questions. They simply nodded and led me straight to his private room. The moment I stepped inside, Knox looked up from where he sat, and a slow, satisfied smirk spread across his face.

"You finally came to me," he said, voice low and smug.

I didn’t waste time. "Stop this, Knox. All of it. I regret ever getting involved with you in the first place. Leave me the hell alone."

His smirk didn’t falter. If anything, it deepened. "It’s too late for regrets, Emily."

He stood up slowly and began circling me like a predator sizing up prey. My skin prickled with discomfort. I could feel his eyes tracing over me, heavy and possessive. He stopped behind me, close enough that I could smell his cologne.

"I’ve missed your scent," he murmured. "I’ve always wanted to be this close to you."

Before I could move, he grabbed me, pulling me back against his chest. His hand came up to caress my face almost gently. My stomach turned. I wanted to slap his hand away, but I forced myself to stay still.

Then his touch stilled. His eyes darkened dangerously.

"So... when exactly did you decide to tell me the child in your stomach belongs to me?"

My heart slammed against my ribs. I shoved him hard, stumbling back.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped, but my voice came out sharper than I intended.

A jagged, cruel laugh escaped him. "Don’t play dumb, Emily. I know Aiden isn’t the father of that child."

My blood ran cold. "What makes you think that?"

He stepped closer again. "We had a little discussion, Aiden and I. The timing... it doesn’t add up. Not even close." His gaze dropped to my stomach. "I know I was the only one you were sleeping with."

I forced out a laugh, even as panic clawed up my throat. How the hell did he find out?

"Get over yourself, Knox. You weren’t the only one." I lifted my chin, trying to sound convincing. "You’re not special to me. You never will be. And this child doesn’t belong to you."

The grin on his face slowly faded, replaced by something darker. He laughed again, but there was no humor in it.

"You can deny it all you want. Lie through your teeth. But I know for a fact that child is mine."

How? My mind was screaming. I tried my best to mask the fear flooding through me. I couldn’t let him see it. I wouldn’t give him that power.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" he taunted, stepping even closer. "Another lie to tell me?"

"I don’t need to lie to you," I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. "The only lie here is you thinking this child has anything to do with you. I came here to tell you to never contact me again. If you do, I’ll tell Aiden you tried to assault me."

Knox didn’t even flinch. He looked almost... amused.

"Go ahead. Tell him." He moved forward, forcing me to back up until I hit the wall. He caged me in with his arms. "I’m tired of pretending I don’t want to claim you, Emily. I’m not just in love with you." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "I’m obsessed. And I will never let you go. Ever."

His words wrapped around me like chains. Obsessed. The way he said it sent ice sliding down my spine. This wasn’t love. This was something much darker, and I could see it burning in his eyes.

I shoved at his chest with all the strength I had, but he barely moved. My heart was hammering so hard I could hear it in my ears.

"Get away from me," I hissed. "You’re delusional if you think I’ll ever let you near me or this child."

Knox tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he was determined to solve. His hand came up again, this time brushing a strand of hair from my face. The touch was deceptively soft, but his grip on my arm tightened.

"You can fight me all you want, Emily. But deep down, you know the truth. That night... you came to me. You let me have you. And now you’re carrying my blood." His voice lowered. "I won’t let Aiden or anyone else raise what’s mine."

The fear I’d been trying so hard to bury clawed its way up. How much did he actually know? Had he been watching me? Following me? The thought made my stomach turn violently.

I laughed bitterly, forcing myself to sound braver than I felt. "You really think you can just claim me like some object? Newsflash, Knox — I don’t belong to you. I never did. And if you come near me again, I won’t just tell Aiden. I’ll make sure everyone knows what a pathetic, obsessive creep you are."

For a second, anger flashed across his face, raw and ugly. Then it smoothed back into that dangerous smirk.

"Go ahead. Run to Aiden. Tell him everything." He leaned in so close that his breath brushed my ear. "But remember this: I’m not the kind of man who loses. Especially not when it comes to you."

I turned my face away, refusing to let him see how badly I was shaking. My hand instinctively moved to my stomach for a split second before I caught myself and dropped it.

"I’m leaving," I said firmly. "And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay the hell away from me."

I pushed past him, heading straight for the door. My legs felt weak, but I kept walking. I could feel his eyes on my back the entire way, heavy and possessive.

Just as my hand touched the doorknob, his voice stopped me.

"You can run today, Emily. But you won’t be able to hide forever. That child will be born with my eyes... and I’ll be there to see it."

I didn’t turn around. I didn’t give him the satisfaction. I yanked the door open and walked out as fast as I could, ignoring the security guards who glanced at me curiously.

The moment I was back in the car, the tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. My hands trembled on the steering wheel.

How did everything get so messed up?

Lucian spending more time with Alina. And now Knox, who somehow knew about the baby. I couldn’t tell Aiden the truth. Not yet. Not when he already had so much on his plate.

But one thing was clear — Knox wasn’t going to stop. And I had no idea how to protect myself, or this child, from him.

I headed back into the house, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor as I walked through the hallway. The mansion was unusually quiet tonight, the kind of silence that made every thought louder.

My chest tightened as Knox’s words replayed in my head.

His threats.

His anger.

The dangerous look in his eyes.

Maybe I should tell Aiden.

The thought came suddenly, but I immediately pushed it away. Telling him would mean exposing myself too, and that was a risk I couldn’t afford. Still... Knox was becoming unpredictable, and unpredictable men were dangerous.

As I turned the corner, my steps slowed.

Aiden stood near the large window at the end of the hallway, one hand tucked into his pocket while the other held his phone to his ear. His expression was cold, distant.

I was about to call his name when his voice stopped me.

"I don’t give a fck about another child."

I froze.

My breath caught in my throat.

"All I want is Alina and my son, Leo, back."

My eyes widened in shock.

For a second, I thought maybe I had heard wrong.

Another child?

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach as my heartbeat pounded violently against my chest.

"I don’t care what it takes," he continued harshly. "Just make it happen."

A cold chill ran through me.

I took an unconscious step backward, but my heel scraped lightly against the floor.

Aiden’s head snapped up.

Our eyes met instantly.

Shit.

His expression darkened with annoyance before he ended the call abruptly.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked sharply.

My throat went dry.

"I—I just got here," I stammered quickly.

His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was trying to decide whether to believe me or not.

"Where were you coming from?"

"I went to get something downstairs," I replied, forcing my voice to stay calm.

For a moment, he simply stared at me.

Then he gave a small nod and brushed past me without another word.

Just like that.

As if I was nothing.

I slowly turned to watch him walk away, anger beginning to boil inside me.

So that’s how it is?

I clenched my fists tightly at my sides.

I didn’t matter.

My child didn’t matter.

All he cared about was Alina and Leo.