Rejected by Alpha, Mated to His Alpha King Uncle

Chapter 6: Dance with Deception

Chapter 6: Dance with Deception

(Vivian's POV)

I sat on the living room sofa, staring at my phone as Hadrian busied himself in the kitchen. The mate bond between Seraphina and me suddenly flared to life, carrying her taunting message directly into my mind.

"You're such a schemer, Vivian. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Too bad all your plotting can't help you bear pups for your precious Alpha."

Her words burned like acid. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain composed.

Behind me, I felt Hadrian's arms wrap around my shoulders. His familiar scent—now tainted with anti-blocker—washed over me.

"What are you looking at, sweetheart?" he asked, peering at my phone screen.

I quickly closed the message. "Nothing important."

He dangled a menu in front of me. "I promised to fulfill your every wish today. What would you like for dinner?"

His voice carried a nervous edge. I noticed how his eyes darted around the room, how his fingers tapped anxiously against the paper.

"Anything is fine," I replied, feigning disinterest.

I could feel the anti-scent blocker I'd applied earlier working perfectly. My emotions remained hidden from him, locked safely away.

"Oh, I saw a beautiful moonstone pendant in a jewelry advertisement earlier," I said casually, changing the subject. "The craftsmanship looked exquisite."

Hadrian's face lit up at this seemingly innocent remark. "A moonstone pendant? I'll buy you any pendant you want, my love."

The eagerness with which he latched onto this distraction was telling. So desperate to please, to maintain the facade of devoted mate.

His phone rang suddenly, its shrill tone cutting through our conversation. Hadrian glanced at the screen, and I caught the flash of panic in his eyes.

"I need to take this," he muttered, already backing toward the kitchen. "Pack business."

I watched him retreat, noting how his shoulders tensed as he answered. Though he spoke in hushed tones, my enhanced hearing caught fragments.

"Not now... I'm with her... Can't this wait?"

Another message flashed through our mate bond from Seraphina: "He's mine when he's not playing house with you. My influence over him is stronger than any mate bond."

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply to center myself. Twenty-five days. That's all I needed to endure before I could sever our bond completely.

Hadrian returned moments later, his expression carefully controlled. "I think I'm going to mess up dinner," he said with an exaggerated frown. "Maybe we should ask Martha to cook for us instead?"

Martha, our pack cook. Another convenient excuse.

"That sounds fine," I replied, my voice neutral.

He hesitated, then bent down to kiss my forehead. "I just remembered—that pendant you mentioned. I should go get it now, before the shops close."

Without waiting for my response, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. As it closed behind him, I released the breath I'd been holding.

Alone in our den, I allowed myself a moment of bitter reflection. How easily he invented reasons to leave, how readily I accepted his excuses.

The hours dragged by slowly. I busied myself with mundane tasks, trying not to watch the clock.

My phone buzzed with a text message. Not through the mate bond this time, but a regular text from Seraphina. I opened it, bracing myself.

"He says he loves you, but look where he really wants to be."

Below her message was a photo that made my stomach turn. Hadrian and Seraphina, locked in an intimate embrace. His hands possessively cupping her pregnant belly, his lips on her neck.

I set the phone down carefully, surprised by my own numbness. The pain was there, but distant, as though happening to someone else.

Twenty-five days, I reminded myself. Twenty-five days until freedom.

The suffocation I'd been feeling intensified. The walls of our den seemed to close in around me. I needed air, needed escape—even if just temporary.

My phone rang again, but this time it was Valerie, my college roommate and one of my closest friends.

"Vivi!" Her cheerful voice filled the line. "Are you alive? You've been ghosting me for weeks!"

Despite everything, I felt a smile tugging at my lips. "I've been busy, Val."

"Too busy for your bestie? Unacceptable!" She made a tsking sound. "We're going to The Silver Moon tonight. No excuses."

The Silver Moon—a popular werewolf nightclub. The last place I'd normally want to go.

"I don't think—" I began.

"Hot unmated males, strong drinks, dancing until dawn," Valerie continued. "When's the last time you had any fun, Ms. Alpha's Mate?"

Something inside me snapped. Why shouldn't I go? Why should I sit here alone, waiting for Hadrian to return from his mistress's bed?

"What time?" I asked, surprising us both.

"Seriously?" Valerie squealed. "Be ready by nine. Wear something scandalous!"

After hanging up, I moved to my closet. At the back, hidden behind the conservative clothes befitting a Luna, hung the red dress I'd worn the night Hadrian had first asked me to be his mate.

I pulled it out, running my fingers over the silky fabric. It had been years since I'd worn anything like this—years since I'd felt like the woman who had once turned heads when she entered a room.

The woman who existed before the weight of being a failed Luna crushed her spirit.

I slipped into the dress, its fabric hugging my curves. The reflection in the mirror showed a stranger—someone confident, someone unbroken. I added matching heels, applied makeup that accentuated my features rather than downplaying them.

