His Rejected Mate, Their Secret Child

Avelisse’s POV The door creaked open beneath my trembling hand, the sound slicing through the silence. I only pushed it a little, just enough for a thin breath of air to slip past. A faint draft touched my face, carrying the scent of dust, old wood, and something else... something I couldn’t quite name but that made my stomach tighten in dread. My body went still. For a heartbeat, I wished I hadn’t touched the door at all. A low, breathless moan cut through the stillness, sharp enough to make my whole body go rigid. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The air was thick, stifling, heavy with the smell of sweat and s*x that burned in my throat. Sheets rustled. The sound of skin meeting skin echoed like a slap, and my stomach twisted hard. Then I saw him. The man who would ruin me. The man who would change everything. He was inside her, moving with a kind of raw power that didn’t seem real. Every line of his body looked built for sin, muscles straining and shifting under skin that caught the light. His movements were controlled, strong, merciless. I hated that I couldn’t look away. And then he turned. Those storm-gray eyes met mine, and for a moment, the world stopped. My heart stuttered. My lungs refused to work. The room, the woman, the noise… it all faded until it was only him and me, locked in a silence that pressed against my chest. Something inside me shattered and ignited at the same time. My wolf stirred, trembling. Mate. The word ripped through me like lightning, burning its mark into my very soul. The bond hit me like lightning. My stomach twisted painfully as my gaze roamed, unbidden, over his body that was tall, broad, sculpted to perfection. His c**k, his chest, the sharp lines of his abdomen. He was devastating, and I hated myself for looking, for wanting. His beauty felt like a weapon. But his eyes, goddess, those eyes. Cold, bleak, as though life had drained out of him long ago. They made my heart ache in a way I didn’t understand. For a moment, we only stared. The world stopped spinning. I thought he would say something, anything, but he didn’t. He just walked toward me. Each step was measured, heavy, deliberate. My breath came shallow, my body trembling from a pull I couldn’t fight. When he stopped in front of me, so close I could feel his heat, his scent hit me like a blow, male, intoxicating, mixed with the woman he was still buried in moments ago. My wolf whimpered. My human side burned. Then, without a word, he slammed the door in my face. The sound echoed through my bones. It all rushed in at once… the humiliation, the disbelief, the realization that my mate, the one chosen by the Moon Goddess herself, was Alpha Dante Laurent. The ruthless Alpha. The one everyone feared. And he had looked at me like I was nothing. My knees gave way, and I slid down the wall, the cold marble biting against my legs. My throat burned, but no tears came. Only the dull throb of rejection pulsing through every inch of me. My mate was on the other side of that door, inside another woman. Fuck. I wanted to scream, to claw the door, to demand why. But what good would it do? He didn’t want me. I saw it in his eyes, hatred, not curiosity. This was the man Evillahad sold me to. My stepmother. The woman who bled my father’s pack dry after he died and then traded me away to cover the debts she created. I came from Jasmine Pack, a home built by my father’s hands, only to be taken over by Evilla and her vile son, Rafael. My own bloodline reduced to a bargaining chip. To them, I wasn’t family. I was payment. A soft voice broke the silence. “I’m sorry about that.” I blinked up, startled. A young woman stood a few steps away, her expression gentle but cautious. “Oh… hello,” I managed, my voice hollow. “I’m Angelou. Madam Janela said I’ll be attending to you.” Her smile was polite, too practiced. She knew exactly what had happened. “Can you show me to another room?” I asked quietly. “The second floor, preferably.” Anything to get away from him. Her eyes glazed for a second, she was mind-linking someone. When she focused again, she looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. You’ll have to stay on this floor.” Of course I would. He wanted me close enough to control, but not close enough to see. I forced a nod. “Fine.” Before Angelou could lead the way, a small figure peeked out from the corner of the hallway. A little girl with golden-brown curls and wide gray eyes… it was the same storm-gray eyes as Dante. She couldn’t have been more than six. “Hi,” she said brightly, clutching a stuffed wolf against her chest. “Are you my daddy’s mate?” My breath caught. Daddy’s mate. Angelou let out a soft, nervous laugh. “Fleur, honey, you should be in your room.” But the girl, Fleur, ignored her and walked closer, tiny footsteps echoing in the hallway. Her scent was soft and sweet, like wildflowers after rain. She tilted her head at me curiously, completely untouched by the darkness that wrapped around this house. I knelt down, unsure why my chest suddenly ached. “Hi,” I whispered back. She beamed at me, missing one of her front teeth. “You’re pretty,” she said with the kind of honesty only a child could have. “Daddy never brings pretty girls home.” My throat tightened. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just smiled weakly. “Come on, Fleur,” Angelou gently coaxed her. “Miss Avelisse needs to rest.” Fleur pouted but nodded obediently. Before she turned away, she waved at me. “Goodnight, pretty lady.” I watched her disappear down the hall, her soft curls bouncing, leaving behind a strange warmth in a house that otherwise felt cold. Angelou finally guided me down the hall to a room right next to his. The proximity felt cruel. The suite was lavish; a round bed, soft lighting, the rich scent of cedarwood and something faintly floral but it still felt like a cage. “These doors lead to the balcony and the bathroom,” she said softly, gesturing before she excused herself. “Dinner will be served soon.” I murmured a thank-you, though my voice barely made a sound. When she left, the silence grew unbearable. My body ached, but not from exhaustion, it’s from the bond. From being rejected the second it formed and I hated this kind of feeling. Of all the things in this world, getting hurt is the one I’ve always hated the most. But what can I do? Maybe this is how fate was always meant to be for me. ‘Elis?’ my wolf called softly inside my mind. ‘I’m here,’ I whispered back. ‘Are you okay?’ No. Not even close. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I lied. I wasn’t weak. I’d lived through cruelty before Evilla’s bitterness, Rafael’s greed, the years of feeling unwanted in my father’s pack. I’d learned to survive. I wouldn’t crumble because of a man, even if he was my mate. Still, my chest tightened at the thought of him. I stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the water drown the scent of him off my skin. The warmth steadied me. When I emerged, I dressed simply, jeans, a T-shirt, no trace of the girl who’d flinched behind a closed door. A text lit up my phone: Evilla’s throwing a party. Celebrating the deal with the Laurents. So that was it. I was just part of a transaction. By the time Angelou returned, I’d built a thin layer of calm around myself. “Luna,” she greeted with a cheerful smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Dinner is ready. The Alpha is waiting.” Luna. The word made my stomach twist. I wasn’t anyone’s Luna. Not really. My heart started pounding out of my chest as I grabbed my shoes. I followed the young servant down a long, echoing hallway toward the dining area. The scent of roasted meat and burning candles filled the air, heavy and regal. And then I saw them. Four intimidating men sat around the vast dining table… broad shoulders, sharp eyes, power in every movement. Their presence filled the room like thunder. They weren’t just Alphas. They were gods carved into flesh. And I had just been bound to one of them. The Laurent brothers.