Alpha Dante’s Obsession

Kaia’s POV “Where’s Seth?!” I screamed, my voice cracking as another wave of pain ripped through me. My hands gripped the sides of the bed as I pushed with every ounce of strength I had left. “He’s right there! I know he can hear me!” The room did a quick spin around me. “Kaia, you need to breathe,” the doctor urged, her calm tone doing too little to reassure me. Breathe? How could I breathe when I was being torn apart—body, heart, and soul—all at once? My breaths came in shallow gasps. He wasn't here. He was supposed to be here. Mates didn't abandon each other at a time like this—not during the birth of their child. It was sacred, traditional. He'd promised me that he'd be by my side, that no matter what, we'd face this together. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, the anger and pain threatening to drown me. "He's right across this room. I know he can hear me," I rasped, glaring at the wall as if I could see through it, to him, to whatever was so much more important than his mate and his child. “Kaia, focus,” the doctor encouraged, her tone tense but firm. “You’re almost there. Just one more push, I promise.” “He’s supposed to be here.” I clenched my teeth, the effort pulling a guttural cry from my throat. “He promised!” Tears freely ran down my face and not just from the pain, but from the unavoidable truth. Seth wasn’t coming. He was right across the hall. I could feel him, smell him, even hear the subtle hum of his voice through the thin walls. Then through the blinding pain, I felt the sudden emptiness, like something was sharply wrenched out of me. My baby. “It's a boy,” they said and my heart temporarily swelled with warmth as I watched the doctor wrap the tiny body in a blanket before murmuring something I didn’t hear while they exchanged grim expressions. Something was wrong. The room was too silent. The cries I'd been waiting for,longing for never came. My chest heaved as I forced myself upright, trembling, searching their eyes for an answer. “What happened?” I rasped, my voice raw. “What's wrong with my baby? Why isn't he crying?” The doctor glanced briefly at the nurse, her lips pressing into a thin line. I could tell she didn’t want to answer. “Please, you need to rest—” she began. The pity in her eyes made my stomach twist. “Bring him here!” I interrupted, my voice breaking. “Bring my boy here!” The nurse hesitated before stepping forward and placing the tiny bundle in my trembling arms. He was beautiful, so perfect with tiny fingers, a button nose, soft lips. But his skin was too cold, his body too still. "No," I whispered, shaking my head as panic clawed at my throat. "No, no, no. He's just tired. He just needs a moment." The doctor stepped closer, speaking softly. "Kaia... I'm so sorry. He was stillborn." The word shattered me. "No!" I screamed as I clutched him tighter, tears streaming down my face and onto the blanket. "He can't be. He can't.” “There's nothing we can do anymore,” “Call Seth.” My voice cracked. “Tell him—tell him I need him. His child has been born. He has to be here!” “Kaia…” The doctor hesitated, her tone softening, but there was something apologetic in her eyes that made my chest tighten. “What?” I demanded, my voice trembling. “We already asked,” she finally admitted. “He said… he wouldn’t be here.” I froze, the pain in my chest cutting through my haze. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears blurred my vision. “No, he wouldn’t… He promised. He promised!” I grabbed one of the nurses’ hands and with desperation in my eyes, I begged, “Please, bring him to me.” “We can’t force an Alpha to—” She said hesitantly. “Don’t you dare say that to me!” I cut her off, glaring at her through my tears. “This is his child! His blood! He doesn’t get to choose not to be here!” They stared blankly at me. “Fine!” I snapped as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My body screamed in protest, but I pushed through the pain. “Kaia, stop!” The doctor tried, but I was already on my feet, stumbling toward the door. My legs felt weak, every step a struggle, but the anger inside me pushed through the pain. Seth’s voice drifted through the door, the low hums growing louder as I got closer. My chest tightened with each word of his which I couldn’t quite make out. I reached the door, pressing my hand against the cool wood and clutching my baby tightly. I tried to steady my breath then I shoved it open. And froze. There he was—my mate, Alpha Seth. His bare back glistened in the dim light as he moved over her. I didn’t need to see her face. His scent was enough. “Elma,” My voice cracked, my hands shaking around my baby as my heart splintered into a million pieces. They stopped. Seth’s head snapped toward me, his eyes wide with shock. “Kaia…” he