The Alpha's Forgotten Heir

Selene Carrington didn’t need the moon to know something was wrong. The scent of blood hit her just as the last patient left her small, lantern-lit clinic nestled on the edge of Wolfpine Ridge. It was thick, sharp—too fresh. Not the metallic tang of a careless cut or a clumsy hunt. No, this was something darker. Wounded wolf. “Mom?” A small voice broke the tension. Selene turned quickly, her long dark braid swinging over her shoulder. Rayne stood barefoot in the hallway, her curls wild and her sleepy eyes squinting. “I heard howling again. Is it bad wolves?” Selene crouched to her daughter's height, brushing a hand gently across her temple. "No, baby. Just... forest spirits making noise again. Go wake your brother. I might need your help." “Is it because you feel it too?” Rayne whispered, voice almost reverent. “The pull in the air?” Selene’s stomach twisted. The girl was only nine, but already too attuned to what ran in her blood. “Go, Rayne,” she said gently but firmly. “Tell Rowan to bring the emergency kit. The one under the floorboards.” Rayne nodded and ran off, her little feet padding softly against the worn wooden floors. Selene rose, heart racing. She unlatched the clinic door and stepped into the chilled night. The forest was a quilt of shadows and mist, the air thick with moisture—and something else. Her skin tingled. Old instincts whispered to run, but the healer in her refused. Then she saw him. Crimson streaked his torn white shirt. His massive frame was barely upright, claw marks down his chest and side. He stumbled toward the porch, and when moonlight finally lit his face, Selene’s blood went cold. It was him. Kael Draven. The mate who’d once rejected her. The man who’d never seen the tears she’d wept as she fled the pack he ruled. And the father of her children. “Selene?” His voice was hoarse, unfamiliar, but still unmistakably him. She froze, hands clenched at her sides, breath tight in her lungs. For a moment, she said nothing—only stared, every memory slamming into her like a tidal wave. “Don’t you dare die on my porch,” she finally hissed, stepping forward and catching his arm as he collapsed. He grunted in pain, but managed a grim smile. “Still a bossy little omega, I see.” “And you’re still an arrogant bastard.” Selene dragged him inside, summoning strength from fury. Kael was barely conscious by the time she eased him onto the examination table. Blood soaked the linen beneath him. His wolf was trying to heal, but he was losing too much too fast. Rowan burst into the room, Rayne close behind, both carrying the emergency kit between them. “Whoa,” Rowan breathed. “Mom, he’s—he’s—” “Hurt,” Selene snapped. “He’s hurt. That’s all that matters.” But the moment Rowan got closer, Kael stirred. His eyes fluttered open. His gaze moved to the boy. And his voice dropped, broken and hollow. “That’s… my son.” Selene’s blood iced. The words had left Kael's lips like a slow exhale. Not a declaration—more like a stunned confession he couldn’t swallow fast enough. "That’s... my son." Rowan blinked, looking between his mother and the half-conscious man on the table. “What did he just say?” Selene snapped back into motion. “Nothing. He’s delirious. Go check the sterilizer, Rowan. Rayne, fetch the moonroot tincture. Now.” “But Mom—” “Now.” The tone in her voice cut off any further questions. The twins bolted out of the room, reluctantly, but with obedience only years of quiet training and protective instincts could instill. She turned to Kael, voice low, lethal. “You say one more word, and I will stitch your mouth shut myself.” Kael flinched at her tone—then winced harder as she pressed gauze to the worst gash on his side. "You're angry." "You think?" she muttered, glaring at the blood-soaked table. “You show up out of nowhere, bleeding and unconscious, and the first thing you do is sniff the air and claim a child you rejected before he was even born?” “I didn’t know,” Kael whispered. “Selene, I didn’t—” “Exactly,” she hissed. “You didn’t know. Because you never gave a damn long enough to ask.” Kael’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak again. For once, he let her fury run its course. Maybe because he knew he deserved it. Maybe because he was too weak to argue. Either way, Selene wasn’t ready to give him the benefit of doubt. Not yet. By the time she finished stitching his side, Kael had drifted into unconsciousness again. His breathing was slow but stable. The scent of his blood no longer overpowered the room. But his presence did. Selene leaned back against the wall, breath catching. The last time she’d seen him, he stood tall in front of a crowd, holding the hand of another woman. Luna Maris. And he'd looked her in the eye and said, “I reject you, Selene Carrington.” His voice had been steady. His expression unreadable. She remembered the taste of bile. The way her knees had buckled. The shame of every wolf in that gathering staring at her, judging her, whispering how foolish she'd been to think an alpha like Kael Draven could ever accept a powerless omega. They’d never known about the baby. And he’d never stayed long enough to find out. “Mom?” She turned quickly. Rowan stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “You’re mad,” he said. She sighed. “I’m... shaken, is all.” He hesitated. “He’s like me.” Selene walked over, crouched in front of him. “You’re like you. And you’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Rowan. You and Rayne.” Rowan’s brow furrowed. “Did you know him before?” The lie sat on her tongue, but she couldn’t force it out. Not anymore. Not with Kael’s scent in the air, not with memories crashing down like a storm tide. “Yes,” she said softly. “A long time ago.” Rowan looked her dead in the eye. “Is he my dad?” Selene froze. The words, the possibility, had never crossed his lips before. They were always careful. Always quiet. Always safe. But now... She nodded slowly, eyes burning. “He is. But he doesn’t get to be, unless you say so.” Later that night, when the twins were asleep and the wind whistled through the rafters, Selene sat alone beside Kael’s bed. He stirred, chest rising, then shifted his head toward her. “You stayed,” he murmured. “I’m a healer,” she said flatly. “Not your caretaker.” Kael’s lips quirked. “Still just as fierce. I missed that.” “You missed the woman you rejected?” Her voice was cold. Kael winced again—not from the pain in his body, but the one behind his ribs. “I was forced—” “Don’t.” She stood abruptly. “Don’t you dare give me that. You didn’t even look at me. You didn’t even ask me why I was crying. You just walked away. Like I was... nothing.” Kael sat up with effort, hand gripping the edge of the cot. “Selene, I’ve lived every day since then regretting what I did. I lost everything. My pack. My title. And... apparently, you.” Silence. Then she whispered, almost too softly to hear: “You never had me.” The words sliced through him sharper than any rogue’s claws. Kael exhaled slowly. “I want to fix this.” “You can’t.” “I need to try.” Selene looked away. “You have no idea what you left behind.” Kael stared at her then, really looked. The dark circles under her eyes. The fierceness behind her every motion. The way her hands shook, just a little, when she touched him—like muscle memory refused to forget what the heart tried to bury. “I do now,” he whispered. The tension in the room shifted. Heavy. Unresolved. He was watching her too closely. And Selene could feel it—that damn pull. The mate bond wasn’t gone. Muted, maybe. Dormant. But not dead. And under it... something even more dangerous. Longing. It clawed at her despite everything. Despite the betrayal. The rejection. The years alone. She hated herself for still reacting to his scent. For remembering the way his voice used to make her tremble. Selene stepped back and crossed her arms, walls rising again. “Sleep. Tomorrow, we talk about how fast you’re leaving.” Kael’s gaze didn’t move from her. “And if I say I’m not leaving?” She narrowed her eyes. “Then I swear to the goddess, Kael, I will personally drag your half-healed body back into the woods.” He smiled—just a ghost of the old smirk. “Now there’s the omega I remember.” Her jaw tensed. “I’m not that girl anymore,” she said, voice like steel. “And I sure as hell don’t need you to remember me.” Kael leaned back, wincing again but watching her all the same. “I remember everything.”