Alpha's Rejected Secret

The Blood Moon hung high above the Nightfang Pack grounds, its crimson glow bathing everything in an ominous, fiery light. Wolves howled in celebration, the festival drums echoing through the cold night air. Tonight was supposed to mark my ascension as Luna, Alpha Killian’s mate, and the future queen of this pack.But instead, it became the night that shattered me.I stood at the center of the pack’s ceremonial grounds, my hands trembling as I clutched the cloak my mother had draped over my shoulders earlier. My heart pounded wildly—not from excitement, but from fear. Killian’s piercing silver eyes had been cold all evening, distant in a way that made my stomach churn.The Elders gathered around the sacred bonfire, chanting the age-old mating blessing. Pack members whispered and smiled, already celebrating the official union between the ruthless Alpha and his supposedly weak, human-born mate—me.Killian stepped forward, his towering frame exuding dominance that silenced every murmur.

Killian’s presence filled the tiny cabin like a storm, his aura pressing against me with raw dominance. My wolf trembled inside me, torn between anger and the irresistible pull of our bond.“Aria…” he repeated softly, voice strained as if holding back a thousand unspoken words. His gaze flicked toward the floorboards again, sharp and knowing. “That sound… it wasn’t an animal, was it?”I swallowed hard, my pulse thundering. For years, I’d managed to keep Luca hidden from his father, from Nightfang’s grasp. Now, with one careless sound, everything threatened to unravel.My body moved instinctively, stepping closer to Killian, my chin raised despite my pounding heart. “Leave,” I hissed, my voice trembling but firm. “You’ve done enough damage. You don’t get to walk back into my life and take what little I have left.”His eyes darkened, the silver glow of his wolf sparking. “What are you hiding from me, Aria?” he demanded, his Alpha command curling around the words like a whip.I clenched

The hall felt colder after Killian’s confession. His silver eyes stayed locked on mine, unflinching, as if daring me to deny what he’d just said.“I’m not asking for your forgiveness, Aria,” he said, voice low and steady, “I’m asking for a chance to protect what’s mine.”My heart pounded painfully. Protect? He hadn’t been there when I bled under the moonlight, when I ran barefoot through the forest carrying his child. He hadn’t protected me from the whispers, from the shoves, from the pitying glances.Luca shifted in my arms, his small head resting against my shoulder, unaware that the man before us was the reason he’d never known a father. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of five years crash down in a single moment.“You forfeited that right the night you rejected me,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “You forfeited it when you turned your back on your mate… and your son.”Killian flinched almost imperceptibly. “I didn’t know about him.”“You didn’t care enough to find out,”

The cold night air hung heavy between us, thick with the copper tang of blood and the wild musk of our wolves. Killian’s eyes locked on mine, still burning gold from the shift. The space between us was nothing, yet it felt like the longest distance in the world. “Aria,” he said, voice low, as if saying my name might tether me to him. I didn’t answer. I was still breathing hard, adrenaline singing through my veins, my body buzzing from both the fight and the raw awareness of him. His gaze flickered down to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “You can’t keep doing that.” “Doing what?” My voice was sharper than I intended. “Throwing yourself into danger,” he growled. “Not when—” He broke off, as if the rest of the sentence cost too much to say. “Not when what?” I pressed, taking a step closer. His hand twitched, as if resisting the urge to reach for me. “Not when I’ve just found you again.” The words hit me harder than claws ever could. I opened my mouth, but a howl split the air—shor

The scent of blood clung to the air long after the rogues were dead. It soaked into the wooden floorboards, into the walls, into my skin.Killian stood in the doorway of Luca’s room, still half-shifted, his chest rising and falling with a predator’s measured breath. His silver eyes swept over me, then Luca, then the carnage behind us.“They breached the heart of the pack house,” he said, his voice low but sharp. “That means someone inside opened the door for them.”My heart thudded. “The traitor.”He nodded once, grim. “And we’ve just run out of time.”Outside, a howl rose — long, mournful, and laced with warning. Another answered it from the ridge. The chorus of wolves rolled through the night like thunder.The Blood Moon wasn’t until tomorrow night. But the war had decided to come early.---By dawn, the pack was in a state of lockdown. Warriors patrolled the grounds in pairs. Scouts reported fresh rogue tracks near the western border, too many to count. The traitor’s scent was buri