stammered, his voice low, cautious. “What are you—?” “…Doing here?” I finished for him, my voice shaking with rage. “Nothing. Just watching my mate screw my sister!” Elma smirked, pulling the sheet lazily around herself as Seth immediately stood like she wasn’t the filthiest thing in the room. “Oh, Kaia,” she drawled. “Don’t you ever knock?” I ignored her, my eyes locked on Seth as he approached me. “How could you do this to me? After everything I’ve given up for you!” He stepped back after taking a look at the bundle in my hands, dragging a hand through his hair as irritation flickered across his face. “Given me everything?” he repeated, his voice hardening. “What’s that?” he nudged towards my child. “Our child,” I croaked as the pain suddenly came flooding in once again. “A stillborn?” He spat with repulsion and Elma broke into a loud laughter. “You had one job, Kaia—to give me an heir, and all you could produce was this… disgrace.” “Seth, please, don't say that. We can have many more in the fut…” “You’ve given me nothing but headaches. Did you really think I’d take someone like you—a wolfless nobody—as my Luna?” The words struck like a slap. “A nobody?!” I yelled in shock, adrenaline pumping through my veins. “I am the daughter of the late Alpha Vormount. I am Kaia Vormount, the rightful Alpha of DaneMount pack..!” Elma’s laugh sliced through the silence, cruel and mocking. “He’s right, you know,” she said, sitting up to flaunt the diamond ring on her finger. “What good is an Alpha princess who doesn’t even have a wolf? Honestly, Kaia, you’re embarrassing yourself.” “Shut your mouth!” I snarled, lurching toward her. Seth caught my arm before I could reach her, his grip tight enough to bruise. He pulled me back and his expression darkened. “Don’t you dare touch her,” he said dangerously. “Leave. Now.” I staggered but didn’t back down, pointing a shaking finger at him. “You’re going to order me out? I made you Alpha, Seth. I sacrificed my position for you!” A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. “And I made you an omega in return.” The words hit harder than any blow. My vision blurred, my ears rang. I lunged at him, tears streaming down my face, but the guards stormed in before I could lay a hand on him. “No! Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing against them as they dragged me out of the room. My cries echoed down the hall like that of a wounded animal and blood trailed down the steps. But Seth didn’t follow. And as the door slammed shut behind me, I realized he never would. I was fuming. I’d given my rightful position to my mate simply because he had marked me, because it was his dream, because I believed I was too weak to rule as a wolfless female Alpha. I had exchanged my position for his, an omega slave because that was the only way it could be done, believing that it’ll only be for a while until he’ll finally marry me and make me his Luna. Afterall, he’d marked me already. As the guards dragged back into the slave quarters where I now belonged, the weight of betrayal struck deep into my core. I was a fool. A fool who deserved this. As my heart raced with rage and my lower abdomen throbbed with pain, my mind raked for a solution, an escape. Wait… an escape. I couldn’t stay here any longer. I’d lost too much here. The Seth I had once thought that I knew, the one I had once loved, was now gone. Now, he’d do whatever it took to protect his position, even if that meant getting rid of the one threat to his position as Alpha. Me. I grabbed a small bag and began stuffing it with whatever I could find—clothes, a little food, anything that might help me. My hands trembled as I held the bag, my body still weak and vulnerable. My mind raced with uncertainty. I didn’t have a plan and everywhere—from my lower abdomen and downwards, burned. All I had left was the desperate need to get as far away from here as possible. The hallways were quiet as I slipped out of the slave quarters. Every creak of the floorboards made my heart skip a beat. Although limping, I tried to move as quickly as possible. It was only a matter of time before Seth would come for me now. Outside, the night air hit me like a slap. Everywhere was pitch black and the courtyard was empty except for a couple of guards near the gate. I kept my head down, struggling to walk as casually as I could manage. I knew those guards—they’d known me since I was a kid. If they noticed me, they probably wouldn’t think twice about letting me go. At least, that’s what I told myself. The gate was just ahead, the sight of it pulling me forward as hope rekindled in my chest. Before long, I was only a few steps away and I could almost taste it. Freedom at last… “And where do you think you're going?” I froze as I heard Seth’s voice boom from behind me.