SOLD TO THE RUTHLESS ALPHA

The Bloodline Heir

The room fell silent.

I stared at Kael, waiting for him to laugh.

Waiting for him to tell me this was some cruel joke.

Some misunderstanding.

Anything.

But he didn't.

His golden eyes remained fixed on mine.

Steady.

Certain.

Unwavering.

And somehow that terrified me more than anything else.

"You are the last surviving heir of the Mooncrest Bloodline."

The words echoed inside my head.

Again.

And again.

And again.

"No."

My voice cracked.

Kael didn't move.

"No," I repeated, shaking my head. "That's impossible."

I backed away from him.

One step.

Then another.

My chest tightened painfully.

"You have the wrong person."

His expression softened slightly.

"We don't."

Anger suddenly exploded inside me.

The kind of anger born from fear.

From confusion.

From having your entire world ripped apart in the span of two days.

"Stop saying things like that!"

The words burst out of me.

"I am not some lost princess."

My voice trembled.

"I am not some heir."

I laughed bitterly.

The sound felt broken.

"I couldn't even shift."

The room grew quiet.

Pain flashed across Kael's face.

"You think I don't know that?" I continued.

"You think I don't know what people used to say about me?"

The memories hit me like a storm.

The whispers.

The stares.

The laughter.

The pity.

"Poor Aria."

"Maybe the Moon Goddess rejected her."

"She'll never shift."

"She's defective."

My eyes burned.

"I spent my whole life being treated like I wasn't enough."

My throat tightened.

"Now suddenly I'm important?"

The tears came before I could stop them.

"I don't believe it."

For a long moment, Kael said nothing.

Then quietly, he spoke.

"Neither did your mother."

I froze.

My heart skipped.

"What?"

His gaze shifted toward the fire.

For the first time, he looked almost...sad.

"She never wanted this life for you."

The room seemed smaller.

My pulse quickened.

"You knew my mother?"

Silence.

Too much silence.

Then finally—

"Yes."

The answer hit me harder than expected.

My knees nearly gave out.

"You knew her?"

Kael nodded once.

A thousand questions immediately flooded my mind.

What was she like?

Did she love me?

What happened to her?

Why did she leave me?

Why—

"Tell me."

The words escaped before I could stop them.

His jaw tightened.

"Aria—"

"No."

I stepped closer.

For the first time since meeting him, I wasn't afraid.

I was desperate.

"You owe me that much."

Pain flickered in his eyes.

A brief flash.

Gone almost instantly.

But I saw it.

And suddenly I knew.

Whatever happened to my mother...

It still haunted him.

"Please."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

Something inside Kael seemed to break.

He looked away.

Then finally spoke.

"Your mother was one of the strongest women I've ever known."

My heart clenched.

The words felt precious.

Like pieces of someone I'd lost long ago.

A tiny smile touched his lips.

"She was stubborn."

I blinked.

"Stubborn?"

His smile deepened slightly.

"Very."

Something warm stirred inside my chest.

For the first time in years...

I was hearing about her.

Not as a memory.

Not as a dream.

But as a real person.

"She fought for everything she loved."

His voice became quieter.

"Especially you."

The tears returned immediately.

I hated them.

But I couldn't stop them.

"Then why isn't she here?"

The room fell silent.

The warmth disappeared from Kael's face.

His eyes darkened.

And suddenly I knew the answer before he spoke.

My heart shattered anyway.

"Because she died protecting you."

The words crushed me.

I couldn't breathe.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't move.

The tears spilled freely down my cheeks.

A sob escaped me.

Then another.

Then another.

My mother was gone.

Gone.

And I would never get to meet her.

Never hear her voice.

Never know what it felt like to be loved by her.

The grief was unbearable.

I covered my face.

Trying to stop the pain.

Trying to stop the tears.

Trying to stop my heart from breaking.

But nothing worked.

Nothing.

And for some reason...

I felt arms wrap around me.

Strong.

Warm.

Protective.

My entire body froze.

Kael.

For a moment I should have pulled away.

Should have stepped back.

Should have remembered who he was.

But I couldn't.

Because for the first time since my world fell apart...

I didn't feel alone.

The realization scared me.

So I stepped back immediately.

Putting distance between us.

Kael didn't stop me.

He simply looked away.

As though he regretted crossing the line.

The silence between us became awkward.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Then suddenly—

BANG!

The office door burst open.

Rowan stormed inside.

Breathing hard.

His face pale.

My stomach dropped instantly.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Alpha."

Kael immediately straightened.

"What happened?"

Rowan looked grim.

"The eastern border has fallen."

The room went cold.

My pulse skyrocketed.

"What?"

Kael's voice was deadly calm.

"They broke through."

Fear crawled up my spine.

The enemy.

They were here.

Rowan's expression darkened.

"And they're heading directly for the pack house."

My blood ran cold.

Directly for us.

No.

Not us.

Me.

They were coming for me.

Kael was already moving.

His Alpha mask sliding back into place.

Cold.

Powerful.

Terrifying.

"Gather the warriors."

Rowan nodded.

"They're waiting."

Kael turned toward the door.

Then paused.

His eyes landed on me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Something passed between us.

Something I didn't understand.

Something dangerous.

Then he reached into his pocket.

And tossed something onto the desk.

A small silver key.

"If anything happens," he said quietly.

"Use that."

I frowned.

"What does it open?"

For a second, something strange crossed his face.

Regret.

"Answers."

Before I could ask another question—

He was gone.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Leaving me alone.

The sounds of battle quickly erupted outside.

Howls.

Roars.

Screams.

The clash of steel.

Fear gripped my chest.

I stared at the silver key resting on the desk.

Answers.

What answers?

Curiosity slowly began overpowering fear.

I picked it up.

The metal felt strangely warm.

Almost familiar.

My gaze swept across the room.

Then I noticed something.

A bookshelf.

One shelf looked slightly uneven.

My heart skipped.

Slowly, I walked toward it.

The key fit perfectly into a hidden lock.

Click.

The shelf shifted.

A secret compartment opened.

Inside sat a small wooden box.

My hands trembled.

I opened it.

And froze.

Pictures.

Dozens of them.

Old drawings.

Letters.

Maps.

Notes.

Every single one about me.

My breath caught.

There was a drawing of me gathering herbs.

One of me by the river.

One of me outside my cottage.

Some were years old.

Years.

My hands shook violently.

This wasn't recent.

This wasn't coincidence.

This meant—

Kael had been watching me long before he ever arrived at my pack.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

Why?

Why would he do that?

Then my eyes landed on one final document at the bottom.

Unlike the others, it looked ancient.

Folded.

Worn.

Protected.

My fingers trembled as I opened it.

And the moment I saw the signature at the bottom—

The world stopped.

Because written in elegant handwriting were the words:

Protect my daughter at all costs.

And beneath them...

Was my mother's name.