All Chapters of HIS SUBSTITUTE MATE’S REVENGE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Wake up, Lyra. Look at me when I’m reclaiming what’s mine.”The rasp of Alpha Tristan Crowne’s voice hit me like a physical blow before my eyes even adjusted to the dim light of our quarters. I blinked, catching the sharp, metallic scent of expensive bourbon and the overwhelming musk of a predator. He was back from the Ironfang Airfield early.“Tristan? You’re back,” I managed to whisper, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.He didn’t answer with words. He leaned in, his lips crashing against mine in a kiss that tasted of dark liquor and cold dominance. It wasn't a reunion; it was an assertion of rank. I felt the phantom weight of the Mafia-style blood oath we’d taken when I became his substitute Luna—a duty to the Crowne Dominion, not a choice of the heart. I tried to shift, my hand instinctively moving toward my stomach.“Don't move. Stay under me,” he growled, his voice vibrating deep in his chest, making my inner wolf whimper in forced submission.“It’s our sec

Tristan, if I told you that our union has already borne fruit, that I am carrying your heir… would you still demand I sign those dissolution papers?”The question hung in the air of the medical wing, thick with the scent of sterile equipment and the heavy, metallic musk of an agitated Alpha. I stared into Tristan’s eyes, desperate for a crack in the ice, a single spark of the protective mate I’d imagined he could be.“We have been meticulous with our precautions, Lyra,” Tristan replied, his voice a low, chilling vibration that seemed to rattle the very bones of the room. “The chances are non-existent. But even if the moon had seen fit to curse us with a pup now, the directive remains unchanged. You would have to terminate it. The Crowne bloodline cannot be muddied by a substitute when the true Luna has returned to the pack.”The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold as a Blackmoor winter. He was commanding me to kill my own child before it even had a heartbeat, all to keep the M

“Stop playing the victim, Selene. I’m done being the submissive placeholder of this pack.”The words felt like fire in my throat as I stared down Regina Crowne and Selene Voss. For two years, I had walked these marble floors like a ghost, bowing my head to Regina’s insults and swallowing my pride to keep the Crowne Dominion’s internal politics from fracturing. But the divorce papers were already drawn. The mask was off.I ignored their gasps and walked straight to Victor Hale, taking the seat of honor right beside him.“Lyra, you finally found your teeth,” Victor rumbled, his eyes gleaming with approval.The heavy front doors groaned open, and Alpha Tristan Crowne stepped into the foyer. Before he could even shed his coat, Selene was on him, her fingers curling around his arm like a parasite.“Tristan, you’re finally home from the ice,” she purred, her voice a saccharine weapon. “I’ve been waiting for you to lead the pack meeting.”Tristan’s jaw tightened. He didn't lean into her; ins

“Get out!”I managed to choke the words through the bile as I waved a trembling hand at Alpha Tristan Crowne. Every heave felt like my soul was trying to escape my body. I stayed hunched over the sink in the Crowne Dominion Tower, the cool porcelain the only thing keeping me upright.Tristan’s shadow loomed over me, thick with a scent of forest pine and the metallic edge of a predator. He didn't leave. Instead, his hand clamped around mine, his grip radiating an Alpha’s heat that I once found comforting. Now, it just felt like a brand.“You’re ghost-pale, Lyra. I’m taking you to the medical wing. That’s not a request,” he growled, his voice a low vibration that commanded my wolf to submit.I ripped my hand away, leaning against the cold tile wall as the world tilted. The secret of the pup in my belly felt like a ticking bomb. If I let a pack doctor touch me, the House of Crowne would own me forever.“I’m fine, Alpha,” I spat, forcing the frost into my voice. “It’s just a reaction to t

The layout of the suite was designed for tactical oversight, allowing me a clear line of sight into the kitchen from the velvet sofa. I watched as Tristan rolled up his sleeves, the rhythmic thud of his blade against the cutting board echoing the steady beat of a warrior's heart. His muscular, scarred forearms flexed with every movement—fluid, precise, and dangerously enchanting.My wolf paced in the back of my mind, as confused as I was. We were at the edge of the abyss, the divorce papers practically screaming from my bag, yet here he was, performing these intimate acts of care that felt like silver binding my heart.Before I could untangle my thoughts, Tristan was there, placing a steaming bowl of clam chowder on the low table. The heat from the bowl misted between us."Eat it while the steam is still rising, Lyra," he commanded, though the rough edge of his Alpha voice had softened into something almost tender.The aroma, which usually smelled like home, hit my heightened pregnanc