The Cannon Family’s Betrayal
1484 Words
Lucas Sebastian’s rage exploded through the penthouse like an icy storm. The once seductive aura turned sharp and biting, filling every corner of the master bedroom with raw Alpha rage. Ethan instinctively pressed back against the headboard, his body still flushed from the earlier suppressant and the overwhelming presence of the man above him.
“Care to explain, wife?” Lucas repeated, voice dangerously soft. He gripped Ethan’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “Your brother is livestreaming right now, calling you a defective Omega and claiming this marriage is invalid. Your family tried to siphon alliance funds. Were you part of this little scheme?”
Ethan’s heart hammered. The Alpha’s grip wasn’t painful, but it left no room for escape. He could feel the barely contained fury vibrating through Lucas’s body.
“I had nothing to do with this,” Ethan said quickly, keeping his voice steady despite the fear. “My father forced me into the substitution at the last minute. I didn’t know Kevin would go this far.”
Lucas’s gaze narrowed. He released Ethan’s chin and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. The screen lit up with dozens of notifications. He tapped on a link, and Kevin’s smug face appeared in the livestream.
“…That’s right. The Cannon family was tricked,” Kevin was saying on the video, tears in his eyes for dramatic effect. “My poor little brother Ethan is a low-grade Omega with unstable pheromones. He’s not worthy of Sebastian . This marriage is a complete fraud…”
Lucas ended the video with a sharp swipe, his jaw clenched so tightly a muscle ticked. “Your brother is bold.”
He stood up abruptly and paced to the window, staring out at the glittering city below. His broad back was tense, shoulders rigid. Ethan slowly sat up, pulling the black silk shirt tighter around himself. The Alpha’s scent was still thick in the air, but it had shifted again,protective, territorial.
“I can fix this,” Ethan said quietly. “If you let me speak to my father…”
“You will do no such thing.” Lucas turned around, eyes glowing with dominance. “From this moment, the Cannon family is cut off. No more money. No more protection. And you…” He strode back to the bed and pulled Ethan to his feet in one smooth motion. “You belong to me now. Completely.”
The words should have terrified him.Instead something warm and dangerous curled low in his chest.
Before he could respond, Lucas’s phone rang again. This time he answered the speaker.
“Mr. Sebastian ,” his assistant’s voice came through, sounding stressed. “The charity gala is in six hours. Media outlets have already picked up the livestream. Attendance is skyrocketing because everyone wants to see if the new Mrs. Sebastian is a fraud. Several rival Alphas have RSVPed, including Victor Kane.”
Lucas’s expression darkened further at the name. Victor Kane , another powerful Alpha CEO known for poaching partners and stirring scandals.
“Prepare everything,” Lucas ordered. “Double the security. And leak a counter-statement: Ethan Sebastian is my chosen spouse. Anyone who questions it will answer me personally.” He ended the call and looked at Ethan. “We’re attending the gala as planned,together as a loving couple.”
Ethan swallowed. “Public performance already?”
“Yes.” Lucas stepped closer, backing Ethan against the wall. One large hand cupped Ethan’s face, thumb stroking his cheek almost tenderly. “You will smile at me. You will let me hold you. And when the cameras flash, you will look at me like I’m the only Alpha in the world.”
Ethan’s breath caught. The contrast between Lucas’s cold fury and this sudden gentleness made his head spin. “What if I can’t act well enough?”
Lucas leaned in until their foreheads almost touched. “Then I’ll make it real for you.”
Without warning, Lucas captured Ethan’s lips in a deep, possessive kiss. It wasn’t gentle. It was a claiming ,hot, demanding, filled with all the Alpha’s frustration and growing obsession. Ethan gasped into the kiss, hands instinctively grabbing Lucas’s shirt. The taste of the Alpha overwhelmed him, sending fresh waves of heat through his body despite the suppressant.
When Lucas finally pulled back, Ethan’s lips were swollen and glistening. The Alpha’s eyes had turned molten.
“Much better,” Lucas murmured, satisfied. “Your scent is sweeter when you’re kissed properly.”
