The Alpha’s Runaway Mate and Secret Son

Chapter 2

The ground beneath my feet feels unstable, I quickly keep my head down and bite my lips. How did things come to this so fast? I thought I'd have more time until I’m able to tell Darius first and let him decide how to handle his mother's reaction.

But f**k fate and everything, here I am before the queen mean herself.

"My Luna, I don't mean to…”

“Are you pregnant? Yes or No is what I asked you, Elara.”

“Y..Yes," I whisper.

"Interesting." She sets her glass down on the table and says "You're going to attend the ceremony tonight and serve drinks while your one night stand announces his Luna to the entire pack.”

I gasp. “My Luna, what..?”

“And.” She stands up. “You're going to do so with a big smile on your face like a pretender that you are. Do you understand me?"

The cruelty in her voice is almost beautiful in its precision and I somehow understand it.

She wants to watch me shatter and see exactly how much pain an Omega can endure while maintaining composure.

"I understand,"

Let's give her the show she wanted to see.

***

The servant's dress is black, which is both a blessing and a curse at the same time.

It doesn't make me stand out exactly since I never stand out anywhere but I know it that something in me definitely stood out — I was being watched by the Luna.

I had spent forty minutes trying to transform my hair into something approaching but the effort was futile.

By the time I make my way downstairs to collect my serving tray, the celebration is already in full swing.

I catch sight of Darius almost immediately amidst the tidy and we'll-dressed crowd. He's standing with a woman I don't recognize, her hand on his arm both smiling.

My heart sinks as reality hits me. This is someone Darius should be announcing.

Everything moves in slow motion as I serve the drinks with steady hands but heart thumping madly.

One of the guests grabbed by hand as I passed with the tray. “What did you know about your Alpha Darius?”

I bliked. “Why are you asking?”

He extended his hand. “Name's Draven. Draven Kael.”

“Oh.. I'm…. Elara.” My eyes caught Luna Kaida's, quickly stepped back. “Allah Draven is good at convincing people.”

Draven leans closer. “Look, why don't we meet again?” he asks, his fingers brushing my hair like he's marking me somehow.

I find my way away from him fast.

Then Darius is at the dais, and his voice fills the room with the kind of authority that used to make my heart race.

"For the title of Luna, I have chosen a woman who has made it possible for us to take a step forward toward unity, survival, and peace."

My hands go numb. The tray becomes heavy for no reason and everything I believed about the last two years seems to have vanished in the space of a sentence.

"Tonight, I name Tova Draven of the Glacial Pack my Luna and chosen mate."

I swallowed hard.

She was the Northern woman whose hand was on his arm earlier.

I watch as he kisses her, and the bond that connects us which I cherished and protected breaks shamefully.

Luna Kaida's smile from across the room suggests she's getting exactly the entertainment she hoped for.

But the heavens forbid I give her more.

I straighten my spine, lift my chin, and push through the crowd with a dignity I'll probably regret later, when the shock wears off and I'm left with nothing but raw grief and rage..

I'm almost at the door when I run directly into Draven again..

"In a hurry?" he asks.”

"Don't touch me," I snap, yanking my arm free, and I don't wait for whatever response he might offer. I walk away even though I can feel his gaze on my back.

Outside, the night air hits like a slap. I lean against the stone wall of the manor, trying to convince my body to keep functioning even though every system seems to be shutting down simultaneously.

The worst part isn't the rejection.

The worst part isn't that he chose someone else or chose an alliance over honesty or that he chose power over whatever we had.

The worst part is that I'm going to have to live with this forever.

I'm going to have to work in this territory, watch him with his Luna, pretend I never existed to him at all, as well as figure out what to do with the pregnancy.

And I'm going to do all of this while remaining invisible, because that's the only option available to someone like me.

I wiped the tears that lined up my eyebrows. Just when I turned to go back in, royal guards were standing before me.

“H…Hello?”

“Arrest the Omega!”