My "Bastard Son" Is the Alpha King's Heir

An injury had left the Wolf King, Lucien Blackthorn, with little chance of fathering a child. After years without one, he had no choice but to name his nephew, Sebastian Blackthorn, as his heir. Then he met me, Alice Sinclair, and I became pregnant with his child. For the first time in years, he had hope. He sent me to a private clinic so I could safely carry the baby to term. But Sebastian's wife, Victoria Ashford, stormed in with her men and yanked me by the hair. "You think getting pregnant with some bastard means you can force me to hand over my husband?" I told her the baby belonged to the Wolf King, but she crushed my mate badge beneath her heel. "If he could father children, why would he ever name my husband his heir?" She beat me until I went into premature labor, then injured my baby while trying to snatch him away. I held my gasping child and begged her to let the nurse through, but she ordered her men to block the door. Then the Wolf King arrived. He shoved her aside and pulled me, battered and bleeding, into his arms. "How dare you touch my mate and my child?" ****** Two months before my due date, I moved into a private clinic in the Veylor Highlands. Lucien Blackthorn, the Wolf King, allowed no visitors. He had waited half his life for this child and was terrified that anything might go wrong. He said our baby would have golden eyes, just like his. As he spoke, the old wound in his shoulder began bleeding again. Helen urged him to travel south for treatment as soon as possible, but he refused to leave until after I had given birth. To keep outsiders from tracking me by scent, Helen applied a scent blocker to me every day. That afternoon, I was in the courtyard sewing a sleeping bag for the baby when angry shouts erupted outside. "Search every room! I want to see where Sebastian is hiding her!" As I started to stand, Irene, my personal guard, stopped me. "Your Majesty, the patrol was pulled off duty without warning. Stay here while I contact the castle." She had barely taken out her communicator when the courtyard gate crashed inward. Irene threw herself in front of me. The falling gate slammed her to the ground, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Irene!" I reached out to help her, but someone seized me by the hair. I grabbed the hand and tried to wrench it away. "So you're the b***h carrying my husband's child?" The woman jerked hard, dragging me to my knees. Then she planted one foot on the hem of my dress. "Hiding here until you give birth so he can bring me the baby and beg me to step aside? Quite a scheme you've cooked up!" Irene struggled to her feet. "Let her go! She is—" One of the guards stamped on her hand, cutting off the rest of her words. I recognized the Luna badge pinned to the woman's chest. Victoria Ashford, daughter of the Ashford family. Three weeks ago, she had married the Wolf King's nephew. Her husband, Sebastian Blackthorn, was Alpha of the Thorn Pack and Lucien's chosen heir. I had originally planned to attend their mating ceremony. But Lucien had said Victoria was gentle and sensible and wouldn't mind. He told me to stay put and focus on the baby. Now she had her foot on my dress while her men beat one of his personal guards. "A white wolf without a territory thinks she can steal my place? He can put you up in the finest place in the world, and you'll still be nothing but his dirty little secret!" I shielded my belly and looked up at her. "Let go!" I clamped a hand around her wrist. "Take your men and get out. You don't get to barge in here and do whatever you want!" She raised her whip and lashed me to the ground. I braced my hands against the floor and tried to get up, but she stepped on my back. Instinct screamed at me to shift and throw her off. Then my belly suddenly tightened. Helen had warned me that forcing a shift could harm the baby. I gritted my teeth and fought the urge down. "Is there anywhere in the entire North its future Queen can't go?" "You think there's anywhere in the North the future Queen can't go? Don't count on Sebastian to protect you. Even if he were here, he'd have to watch me teach you a lesson!" When the second lash came down, Irene caught the end of the whip. The silver threads burned into her palm, but she refused to let go. "She's pregnant! You can't beat her like this!" Victoria spotted the royal guard insignia on Irene's collar and laughed. "One of the Wolf King's own guards, reduced to playing watchdog for a white wolf. What? Are you hoping she'll give birth to a bastard and take you with her when she claws her way to the top?" She ripped the whip from Irene's grasp and pointed at her. "Shut her up. I don't want to hear another word from her." Two guards dragged Irene to the wall and pummeled her with their fists and boots. I lunged toward her, but Victoria grabbed me. "She serves the Wolf King, not you! You have no right to punish her! Aren't you afraid the Wolf King will make you answer for this?" I shouted. Victoria closed one hand around my throat. "She's only a guard. Do you really think the Wolf King would demand my life even if I killed her?" Against the wall, Irene reached for her communicator again. One of the guards snatched it away and smashed it in front of me. "Who are you going to run crying to now?" Victoria pinned me against a chair, her fingers tightening around my throat. "My husband is his only heir. Sooner or later, everyone here will answer to us. "What's the point of protecting that belly? If Sebastian wants children, there are plenty of women willing to give him one." My mouth fell open, but I couldn't draw a breath. She leaned close and whispered, "Who'd miss one woman like you?"