my fated alpha mate

Chapter 4: A Night That Changed Everything

Mia's POV

The banquet hall was crowded that night, glasses clinking and laughter echoing off the high ceilings as I moved between the tables balancing a tray of drinks. As I worked, I couldn't help but overhear a cluster of girls gathered near the wine table, their voices hushed with excitement.

"Have you heard? The Alpha is throwing a party here tonight."

"I'd give anything just to catch a glimpse of him."

"If only he'd choose me..."

"Keep dreaming. If anyone's getting picked, it's going to be me."

I kept my head down and continued weaving through the crowd, a tray balanced carefully on one arm. Their excitement meant nothing to me. What did it matter who the Alpha chose, or what woman he decided was worthy of his attention? None of that had anything to do with me.

What's the point of chasing after an alpha, I thought to myself, adjusting my grip on the tray. Earning enough money to get away from that house is all that matters to me now.

With that thought settled firmly in my mind, I made my way toward one of the rooms to deliver a bottle of wine that had been requested. But before I could even raise my hand to knock, the door swung open from the inside, and a hand closed around my wrist, yanking me into the room so fast the tray nearly slipped from my grip.

The door shut behind me, and in the next instant my back hit the wall, his mouth crashing against mine before I could even process what was happening.

It was Alpha Ethan Blackwood. Every woman in that ballroom would have traded anything to be in my position — the man practically every unmarried she-wolf in the city dreamed about — and yet something about him in that moment felt wrong. Desperate, almost. His hands were shaking slightly as he pulled back just enough to speak.

"Help me," he said, his voice low and urgent, "and I'll pay you enough money that you'll never have to work another day in your life." He reached into his jacket and produced a black card, pressing it into my hand. "Don't be afraid. You won't get pregnant — I'm sterile. It's medically confirmed."

My mind raced. I looked down at the card in my palm, turning it over once, and a single thought crystallized above all the panic and confusion.

With this money, I could finally save enough for tuition. I could get away from that house for good.

So I agreed. Without another thought, without asking a single question about who he was or why he needed this, I let him guide me toward the bed. Just before anything happened, he paused long enough to ask my name.

"Mia," I whispered.

The next morning, I woke to sunlight filtering through unfamiliar curtains, and beside me, still asleep, was Ethan Blackwood. My heart pounded as the memories of the night before came rushing back. Quietly, carefully, I slid the black card off the nightstand where he'd left it and clutched it to my chest.

With this, I can finally leave that house. I can go to school. I can start over.

I dressed as quickly and silently as I could, gathering my things with trembling hands, and slipped out of the room without looking back.

Moments after the door clicked shut behind me, Ethan stirred awake, reaching instinctively for the space beside him. He found it empty.

"She's gone," he murmured, sitting up, his brow furrowing in confusion he couldn't quite explain.

Deep within him, the wolf stirred, its voice cutting through his thoughts sharp and irritated. i***t. That woman is your fated mate. You're just going to let her walk away like that?

Ethan shook his head, dismissing the thought outright. "Impossible. I was born sterile. There's no way I could have a mate — the two things don't go together. She's nothing but a fluke. A coincidence."

But even as he said it, some small part of him wasn't entirely convinced.

------

I didn't waste a single day. The moment I left that hotel room, I went straight to the city college and submitted my application, and to my relief, I was accepted almost immediately. Classes began within the week, and for the first time in longer than I could remember, I let myself believe things might actually get better.

That hope didn't last long. A few weeks into the semester, I started feeling nauseous every morning, exhausted no matter how much I slept, and eventually the symptoms became impossible to ignore. I went to the hospital for a checkup, sitting nervously in the exam room while the doctor reviewed my results.

"Congratulations, Miss Mia," he said, looking up from the chart with a warm smile. "You're pregnant."

I stared at him, certain I had misheard. "Pregnant? That's impossible. He told me he couldn't have children."

But the results didn't lie, and neither did the doctor's calm, professional confirmation. I left the hospital that day in a daze, my hand pressed against my stomach, my mind spinning with questions I had no answers to.

I didn't get far before I ran straight into my stepmother and Lyra standing near the entrance, as though they'd been waiting for me.

"Mia, there you are," my stepmother said, her voice dripping with false concern. "Do you have any idea how much damage you caused this family by running away?"

Before I could respond, Lyra snatched the folded test results out of my hand and scanned them, her eyes widening with cruel delight. "You're pregnant? What blind fool would go for someone like you? You're such a slut. I always knew you were loose."

My stepmother's hand connected with my cheek before I even saw it coming, the sting spreading across my face as tears sprang to my eyes.

"You only ever bring shame to this family," she hissed, then turned and snapped her fingers at the two guards waiting by the car. "Take her home."

What neither of them realized was that every cruel word they spoke, every accusation they threw at me, and the slap my stepmom gave me had all been witnessed.

Standing quietly near the hospital entrance was Xavier Kingsley.

Alpha Ethan Blackwood's personal assistant.

He had come to City Hospital on business, never expecting to witness a young woman being humiliated by her own family.

His eyes followed as the guards forced me into the waiting car.

Something about me seemed strangely familiar.

Frowning, he turned and walked back into the hospital.

As Alpha Ethan's personal assistant, he had full access to the hospital's records.

He made his way to the doctor's office and presented his identification.

"I need to verify the medical records of the young woman who just left."

The doctor recognized the Blackwood authorization and handed him the examination file.

Xavier carefully reviewed every page.

His eyes stopped on one line.

Pregnancy confirmed.

His expression became serious.

He immediately requested a confidential DNA verification through the hospital's Alpha bloodline database.

Several tense minutes later, the final report appeared on the screen.

His eyes widened.

Probability of paternity: 99.99%.

Father: Alpha Ethan Blackwood.

Xavier stared at the report in disbelief.

"So... Alpha Ethan can have children."

He quickly gathered the report and hurried out of the office.

"I have to report this to Alpha Ethan immediately."

Meanwhile, completely unaware of what was happening, I was being driven back to the one place I had prayed I would never have to return.

The Hawthorne residence.