He stepped away and headed toward the walk-in closet. “Shower. I’ll have stylists arrive in two hours. Wear whatever they choose. Tonight, you represent the Sebastian name.”
Ethan touched his tingling lips, mind reeling. The kiss had been part threat, part promise. His body was reacting again, glands pulsing. He hurried into the luxurious bathroom before the Alpha could notice how affected he was.
Two hours later, the penthouse had transformed into a whirlwind of activity. Stylists swarmed around Ethan, dressing him in a tailored midnight-blue suit that perfectly complemented Lucas’s all-black ensemble. The suit was cut to accentuate Ethan’s slender waist and long legs. A thin silver chain necklace with a small Sebastian family crest rested against his collarbone , a clear mark of ownership.
Lucas watched the entire process with dark, unreadable eyes. When the stylists finally stepped back, he approached and adjusted the necklace himself, fingers brushing Ethan’s sensitive neck.
“Perfect,” he said. His voice dropped for only Ethan to hear. “Remember the rules. Smile. Stay by my side. And if Victor Kane approaches you…”
The unfinished threat hung heavy in the air.
They rode to the gala in a sleek black limousine. Lucas kept one arm possessively around Ethan’s shoulders the entire ride, his fingers occasionally tracing patterns on Ethan’s arm. The fake affection felt dangerously close to real.
The charity gala venue was dazzling , a grand ballroom filled with the city’s elite. The moment they stepped out of the car, cameras flashed like fireworks. Reporters shouted questions.
“Mr. Sebastian!Is it true your marriage is a fraud?”
“Ethan, are you really a defective Omega?”
Lucas’s arm tightened around Ethan’s waist. He pulled him closer, pressing a deliberate kiss to Ethan’s temple in front of everyone.
“My spouse is exactly who I chose,” Lucas announced, voice cold and commanding. “Anyone who spreads rumors will be dealt with.”
They entered the ballroom to a wave of whispers. Ethan kept a soft smile on his face as instructed, leaning into Lucas’s side. But his stomach twisted when he spotted a tall, handsome Alpha with golden hair watching them from across the room.
Victor Kane raised his glass in a mocking toast.
As the night progressed, Lucas was pulled into business conversations. Ethan stayed close, playing the role of the devoted Omega. But during one moment when Lucas stepped away to speak with organizers, Victor Kane approached.
“Well, well,” Victor drawled, circling Ethan slowly. His heavy whiskey and smoke clashed with Lucas’s lingering scent. “The little substitute looks even prettier up close. Tell me, Ethan… how does it feel to be bought by a monster like Lucas Sebastian?”
Ethan kept his expression calm. “I’m not bought. I’m married.”
Victor laughed softly and stepped closer, too close. “A defective Omega like you deserves better. I could treat you far more gently than that ice block.”
Before Ethan could reply, a terrifying wave of cold presence crashed over them. Lucas appeared like a shadow, yanking Ethan behind him protectively. His eyes burned with murderous intent as he stared Victor down.
“Touch my Omega again,” Lucas said, voice lethally quiet, “and I will end your entire bloodline, Kane.”
The tension between the two Alphas crackled dangerously. Guests nearby began backing away. Victor looked amused , but there was a flicker of caution in his eyes.
Then Ethan suddenly gasped, doubling over slightly as a sharp cramp hit his abdomen. The earlier suppressant was wearing off fast ,the stress and clashing pressure triggering something much stronger.
His heat was coming,early and violently.
Lucas noticed instantly. His expression shifted from rage to fierce protectiveness. He scooped Ethan up in his arms right there in the middle of the ballroom, ignoring the shocked gasps and flashing cameras.
“We’re leaving,” Lucas growled.
As he carried Ethan toward the exit, Ethan clutched Lucas’s shirt, face buried against the Alpha’s neck. The world was starting to blur, his body burning up.
“Lucas…” Ethan whispered weakly, “it hurts…”
Lucas’s arms tightened around him, his own pheromones turning soothing yet intensely possessive.
“Hold on, little substitute,” he murmured against Ethan’s hair, voice dark with promise. “I’m taking you home. And this time… I won’t hold back.
- Writer
