Chosen By Fate, Rejected By Hate

Chapter 10

Mavi Pov

"Wow! Dad’s house is so huge!" Moses exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder as we stepped inside the grand entrance. Only he looked so amazed. I walked quietly beside him, my heart heavy with a familiar ache. I had grown up in a house just as big as this one. If my father had not cast me out and disowned me, I would still be living in luxury today. But then I thought about everything that happened after that. If he had not turned his back on me, I would never have found out that Santa and Edward had been lying to me all along. If I had not discovered their betrayal, I would never have run to that bar to drown my sorrows. I would never have met Alpha Magnus that night, and I would never have been blessed with my sweet, wonderful Moses.

Once, I was so angry and hurt by what my father and Edward did to me. But now, I try to see it as a strange kind of blessing. I would endure every pain all over again if it meant I still got to have my son. I do not regret that night I spent with Alpha Magnus, not even for a moment.

"You and your mother will live here from now on," Alpha Magnus said to Moses.

I bit my lip to hold back a sigh. It stung to see how flat and cold his voice was. He could not even manage a small smile for his own son. Or perhaps this was just how he was. He had always been serious and distant, even the very first night we met when he hid his face behind a white mask. I found myself wondering why he had stopped wearing that mask now. It felt like I needed to strike some deal with him just to see him smile at Moses even once.

Alpha Magnus called out to an elderly woman named Dayay and told her to show Moses to his new room.

"I am going up to my room now, Mom!" Moses said cheerfully, waving at me as he walked toward the stairs with Dayay.

"Please be careful on the steps, Moses," I called out softly.

He turned back and beamed at me. "Do not worry, Mom. I am already a big boy. I know how to climb stairs."

I smiled and waved back at him, my eyes growing warm with tears. My heart swelled with joy for him. His dream of finally having a father was coming true. I was also glad that I had made the hard choice to tell Alpha Magnus the truth.

"Your room is on the right side when you reach the top of the stairs," Alpha Magnus told me once Moses was gone. I simply nodded, unable to find the right words to say. "And do not forget—"

"I already know what you are going to say," I interrupted sharply, my temper flaring before I could stop it. "I will never forget why I am here. I am just the nanny of your child, who also happens to be my child. And do not worry. I will not act like I own this place. I will help with whatever chores you want so you will have no reason to complain about me staying here."

"Fine. Do whatever you like. Just make sure you take good care of Moses," Alpha Magnus replied, sounding clearly annoyed.

"You do not need to remind me of that," I shot back. "Moses is my son too. I will take care of him with or without your reminders."

"What is this woman doing inside your house, Alpha Magnus?"

We both turned toward the door at the sound of that loud, angry voice. Standing there was the beautiful woman I had seen with him before. Her name was Sonia, if I remembered correctly.

I listened closely to every word she said. She had said "your house" instead of "our house." That meant she did not live here. A strange, painful hope stirred in my chest. Did that mean Alpha Magnus still had no destined mate? That he was still not bound to anyone else, even after rejecting me?

"This is Mavi," Alpha Magnus said plainly, without hesitation. "She is the mother of my son, and she will be staying here as his nanny." He spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, showing no worry that Sonia would be upset. "And Mavi, this is Sonia."

"His chosen mate," Sonia added quickly, lifting her chin high as if staking her claim. "Since when did you have a child, Alpha Magnus? And why did you never mention her or that boy the first time we met?"

"I only found out today that Moses is my son," Alpha Magnus answered firmly. "And you do not need to know the details of how he was conceived."

"What? You only found out today that the boy you gave a toy to is your child?" Sonia laughed bitterly, her eyes filled with suspicion and disgust as she looked at me. "How can you be so sure she is not lying to you? What if she planned all of this? What if she arranged for you to meet that boy just so she could wiggle her way into your life and live comfortably off you?"

"Watch your words carefully, Sonia," I warned her, my voice low and sharp. "I did not plan any of this. If my son had not been kidnapped, I would never have told him or anyone else about him."

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I had said too much. Alpha Magnus took a step toward me, his expression turning dark and stormy. He reached out and gripped my arm tightly, his fingers digging in hard.

"So you really had no intention of ever telling me about my son?" he growled, his eyes flashing with anger. "You never stopped to think that Moses deserved a father to protect him. You only thought of yourself, Mavi!"

I winced as pain shot through my arm. It hurt even more because there was already a faint bruise from when he had held me earlier. He seemed to notice the pain on my face, and he let go of me abruptly as if he had been burned.

"I had my reasons for hiding him from you," I said softly, gently rubbing my sore arms. "But when I had no other choice, I told you the truth."

"I do not care about your reasons," Alpha Magnus snapped, his voice cold and hard. "But mark my words well. You will never take Moses away from me."

I looked straight into his eyes, and I noticed something I had not paid attention to before. His eyes were turning a deep, striking shade of blue the angrier he got. It was true then. Moses really had inherited his father’s eyes. I had seen this color in his office earlier, but I had been too worried about my son to notice. Now I could not look away. They were beautiful, yet they perfectly matched his cold, distant nature. It was so different from Alpha Abner, whose eyes turned frightening red whenever he lost his temper.

"Excuse me, but do you remember that I am still standing here?" Sonia’s irritated voice cut through the tension like a knife.

Alpha Magnus glanced at her briefly before turning his sharp gaze back to me. "Remember your place in this house, Mavi. And I promise you this. I will make your stay here so unbearable that you will beg to leave. But if you ever do walk away, you will never be allowed to see or speak to Moses again for as long as you live."

With that chilling threat hanging in the air, he turned and walked away, heading up the stairs. Sonia shot me a look full of pure hatred before hurrying after him.

I let out a long, shaky breath and hugged my arms around myself to stop the trembling. It was clear now that my life here would be far from peaceful. But I tightened my resolve. For Moses, I would endure every cruel word and every hardship. I would never leave him, no matter what Alpha Magnus tried to do to drive me away.