My Alpha Mate's Secret Son, My Ultimate Rejection

I was the long-lost heir of the sacred White Wolf lineage, destined to be the Luna of our pack. My mate, Alpha Kaelen, was supposed to be the other half of my soul.

Then I discovered his five-year secret: another family, with a son whose birthday was the same day as mine.

Through a gallery window, I watched him kiss another woman and promise their child the very amusement park I had begged for. My own parents were in on it, helping them steal pack funds to finance this secret life.

They were even planning to drug me on my birthday so I would sleep through their celebration.

To them, I wasn't a daughter or a mate. I was just a placeholder with the right blood, a tool to be used for a true heir and then discarded.

So on the morning of my eighteenth birthday, I drank the poisoned tea my mother gave me, faked my collapse, and disappeared forever.

But not before arranging for a special delivery to their son's party-a box containing every last one of their secrets.

Chapter 1

ELARA POV:

"He's using you, Elara."

Brenna's voice was low, a protective growl rumbling in her chest. She pushed a stray strand of fiery red hair from her face, her gray eyes sharp with a warrior's intensity.

We were sitting in The Daily Grind, a small coffee shop nestled on the border between our two territories. It was neutral ground, one of the few places that welcomed werewolves without making us feel like caged animals. The air smelled of roasted coffee beans and rain-soaked earth, a comforting mix.

"He's not," I said, my voice weaker than I wanted. I wrapped my hands around my warm mug. "You don't know him like I do."

"I know what I see," she insisted. "Five years ago, Seraphina accuses you of leaking pack secrets. An accusation that could have gotten you exiled, or worse. And what happens to her? A slap on the wrist and a fully-funded 'retreat' to some luxury estate to 'recover'."

I flinched. The memory was a dull ache, a bruise on my soul that never quite faded. "My parents... Alpha Kaelen... they said it was for the best. To protect the pack from scandal."

My parents. The Former Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. Years ago, they'd found me, an orphan raised in the human world, ignorant of my own bloodline. They told me I was their long-lost daughter, the heir to the sacred White Wolf lineage. And Kaelen... he was my mate. The Alpha of our pack. The other half of my soul, destined for me by the Moon Goddess herself. The bond between us was supposed to be a sacred gift, one that would one day leave a silver tracery over my heart and a mark upon my hand.

I was supposed to be the luckiest wolf alive.

"It's my eighteenth birthday next week, Brenna," I changed the subject, a hopeful flutter in my chest. "The day of my first Shift."

A genuine smile touched her lips. "I know. I can't wait to see your wolf. She's going to be magnificent."

"I hope so." I leaned in closer, dropping my voice to a whisper. I didn't want any prying ears to overhear. Instead, I reached out through the special connection all pack members share. The Mind-Link. It was a silent, private line of thought, a gift from the Goddess.

*I told Kaelen I want to go to the Moonlight Amusement Park,* I sent to her, the words forming in her mind as if they were her own thoughts. *I kind of hinted it would be the perfect surprise.*

Brenna's mental voice was laced with skepticism. *And what did the great Alpha say?*

Before I could answer, another voice flooded my mind. It was deep, powerful, and wrapped in an authority that made my bones hum. Kaelen.

*Elara.*

My heart leaped. He was thinking of me.

*Kaelen! I was just talking about you.* A warmth spread through me, the simple effect of his presence in my mind.

His response was clipped, impatient. *I have an important pack meeting. Stay home. Don't cause any trouble.*

The words were simple, but underneath them was the crushing weight of the Alpha's Command. It wasn't a request. It was an order woven with magic, compelling obedience. My shoulders slumped instantly, the urge to please him, to be a good mate, washing over me.

*Oh. Okay,* I sent back, trying to hide my disappointment.

Brenna must have felt the shift in my mood. She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "Don't let him do that. Go to him. Take him his favorite coffee. Surprise him at the Blackwood Enterprises tower and tell him what you want, face to face."

Her courage was contagious. She was right. I was his mate, his future Luna. My wishes mattered.

An hour later, I was walking through the gleaming lobby of the Blackwood Enterprises skyscraper, a cardboard tray with two coffees in my hand. The building was the human face of our pack, a multi-billion-dollar corporation that hid our true nature in plain sight.

Kaelen's human secretary, a mousy woman named Clara, gave me a polite but firm smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Donovan. Alpha Blackwood is not in. He had an appointment at a private art gallery in the West District. A place called 'Rhes.'"

A knot of unease tightened in my stomach. A private gallery? That didn't sound like a pack meeting.

I drove to the address she gave me, my hands slick on the steering wheel. The gallery was a sleek, modern building with huge glass windows. I parked across the street, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

And then I saw them.

Through the window, clear as day, stood my mate. My Alpha. Kaelen. He wasn't alone. Standing with him was Seraphina, her dark hair gleaming under the gallery lights. Between them, holding both their hands, was a little boy with Kaelen's dark hair and Seraphina's blue eyes. He couldn't have been more than five years old.

They looked like a family.

My breath hitched. My entire body went cold. It had to be a misunderstanding. It had to be.

Then, Kaelen leaned down. He cupped Seraphina's face in his hands, his expression full of a tenderness I hadn't seen in years. He kissed her. Not a simple peck. It was a deep, lingering kiss, the same way he had kissed me that very morning before leaving our bed.

A pain so sharp, so absolute, ripped through my soul. It felt like my very essence was being torn in two. The mate bond, the sacred connection between us, screamed in agony.

I stumbled out of the car, drawn by some morbid need to know. I crept closer to the window, hiding in the shadows of the doorway. Their voices drifted through the thick glass.

"-the whole park just for Leo's birthday?" Seraphina was saying, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "You're the best, Kaelen."

Leo's birthday. The amusement park.

"Anything for my son," Kaelen replied, ruffling the boy's hair. "He deserves it."

My blood turned to ice. Leo's birthday was the same day as mine.

Seraphina laughed, a cruel, tinkling sound. "What about your little stray? Won't she be disappointed?"

Kaelen's chuckle was the cruelest sound I had ever heard. "Elara? She's so grateful to have a family, she'll believe anything we tell her."

Just then, his voice slid into my mind, a casual, intimate intrusion. A Mind-Link from Kaelen.

*Meeting just ended. So tired. Thinking of you, my mate.*

The lie, so blatant and delivered with such casual cruelty, didn't break my heart. It shattered it into a million pieces, and in its place, something cold and hard began to form.

The game was over. And I was done being a pawn.