Claimed by My EX's Brother

The weekend afternoon found the small rental apartment in darkness, save for a few thin streaks of light filtering through the window. I sat quietly on the edge of the bed, my palm resting gently on my still-flat stomach. When I focused, I could barely make out another faint, fluttering heartbeat beneath my own steady rhythm. That was my pup. My child with Max. I wondered if the baby would inherit his round, soft ears that flopped adorably on top of his head. I'd seen photos of Max as a child: chubby-cheeked, with impossibly large eyes.I chuckled softly at myself. I hadn't even named my pup yet, and here I was, already daydreaming about ears. Deep in my blood, the she-wolf's instinct to raise my young stirred gently. Just then, the phone on the nightstand suddenly buzzed. It was Hollis, chief assistant to the CEO of Vance Group, Dawson Vance. He was also my direct supervisor. I immediately composed myself, sitting up straight. Even on weekends, I dared not slack off around this impeccably efficient Beta. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hollis." "Good afternoon, Mignon. I apologize for disturbing your weekend, but I have excellent news. Your performance on the last project was outstanding. Mr. Vance personally approved your bonus: 200 thousand dollars, to be deposited next Monday." I grabbed the bedsheets in disbelief. "T-two hundred thousand?" I thought I'd misheard, my voice trembling. "Yes. You've earned every penny. Enjoy the rest of your weekend." A full minute passed before a wave of dizzying euphoria washed over me completely. Two hundred thousand dollars! Adding this to the savings I'd scraped together over five years, I finally had the one million dollars we'd been aiming for. Max was just an ordinary werewolf working odd jobs at a dive bar, with no money or status to speak of. But he was devastatingly handsome, and his heart held only me. He'd bring me a bouquet of daisies from the street vendor on his first payday every month. He'd look at me with those apologetic eyes. "Mignon, just a little longer. Once we save a million for the down payment on our new house, I'll marry you, and we'll be together forever." For that promise, I had scrimped and saved for five long years. I didn't care that he made little money, or that he always reeked of cheap cigarettes and alcohol. I just wanted to build a life with him. Now, we had a million and a baby on the way. Our hard days were finally over. I couldn't wait another second. I had to tell Max in person. Even though he was proud and hated when I visited that smoky bar, I couldn't care less. To save money on a taxi, I wrapped my old coat tighter around myself and squeezed onto the bus. The stale smell of human sweat, cheap perfume, and the restless scent of unregulated lower-class werewolves assaulted me all at once. Normally, I could hold my breath and endure it, but pregnancy had sharpened my senses. My stomach churned violently. As soon as the bus stopped, I clapped a hand over my mouth and bolted off. I ducked into the alley behind the bar, leaning against the moss-covered wall and retching painfully. When I finally recovered, I slid down the wall, gasping for air. Just as I was about to stand, familiar footsteps echoed from the depths of the alley. It was Max. My eyes lit up. I was just about to call his name, but what I saw froze me on the spot. Max emerged from the back door of the bar, phone pressed to his ear. As he walked, he casually discarded his old jacket without a second glance. What sent a chill down my spine was his tone. Gone was the gentle, self-effacing man I knew. In its place was a lazy, arrogant drawl I'd never heard before. "Baby, I'm on my way to pick you up. Meet me at Nightshade Club. Dress up nicely, will you? My friends want to meet you." I froze in the shadows, my blood running cold. Baby? He was calling someone else baby? And Nightshade Club? That was the most exclusive private club in the city, reserved only for powerful werewolves from old-money families. How could Max, a lowly bar worker, possibly get in there? Instinctively, I clamped my mouth shut and suppressed my scent. I pressed myself against the wall and followed Max through the backstreets to the underground parking lot on the other side. I hid behind a pillar and watched in disbelief as the werewolf I'd shared a bed with for five years walked straight to a black Lamborghini. The car beeped as he unlocked it. He pulled open the door and slipped into a perfectly tailored designer coat. Instantly, his aura was nothing like before. The scent of cheap soap and downtown mildew vanished, replaced by a whiskey-like aroma: rich, strong, and dangerous. This was the scent of true nobility. The engine roared like a beast, and the Lamborghini screeched out of the parking lot, disappearing into the distance. I stared at the empty spot where the car had been, my first thought absurdly trivial: That coat had been folded neatly on the passenger seat, like it had been there for a very long time. Five years. I'd thought I knew Max better than anyone. But now, I realized I didn't even know he could drive. I couldn't think straight. My mind was stuck on Nightshade Club. In a daze, I hailed a taxi and gave the address. Soon, the taxi pulled up outside Nightshade. Luxurious warm light spilled through the glass doors, and the air was thick with the unapologetically strong scents of powerful werewolves. Unsurprisingly, I was immediately stopped by two burly werewolf security guards at the entrance. "Sorry, ma'am. This is a members-only private establishment. You can't come in." I'm looking for someone... Max. Is he inside?" "Client information is confidential. Please leave." I didn't move. I stubbornly refused to go, retreating to the bottom of the steps and huddling in a corner outside the club, waiting silently. The cold wind howled around me. Luxury cars pulled up one after another, and no one gave me a second glance. I didn't know how long I stood there, long enough to feel like I might freeze to death, when a pair of leather shoes stopped in front of me. It was the same security guard, but his arrogance was gone, his tone respectful. "Ma'am, you may enter now. A member has vouched for you." I lifted my head stiffly. "Who?" The guard bowed slightly and pointed toward the driveway. A long, sleek black Maybach was parked a short distance away. The passenger window rolled down, and Hollis leaned out, waving gently. But my gaze drifted past Hollis, into the shadows of the back seat. I thought I saw Dawson Vance, the alpha of the Vance family, turn his head slightly. His icy green eyes rested calmly on my pale, disheveled face.He might have glanced at me. Or he might not have noticed me at all.