Chosen By Fate, Rejected By Hate

Chapter 8

Mavi’s POV

My heart was pounding so wildly it felt like a swarm of mice was scrambling and chasing each other deep inside my chest as I sat on the hard bench outside Alpha Magnus’ office. I had come straight here the moment I made up my mind, desperate for a chance to speak to him. Every second that ticked by felt like an hour of torture.

I could not stop my mind from racing with terrifying possibilities. How would Alpha Magnus react when I finally told him the truth? Would he burn with anger because I had hidden his own child from him for six long years? Would he even believe me when I said I was the woman he had spent that fateful night with at the bar, the night that gave life to Moses?

I shifted restlessly on my seat, unable to stay still for even a moment. His secretary had already gone inside to announce my arrival, so I knew he was fully aware that someone was waiting to speak with him about something important.

While I waited for him to appear, doubts began to creep back into my mind like cold shadows. Was this truly the right thing to do? Could I bear the pain of being separated from my own son? Just the thought of not being able to tuck Moses into bed or hear his laughter every single day made my chest tighten until it was hard to breathe.

No. I cannot do it. I cannot bear to be apart from him! The realization crashed over me like a cold wave. I would rather walk straight into the trap Alpha Abner had set for me, even if it meant spending the rest of my life trapped by his side, than risk losing my son forever.

My resolve crumbled instantly. I was no longer going to ask Alpha Magnus for help. I stood up quickly, ready to turn around and walk away, but just as I took my first step, the heavy door to his office swung open.

"You are the one who asked to see me?" Alpha Magnus’ voice cut through the air. "My secretary said you have something urgent to tell me."

My feet felt glued to the floor. I froze completely, unable to move a single muscle. I squeezed my eyes shut and dragged in a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm of nerves shaking my whole body. It felt like the air had grown thin, and I was struggling just to pull oxygen into my lungs.

Slowly, with movements that felt like they were happening in slow motion, I turned to face him. The moment our eyes met, his brow furrowed in confusion, and then his gaze lit up with sudden recognition. I knew instantly from the way he looked at me that he remembered who I was.

"Alpha Magnus..." I started to say, my voice trembling.

"So you are the one who came looking for me," he said before I could finish. "If I am not mistaken, you are the mother of that little boy Moses. The child I gave that toy robot to at the store, are you not?"

I nodded slowly, my heart sinking. "You are right. I am Moses’ mother." I lifted my chin, fighting back the urge to run. "I did have something important to say, but I have changed my mind. I am leaving now."

I spun around on my heel, but before I could take even one step away, he closed the distance between us in a blink and wrapped a firm hand around my arm to stop me.

"Do you have any idea how valuable my time is?" he demanded in a sharp, unyielding tone. "You come all the way here, say you have something important to discuss, and now you simply decide to leave without a word? You are not going anywhere until you tell me exactly why you came."

Before I could even find the words to protest, he pulled me firmly inside his office. His secretary looked up at us in utter surprise, but Alpha Magnus simply gestured for her to leave the room. She did so immediately without asking a single question.

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, he turned the lock and faced me with a stern, unreadable expression.

"Let me out, Alpha Magnus! You cannot keep me here like this!" I said, trying my best to sound brave and firm, even though my heart was hammering so hard against my ribs I was certain he could hear it. The truth was I was terrified. Every nerve in my body was screaming with fear.

"You will be allowed to leave only after you tell me why you are here," he said, his voice cold and commanding. "You would not have come all this way unless something very serious was happening. So speak."

I took a quiet, shaky breath. It seemed I truly had no choice. I had to go through with it, no matter how much it frightened me.

"The truth is I came to ask for your help," I said finally, the words spilling out heavy and raw. "Alpha Abner has kidnapped Moses. He will only give him back if I agree to marry him."

"Alpha Abner? The Alpha of the Red Moon Pack?" He looked genuinely puzzled, and that expression only made my anxiety spike higher. Then he asked, "And what is your name?"

"Yes, that is him," I answered quickly. "My name is Mavi."

"And why exactly do you think I would care enough to help you get your child back?" he asked seriously, his eyes searching mine. "Just because I gave him a toy he liked does not mean I owe you anything. If I remember correctly, you rushed away from me the moment we met and acted as if I were something to be feared. You were quite rude. So why should I help you? What is that child to me? And why did you not go to the authorities instead of coming straight to me?"

Frustration and fear bubbled over inside me, and I snapped without thinking. "Because Moses is your son!"

The words had barely left my lips when he moved like lightning. In an instant, he was standing right in front of me, his hands gripping my shoulders firmly as he shook me slightly.

"What did you say?" His voice was low and tight, barely holding back a surge of rising anger. "Did you say Moses is my son?"

Tears pricked my eyes and spilled over before I could stop them. I was terrified of him, but there was no taking back what I had said. "Let me go, Alpha Magnus. You are hurting me," I whimpered as his fingers pressed firmly into my skin.

"Answer my question!" he shouted, his voice booming through the room. "How can you claim such a thing? How dare you say that child is mine?"

"Because I am the woman you were with that night at the bar!" I shouted back, squeezing my eyes shut as tears streamed down my face. "We spent one night together, and from that one night, Moses was born! He is your son!"

I felt the iron grip on my shoulders loosen just a little. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, and what I saw made my blood run cold. His eyes were dark with anger, and I knew every bit of that fury was directed at me.

"Why did you hide this from me?" he asked, his voice cutting through me like a blade. "I spent months looking for you after that night. You vanished without a single trace, and now I find out I have a son I never knew existed?"

"Because I was so afraid you would take him away from me!" I cried out tearfully. "I love Moses more than anything in this world. I could not bear the thought of losing him." Even as I spoke the truth, I held back the other half of my fear. I was also terrified that if he learned I was the daughter of his enemy and the mate he had publicly rejected, he would hate me even more.

He stared at me in silence for a long, tense moment. "And do you truly believe that now I know the truth, I will not take him away from you?"

I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand and looked him straight in the eye. "As long as you can save him from Alpha Abner, I will hand him over to you. Even if it breaks my heart into a thousand pieces, I will do it."

In my mind, it was far better for Moses to be with his own father than for us both to be trapped in the cruel, suffocating world Alpha Abner was building for us.

Alpha Magnus studied my face intently, as if trying to see if there was any lie hidden in my words. Then, slowly, he gave a sharp nod.

"Very well, Mavi," he said, his voice still heavy with suppressed anger. "Remember what you have just promised me." He held out his hand. "Do you know exactly where Alpha Abner has taken him?"

"Yes." I placed the crumpled piece of paper Jenny had given me into his palm. "This is the address."

He took the paper and read it quickly, his jaw tightening with every line.

"Stay right here in this office and do not move until I return," he ordered, turning toward the door. He had his hand on the doorknob when he suddenly stopped and looked back at me, his face dark and terrifying.

"If even a single hair on my son’s head is harmed because of you," he said in a cold, deadly voice that sent chills racing down my spine, "I will hold you fully responsible. And if Alpha Abner dares to hurt him... I will not just kill him. I will burn down everything and everyone connected to this mess. Even you."