All Chapters of ALPHA Arthur: The Mate Who Lied: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

The scent of rosemary and roasted lamb filled the kitchen, a sharp contrast to the biting winter wind rattling the windowpanes of the Blackwood Pack House. Phineas wiped a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of a flour-dusted hand. Three years. Three years of balancing ledgers, turning the pack’s debt into a surplus, and making sure every pup had a coat for the winter.Today was different. Today, the permanent ache in his chest felt lighter.He touched the small, handwritten note in his pocket—the lab results from the pack doctor. Positive. An Omega of his rank, a "bottom-tier" male with a sluggish wolf, shouldn't have been able to conceive. It was a miracle. A gift for Arthur. A way to finally seal the cracks in their marriage."He’s going to love it, Phin," Clement said, leaning against the doorframe. His younger brother was tossing a silver coin, catching it with a rhythmic clink. "The Alpha King deserves a feast after the border raids."Phineas smiled, though it didn't quite

The rain hammers against the roof of the SUV like a thousand drumsticks. Inside, the air smells of expensive leather and the sharp, metallic tang of Lucian’s power. It’s heavy. It’s thick. It makes my skin crawl, but it’s the only thing keeping the freezing night at bay.Lucian leans back, his silhouette a jagged mountain of shadow against the city lights. He doesn't offer a blanket. He doesn't offer a hand. He pulls a sleek, carbon-fiber tablet from the seat pocket and slides it toward me."I don't do charity," Lucian says. The words are cold stones dropping into a deep well. "You’re a stray. A rejected, pregnant Omega with a pack mark that’s currently rotting off your neck. You won't last forty-eight hours in the neutral zone before the scavengers rip that pup out of you just for the sport of it."My breath hitches. I wrap my arms tighter around my middle. The tiny life inside me pulses—a faint, desperate heartbeat against my own."I need a 'Mate,'" Lucian continues, his gaze fixed

The penthouse elevator doors hiss shut, sealing out the world and the lingering scent of Arthur’s blood. The silence in the foyer is heavy, a thick blanket that stifles my breath. I walk three steps into the living area before the strength leaves my knees.I hit the floor.My palms slap against the cold marble, the impact vibrating up my arms. The designer suit—the armor I wore to crush Arthur’s soul—now feels like a lead shroud.A sob rips out of my throat. It’s a jagged, ugly sound.I’m not crying for Arthur. I’m not crying for the pack house or the years I spent scrubbing their floors. I’m crying for the boy who believed that if he just worked hard enough, if he just loved deeply enough, he would be enough. I’m crying for the three years of my life that were nothing but a lie built on a foundation of "placeholder" promises."Get up."Lucian’s voice is a low vibration against my back. He doesn't touch me. He stands there, a pillar of dark shadow, watching me crumble."I can't," I ch