MY EX-MATE MUST CALL ME MOTHER.

Freya’s POV “Take it off, Freya. You’re embarrassing Kaelen in front of my father’s guests.” Nova’s manicured nails dug into my wrist. Before I could pull back, she yanked my silver promise bracelet until the clasp snapped, dropping it straight into her champagne glass. I looked past her at Kaelen. Today was supposed to be our engagement party, yet his arm was wrapped tightly around Nova’s waist. “Kaelen?” I whispered. “Don’t make a scene, Freya,” Kaelen said coldly, adjusting his cuffs. “The Alpha died two months ago, and the pack needs a leader backed by the Lycans. Nova is Chairman Gideon’s daughter. We had a good three years, and our rejection is already done. Accept your place.” “Accept my place?” My voice shook as Selene and Caspian snickered behind them. “Freya! Please, come home!” my adoptive mother, Aurora, screamed through our mindlink. “The Gammas just arrested your father!” My blood ran cold. “What did you do to my father, Kaelen?!” Kaelen’s eyes flicked toward the crowd before he grabbed my elbow and dragged me out the side doors onto the empty terrace. “Your father’s company went bankrupt tonight,” Kaelen said, letting go of my arm. “Ryker owes the loan sharks millions, and Beta Ronan just threw him in jail. Your family’s funding chain is dead.” “He’s a Delta of the Redmoon pack!” I gasped, my chest heaving. “They can’t just lock him up without warning!” “Beta Ronan answers to the Lycans, and right now, your father is a problem nobody wants to deal with,” Kaelen replied, the corner of his lips tipping upward. “You don’t have the money to save him. But I do.” I froze, staring up at him. “Are you saying you’d pay my father’s debt?” “Yes,” he answered. “And what would we have to do in return?” I asked, my stomach twisting. He stepped closer, trapping me against the stone railing. “There is a condition. After I marry Nova and claim the Alpha title, I want you to drop out of school and become my mistress.” My jaw practically hit the ground. “Excuse me? You want me to what??” “Drop out of school and become my mistress,” he repeated smoothly. “I already bought a secluded house for you. You’ll never want for anything, and I’ll clear Ryker’s debt tonight. Because we’ve always been so good together, Freya. Even after I mark Nova, we still have our connection. All you have to do is say yes…” He reached out, rubbing his fingers up and down my bare arm. My wolf, Lyra, whimpered in disgust. I slapped his hand away and stepped back. “I’d rather sleep with your father-in-law than ever be touched by you again!” Kaelen’s face darkened, and he lunged to grab my wrist. I spun away to run back inside, but my blouse snagged on the sharp iron latch of the terrace door. With a loud tear, the silk ripped down the front, and my heel slipped on the marble threshold. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing to hit the floor, but strong arms caught me around the waist and lifted me effortlessly into the air. I gasped, opening my eyes to look up at the man holding me. A deep dimple appeared on his right cheek as he smiled down at me. “Madam, are you falling for me?” a deep, commanding voice rumbled. Before I could answer, Kaelen stepped through the doors behind us—and froze dead in his tracks, his face draining of all color. “C-Chairman Gideon,” Kaelen stammered, bowing his head immediately. “I didn’t know you were out here, sir.” My heart stopped. I stared at the dangerously handsome man holding me against his muscular chest. This was Gideon—the ruthless Lycan Chairman, the playboy who never slept with the same woman twice, and Nova’s father. Kaelen’s future father-in-law. Gideon didn’t even spare Kaelen a glance. His piercing silver eyes dropped to my torn blouse, exposing my lace bra, before locking onto my mouth. “Your shirt is ripped,” Gideon murmured, angling his broad body so Kaelen couldn't see my bare skin. “Let me take you to my VIP suite upstairs. I have one you can wear.” “Freya, don’t be ridiculous, come here,” Kaelen hissed under his breath, panic flashing in his eyes as he tried to reach for me. I looked at Kaelen’s outstretched hand, then up into Gideon’s mesmerizing silver eyes. Wrapping my arms around the Lycan Chairman’s neck, I rested my head against his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent of mint and pine. “Thank you, Gideon,” I whispered softly. “Take me upstairs.” Gideon’s lips curved into a wicked grin as he carried me straight toward the private elevators, leaving Kaelen standing frozen in the hallway. The moment the heavy doors of the penthouse suite clicked shut, Gideon set me on my feet and walked toward the closet. “Take off your shirt,” he ordered. “Excuse me?” I squeaked. “So you can put on a new one,” he replied over his shoulder. Hands trembling, I pulled my ruined blouse over my head and tossed it onto the bed. When Gideon turned around holding a crisp white button-down, his entire body went rigid. His silver eyes darkened, trailing slowly over my bare skin and the fading mark on my neck. He tossed the shirt onto a chair and stalked toward me like a predator closing in on its prey. I backed up until my bare spine hit the wall. “You know who I am,” he murmured, caging me in with one arm beside my head. “And you used me to piss off my future son-in-law downstairs.” My breath hitched as his warm fingers tilted my chin up. “Are you going to throw me out?” “Throw you out?” Gideon’s thumb brushed across my lower lip, his voice dropping to a rough growl. “I heard what you promised him on that terrace, little wolf. And I’m about to make sure you keep your word.” Before I could take another breath, his mouth crashed into mine. His kiss was pure hunger and possession, stealing every ounce of air from my lungs. With one hand, he lifted me off the floor, pinning me against the wall as I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist. His hot lips trailed down my jaw to my neck, biting down right over Kaelen’s fading mark as my fingers tore at his silk tie. Just as he ripped his own shirt over his head and his hands reached for the clasp of my bra, a loud pounding echoed against the suite door. “Chairman Gideon?!” Nova’s shrill voice called through the wood, followed immediately by Kaelen’s desperate knock. “Dad, are you in there?! We’re about to cut the engagement cake!” I stiffened against the wall, my eyes widening in panic, but Gideon only smirked against my neck, his hand covering my mouth as he pressed his bare chest harder against mine. “Stay quiet,” Gideon whispered against my ear, his eyes flashing silver, “or we let them watch.”