When Valerie picked me up, her jaw dropped. "Holy Goddess, Vivi! You look hot!"

The Silver Moon pulsed with energy when we arrived. The bouncer, recognizing me as Blackwood Luna, immediately ushered us past the line.

Inside, the club was a sensory overload—flashing lights, throbbing music, the mingled scents of perfume and desire. Valerie led me to a table where several other friends waited.

"Look who I dragged out of hibernation!" she announced proudly.

Drinks appeared—moonlight wine, a potent werewolf brew known for its intoxicating effects. I didn't usually indulge, but tonight was different. Tonight was about escape.

One drink became two, then three. The music seemed to flow through me, its rhythm matching my heartbeat. When someone pulled me onto the dance floor, I didn't resist.

We danced—all of us—moving together in a fever pitch of release. The moonlight wine coursed through my veins, dulling the pain and amplifying the sensations around me.

"I need the bathroom," I shouted to Valerie over the music, my words slightly slurred.

The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet as I made my way through the crowd. A male wolf suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him.

"Found you," he growled, his scent marking me as his intended target.

Before I could react, another presence materialized beside us. Taller, more powerful, radiating a dominant Alpha aura that made the other man step back instinctively.

Lucian.

He pulled me against his chest, his scent immediately creating a protective barrier around me.

"Who are you?" Lucian demanded, his steel-gray eyes flashing dangerously at the other wolf.

The man's confidence evaporated under Lucian's intense gaze. "Just a friend of Vivian's," he stammered, backing away.

Lucian's Alpha aura flared, making several nearby wolves lower their heads in submission. His hand gripped my waist possessively, holding me steady as my intoxicated mind struggled to process what was happening.

As Lucian opened his mouth to speak again, I acted on impulse. The moonlight wine had stripped away my inhibitions, leaving only raw emotion in its wake.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. His masculine scent enveloped me, so different from Hadrian's—untainted, primal, pure.

(Lucian's POV)

The woman in my arms was nothing like the demure Luna Blackwood I'd observed from afar. Her lips moved against mine with unexpected boldness, her body pressing into mine without reservation.

My wolf stirred powerfully within me, responding to her in a way that shocked us both. This was Hadrian's mate—another Alpha's woman—yet my beast recognized something in her that defied explanation.

Anger surged through me—at her, at myself, at the situation. I broke the kiss and lifted her into my arms, her slight weight nothing against my strength.

The crowd parted as I carried her to a private booth, tossing her unceremoniously onto the sofa. Before I could step back, she wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

Our scents mixed in a way that sent a jolt through my system. This wasn't just the effect of the moonlight wine. There was something more happening here, something my wolf recognized even if my human side refused to acknowledge it.

"Let me go," I growled, trying to pry her hands from my waist.

Her eyes, clouded with intoxication but still remarkably clear, looked up at me with an expression I couldn't decipher. Not submission, not fear—something else entirely.

I removed my tie and used it to bind her wrists, preventing her from touching me again. My wolf howled in protest, confused by my actions but pleased by the sight of her restrained by something that carried my scent.

Shame washed over me. What was I doing? This primal reaction to another Alpha's mate was beneath me, beneath my position as Alpha King.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Hadrian's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Your mate is at The Silver Moon, intoxicated and making a spectacle of herself," I said without preamble. "Come get her immediately."

His response was instantaneous. "I'll be right there."

I ended the call and stepped back from the booth, putting distance between myself and the temptation Vivian represented.

When Hadrian arrived fifteen minutes later, his face was a mask of concern and embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle," he said, bowing his head respectfully. "This isn't like her at all."

I watched as he gathered Vivian into his arms, my wolf growling possessively at the sight. Hadrian's eyes widened slightly, sensing my wolf's reaction.

"Thank you for calling me," he said quickly, backing toward the exit with Vivian cradled against his chest.

After they left, I signaled to Elias, my Beta, who materialized at my side instantly.

"I want everything you can find on Vivian and Hadrian Blackwood," I ordered. "Their relationship, their pack dynamics, everything."

Elias nodded, his expression revealing nothing. "Anything specific you're looking for, Alpha?"

I considered the question, remembering the way Vivian's scent had called to my wolf, the way her touch had affected me.

"Something doesn't add up," I replied. "Find out what it is."

(Vivian's POV)

I slept deeply that night, the combination of emotional exhaustion and moonlight wine pulling me into vivid dreams.

In my dream, I stood in the sacred circle during my mating ceremony with Hadrian. His eyes shone with devotion as he recited the ancient vows.

"I pledge my protection, my provision, my passion, and my pack. I will stand by your side for all eternity, in this life and beyond."

His words echoed in the still night air, witnessed by our combined packs. When I turned to look at the circle of witnesses, horror froze my blood.

Every face had transformed into a bloody corpse. Their wolves howled in agony as the moon above turned blood red, bathing us all in its crimson light...