Spoiled By My Ex-Mate Uncle

SKYLAR_POV Music and laughter spilled from the pack house, the grand hall glowing under the soft light of chandeliers. My heart pounding so loudly I was sure the entire pack could hear it. He’s here. Zane was back. My stomach twisted as the guards swung the large doors open upon our arrival, letting us into the opulent hall. And then I saw him. Zane stood beside his father at the head of the room, tall and devastating in a black suit, his dark hair slightly messy, his smirk effortless as he entertained a group of high-ranking wolves. My breath caught. For a second, I let myself imagine running to him, throwing my arms around his neck, whispering the news against his lips—We’re having a pup, Zane. Yours and mine. But then his eyes met mine. And the warmth I expected—the recognition, the love—I’d seen in them that night was’nt there. Instead, his gaze was cold. Distant. Like I was nothing more than a stranger. My smile died. And then I saw her. A gorgeous she-wolf with auburn hair and a dress that clung to every curve stood at his side, her fingers possessive around his arm. She whispered something in his ear, and Zane smirked—the same smirk I’d thought was only for me. What…? Before I could process it, Zane's mother, Luna Grace, rushed toward us. Her face lit up when she saw my mother. "Lauren!" she called out, her voice ringing like a bell, cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. All eyes snapped to us. The two women embraced. Best friends since childhood. Then the Luna pulled away, her perfectly sculpted brows furrowing. "Are you all here for the party?" she asked, her tone light, as if this were just another casual evening. Just then my father excused himself from the Alpha, his expression tight as he joined us. "Sorry honey, I didn’t come home earlier like I promised," he muttered to my mother, but then his gaze flickered to me—really looked at me—and something in his face shifted. "What’s wrong?" The question hung in the air, sharp as a blade. My mother didn’t hesitate. "We’re here to see the alpha and Luna." Luna Grace blinked, her smile faltering. "What is it?" Alpha Richard’s brows furrowed, but he nodded, gesturing for us to approach. The music had already begun to fade, the laughter dying down as the entire pack turned their attention toward us. My pulse roared in my ears, my fingers trembling at my sides. And then, without preamble, my mother said aloud. "Skylar is pregnant. And Zane is the father." The silence was deafening. Even the musicians had stopped playing, the last notes of the song dissolving into nothing. Then chaos. Luna Grace’s hand flew to her mouth. Alpha Richard’s stood from his throne, his eyes snapping to his son. “Zane?” his father demanded. Zane didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. Luna Grace turned to him, her voice trembling. “Why didn’t you tell us Skylar was your mate?” Mate. The word sent a flicker of hope through me. Maybe now he’d say it. Maybe now he’d finally— “She’s mistaken.” Zane’s voice was calm. Flat. Like he was discussing the weather. My breath caught. What? "The bond was a mistake," he added, his voice dripping with disdain. I flinched as if struck. "A mistake?" “I found my real mate while I was away.” The words hit me like a physical blow. Real mate. As if what we’d shared had been nothing. A lie. A mistake. Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Stop playing this prank, Zane. This isn’t funny. You knew we were fated—" “I was wrong,” His voice was ice. “I don’t know what you felt, Skylar, but it wasn’t a mate bond.” The hall spun. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening!!! “Then who?” Luna Grace demanded. “Who is your mate?” Zane stepped forward, his movements deliberate, and then—like a knife to the gut—he stretched his hand invitingly to her. The she-wolf with the auburn hair, the one who had been clinging to him all night. Tall. Beautiful. Confident. A woman I’d never seen before. Zane’s face softened—actually softened—as she approached, his hand reaching for hers. Then he announced, his voice carrying across the hall. "This is Jupita, Alpha Carlson’s duaghter of the Evergreen’s pack. She's my true mate. My future Luna!" Jupita smiled proudly, her fingers intertwining with his as though she truly belonged there. The room swayed. My knees buckled, but Oliver was there, his grip firm on my arm as he steadied me. "Skylar," he murmured, his voice tight with worry. "Are you alright?" But I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t breathe. All I could see was Zane—my Zane—standing there with another woman, denying me. Denying us. This isn’t happening. This isn’t real. My hands trembled at my sides, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood. No. No, no— I had felt it. The bond. The way our wolves had recognized each other that night, the way his teeth had sunk into my skin, marking me as his. The way he had whispered against my mouth. And now… now he was looking at me like I was nothing. Jupita sneered beside him, her fingers tightening possessively around Zane’s arm, her eyes glinting with triumph. Rage—hot and blinding—surged through me. "You're lying,” I whispered, my voice raw. Zane’s jaw tightened. "Drop it, Skylar." "No!" The word tore from me, desperate. "You marked me! You claimed me! You told me—" "Bullshit," he snapped, his voice dripping with disgust. "You really think I would waste my time with a w***e like you?" A w***e? The word struck like a slap. My breath hitched. Then his lips curled into a smug. "And now you show up here, pregnant, expecting what? That I’d just accept some bastard pup as mine?" Bastard pup. Something inside me snapped. Before I could think, my hand flew out— CRACK. The sound of my palm striking his cheek echoed through the silent room. Zane’s head snapped to the side. A red mark bloomed across his skin. Gasps erupted around us. The Alpha’s growl of warning rumbled through the room, deep and threatening, and my father immediately stepped forward, his voice pleading. "Alpha forgive her—" But I didn’t care. "How dare you," I hissed, my voice shaking with fury. "How dare you call our pup a bastard! You knew what we were! You knew—" Zane eyes darkened, his wolf flashing behind them as he bared his teeth. "I, Zane Blackwood, future Alpha of the Shadow Vale Pack, reject you, Skylar Ravenwood, as my mate." The pain was instant. It felt like my soul was being ripped in half, like my bones were breaking from the inside out. A scream tore from my lips as I collapsed to the ground, my arms wrapping around my stomach, as if I could protect my unborn pup from the agony coursing through me. Tears blurred my vision, but I still saw Zane’s merciless expression as he looked down at me. Zane’s laugh cut me off—cold, mocking. "Gods, you’re pathetic. So desperate to trap an Alpha’s son that you’d lie about a mate bond?" My vision blurred. "I didn’t lie." "Then you’re delusional." His gaze raked over me, filled with disdain. "Or just a w***e who spread her legs for the first guy who paid her attention." The words were a knife to the chest. I stumbled back, my legs threatening to give out. No. This wasn’t the boy I’d loved. This wasn’t the Zane who had held me like I was precious. This was a stranger. A monster. "Zane," Luna Grace gasped, horrified. But he wasn’t done. "You want to know the truth, Skylar?" His smile was cruel. "You want to know why you’ve never been ranked? Why you’ve always been treated differently by the whole pack?” A chill slithered down my spine. "Its because you're an outsider!" He spat. Outsider? Confusion cut through the pain. I turned to Oliver, my breath coming in ragged gasps, but the look on his face—horrified, guilty—sent a new wave of dread through me. Then I looked at my parents. And their expressions told me everything. Zane wasn’t done. "You’re a nobody," he sneered. "A stray picked up from the river border. Did you really think you belonged here?" Oliver lunged for him, grabbing his shoulders. "Bastard! Shut up—" But it was too late. The words were already out. The pack erupted into jeers, their voices rising like a wave of venom. "Freak!" "Outsider!" "She tricked our future Alpha!" The Alpha’s voice cut through the chaos, cold and final. "Since Skylar now knows her true identity," he said, his gaze flickering to my parents, "she will be banished according to the laws of the pack!" "No Alpha! I beg you!” My mother–no—Lauren cried. The words ‘BANISHED’ didn’t register at first. Then they did. And the world ended.!