He Called My Son Bastard, I Married His Rival

At the Alpha Academy entrance ceremony, Kane Jett abruptly shot to his feet, pointed straight at Kyle Jett, and snarled, "He's not my kid. He has no right to study here!" He flung the paternity test report into the air. Right on cue, Lissa Mae walked out with her son, spilling perfectly timed crocodile tears. "I'm sorry, Vesper Elara. Alpha Academy only recognizes Alpha bloodlines. We just don't want the bloodline to be tainted..." I was just about to speak up and explain when Rook Hagen smacked me so hard across the face my ears rang. He spat that I'd dragged the entire tribe's name through the mud and ordered me to shut my mouth. After that day, her son became the rightful, recognized heir. Kyle? He was labeled a bastard, a worthless outcast. I refused to take this lying down. I headed straight for the study to demand Kane run a second paternity test. But just as I reached the door, my hand hovering over the handle, I heard Bram talking to him inside. "You forged the paternity test and called Vesper a slut just to get Lissa's son into Alpha Academy. Aren't you scared they'll leave you?" "What's there to be scared of? Where would they even go without me?" "Lissa was already pregnant when we broke up all those years ago. I can't let her suffer any more hardship. Vesper's enjoyed the glory of being Luna for long enough. It's high time she stepped aside." "Once they give up the Alpha Academy spot, her brother will make it public that the paternity test was fake." It was all a scripted show. Every last bit of it. Even my own brother had gotten a copy of the script ahead of time. I thought of Kyle, eyes glistening with tears as he'd asked me if he'd done something wrong. I bit down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood, the sharp metallic tang spreading across my tongue. Kane's arrogant voice drifted through the c***k in the door again, sharp as shards of ice stabbing straight into my eardrums. "When the time comes, we'll just say there was a mistake with the test. We can stick Kyle in some random regular school and call it a day." "Go ahead and get Lissa's kid enrolled in Alpha Academy first." I slid slowly down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor. My eyes were bone dry. I couldn't squeeze out a single tear. Right after Kane caused that huge scene at the enrollment ceremony, the principal immediately rejected Kyle's bloodline registration form, scrawling a bright red X right next to the Alpha certification line. He said the academy's founding rules were crystal clear. Only cubs with pure Alpha bloodlines were allowed to enroll. Since Kyle didn't meet the requirements, he didn't deserve to stay. The auditorium was packed with other parents, and their murmurs erupted like a flood after a broken dam. "A bastard? The Alpha actually pulled out a paternity test in front of everyone..." "How does she even have the nerve to bring her kid here? If that were me, I'd have hidden the kid away ages ago instead of parading him around to make a fool of myself and the whole family." Kyle was standing right beside me then, his face deathly pale as he clenched the fabric of his uniform hem in his fists. He was old enough to understand what words like "bastard" and "embarrassing" meant. He'd held back his tears the whole time, but the second we stepped out of the principal's office, his voice cracked as he asked, "Mommy, doesn't daddy want me anymore because I was bad?" I had no idea what to say. My whole body was shaking with rage and heartache so hard I could barely stand. But I was his mom. This wasn't the time to fall apart. I straightened his crumpled bow tie and told him that wasn't it—daddy had just made a mistake. He must have sensed how upset I was, and suddenly wrapped his arms tight around me. "Mom, it's okay. I can go to a different school." Absolutely not. Kyle can't carry that ugly stigma for the rest of his life. I'd thought this was all some misunderstanding, that Kane had been tricked by someone. That's why I'd raced home from the school, ready to demand answers from him face to face. Instead, I'd stumbled on this venomous, sickening conversation. All the humiliation Kyle and I had endured? It was just a ploy to get Lissa's kid into Alpha Academy. And the most gut-wrenching punchline? My own flesh-and-blood brother had been in on it the whole time. A sharp, stabbing pain cramped my heart. Inside the room, the Beta still sounded hesitant. "But if Kyle can't get into Alpha Academy, he'll be stuck with that 'bastard' label forever. Aren't you worried he'll disown you someday?" "He wouldn't dare!" Kane's voice dripped with irritation. "I'm his biological father. Every single thing he has comes from me. He thinks he has the right to disown me?" He went on saying more, but I didn't care to hear another word. I pushed myself up off the floor, turned on my heel, and walked away. He didn't deserve to call himself a father. He didn't deserve to be a husband, either. This mating bond? It's done. I'm severing it for good.