The Public Claim

"I am not going," I said, glaring at the suit laid out on the bed.

Ares stood near the doorway, adjusting his cuffs. He looked completely unbothered by my anger. "The entire city thinks you are broken, Julian. They think your mother ruined you. We are going to that gala tonight to show them that the Vane and Sterling alliance is absolute. Put the suit on."

"I don't care what these high-society idiots think," I snapped, crossing my arms. My stomach gave a slight, familiar flutter, a reminder of the reality I kept trying to ignore. 

"You are the CEO of the Vane Group, and you are my partner now," Ares said, his voice dropping into that calm, commanding tone that always irritated me. "We leave in twenty minutes."

*****

An hour later, I was standing in the middle of a massive, brightly lit ballroom. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfumes, champagne, and the overlapping pheromones of the city's elite. 

Music played softly in the background, but all I could hear was the quiet whispering of the crowd every time I walked past.

I felt completely exposed. My suit jacket was tailored perfectly, but it couldn't hide the slight, undeniable curve of my lower stomach anymore. 

Everywhere I looked, people were staring. Some looked shocked, others looked disgusted, and some just smirked, enjoying the sight of a former top Alpha reduced to a pregnant Omega.

"Keep your head up," Ares muttered, his hand resting lightly against the small of my back.

I violently jerked away from his touch. "Don't touch me. I can stand on my own two feet."

"Then do it without looking like you want to murder the waiters," he replied smoothly, greeting a passing businessman with a polite nod.

The pressure of the room was getting to me. The heat from my body was rising again, and the smell of the food trays was making my stomach churn. I needed space. 

While Ares was caught up in a conversation with two prominent investors, I quietly stepped away, making my way toward the quieter bar area at the back of the ballroom.

I leaned against the counter, letting out a long breath, trying to block out the whispers.

"Well, look at you," a loud, mocking voice sneered from behind me.

I turned my head to see Vivienne Cross walking toward me. She looked elegant, but her eyes were full of malice and jealousy. My merged memories reminded me exactly who she was—my former high-society fiancée who had tossed me aside the moment my body changed.

"Vivienne," I said coldly, keeping my face blank. "Get lost."

"Oh, look at the little Omega trying to sound tough," she laughed, stepping closer until she was right in front of me. 

She leaned in, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper. "You used to run this city, Julian. Now look at you. You're just a broken, weak thing carrying a rival's bastard. Do you really think Ares wants you? You're just an incubator to him."

"I don't have time for your high-society drama," I said, turning away to leave.

"Wait, don't be like that. Let's have a drink for old times' sake," she said, her voice suddenly changing as she reached out, picking up two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. She handed one toward me. "To your ruined pride."

I looked down at the glass. The liquid looked normal, but a tiny, sharp chemical scent hit my nose, completely different from the sweet smell of the alcohol. I can clearly see her motive, either to kill me or my baby, but I don’t give a damn because I’m not taking shit from her.

My eyes snapped up to hers. She was smiling, but her hand was trembling slightly.

"You crazy bitch," I muttered, raising my hand to smash the glass out of her grip.

But Vivienne didn't wait. Realizing I had caught on, her face twisted into desperation. She lunged forward, grabbing my jaw with one hand and slamming the glass against my mouth, trying to force the toxic liquid down my throat.

"Drink it!" she hissed.

Before the glass could even chip my teeth, a dark shadow blurred past my vision.

Ares moved like lightning. His massive hand clamped around Vivienne’s wrist, squeezing so hard that the bone made a sickening pop. 

The champagne glass shattered instantly, pieces of glass and drink spraying across the floor. With one brutal force, Ares shoved her backward, pinning her flat against the wall with enough force to knock the wind out of her lungs.

A suffocating, terrifying wave of Ares' Alpha aura exploded through the ballroom. It was dark, and filled with murderous intent.

The music stopped. The chatter died instantly. The entire ballroom went completely silent, everyone freezing in place as the flashing cameras of the press turned toward the commotion. 

Vivienne slid down the wall, gasping for air, her face completely pale as she stared up at the terrifying man before her.

Ares didn't look at her. He turned around, his dark eyes instantly locking onto me.

Before I could say a single word or take a step back, Ares reached out, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me tightly against his chest. His arm wrapped around my waist, locking me against his broad, solid frame in a dominant grip I couldn't break.

I went completely rigid, my hands pressing against his chest to push him away. "Sterling, what the hell are you doing? Let go—"

Ares ignored me, his eyes sweeping over the shocked faces of the billionaires and reporters in the crowd. His voice rang out through the silent room, deep and deadly calm.

"Listen to me carefully," Ares barked, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. "Touch my mate or my child again, and I will erase your entire bloodline from this city."

The reporters started clicking their cameras frantically, the flashes blinding my eyes. I was trapped against his chest, the scent of his thick, protective aura completely surrounding me.

My mind was a chaotic mess. I still hated this strange world. I still hated being in a weak body, and I still hated the terrifying fact that I was pregnant. 

But as I felt the steady, powerful heartbeat of the man holding me, and noticed how the entire room trembled under his command, I couldn't deny the truth anymore. 

For the very first time since I woke up in this hell, I felt completely safe under the fierce protection of the Alpha I call my worst enemy.