FATED TO BE HIS

THE OFFER

CHAPTER THREE

ARIEL’S POV

The crowd erupted into cheers of approval, but I barely heard them. My ears rang, my stomach twisting violently as bile rose in my throat.

It hurt so much more than I thought possible that Dorian hadn’t chosen me.

And though I knew it would’ve been unconventional, I also knew he could have picked me if he’d truly wanted to.

But I had never been an option.

The weight of that realization crashed over me, so overwhelming that my wolf recoiled, a wounded snarl echoing in my mind.

Pitying glances flickered my way. They knew what I had been to him. More importantly, they knew what I no longer was…

My hands trembled as I clutched the fabric of my dress, my nails digging into the material in a desperate attempt to keep myself together. But it was useless.

I was already breaking.

I’d been a fool, I knew that now. A foolish, naïve girl who’d dared to believe even for a second that I was anything more than another body in his bed.

A year in his arms had meant nothing. I was nothing special. I’d never been. But it's not like I’d ever had a choice.

And now I carried his child… Oh, Goddess!

What was I supposed to do now?

I hadn’t expected the news of me being with child to be well-received before, but now, after he’d publicly declared another woman as his Luna—it felt even more impossible.

My heart pounded in my ears as my gaze landed on Sophia. She stood beside him, beaming as though she'd already held the title of his Luna for years. And perhaps she even had, long before tonight. Perhaps I had been the only one kept in the dark.

She was his in all the ways that mattered. All the ways I wanted. And I…

I had merely been the bed warmer.

I should have prepared myself for this possibility sooner. I’d gotten ahead of myself, believing I wouldn’t be so easily replaced just because he’d kept me by his side for the better part of a year. But the truth was painfully simple…

A slave could never be a Luna.

No Alpha would ever sully himself like that.

The sting of reality burned deep.

Still, no matter how much it hurt, I couldn’t let my emotions blind me to what I had to do. I needed to tell him about the baby. I didn’t know what would come after, but he had a right to know. I had no right to feel betrayed. My time with him had been a privilege unlike any other.

And now it was over.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I started to move through the crowd, nausea twisting in my stomach. But before I could reach him, a delicate, gloved hand caught my wrist.

“You must be Ariel!”

I turned, startled, only to meet Sophia’s eyes—cold and assessing despite the warmth in her voice. When had she left his side?

She was beautiful and she carried herself with the confidence of someone who’d never been denied anything.

I swallowed. “I need to—”

“Oh, I know,” she interrupted smoothly, her grip tightening slightly—enough to make a point. “But you actually don’t.”

I frowned, confused. “I… don’t—?”

“You don’t need to speak to him.” She clarified, steering me toward a shadowed alcove, away from prying eyes, and I followed stiffly, my wolf bristling at the unsubtle authority in her tone and movements.

“I’ve heard of you,” she continued once we were alone. “You’re the one he kept, aren’t you? The… exception.” She gave a soft, amused laugh. “How quaint.”

I stiffened. “Again, I don’t—”

“Come now, Ariel.” She sighed, almost indulgently. “Let’s not pretend we don’t both know what this is.”

I did, and that made me hesitate.

It was really important that I spoke to Dorian soon. And even though I knew I shouldn't trust her…

Like a fool, I did.

“Look, I need to speak to him,” I said quietly, placing a hand over my stomach. “I think—I think I’m pregnant.” I whispered the last part.

Silence.

Then, something dark flickered in her eyes. She hummed, tilting her head as if weighing my words. “Pregnant.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“I see… But, it makes no difference, you know that, don't you?” Her voice was gentle, almost pitying. “You’re a slave, Ariel—one he shares his bed with, yes, but still beneath even a commoner. Do you really think he’d throw away an alliance for this?” Her gaze flickered to my stomach.

“I just— thought he should know,” I whispered, feeling impossibly small.

“Should he?” She asked. “And then what? Perhaps he'll grant you some mercy, maybe even spare a thought for the child. But what then, Ariel? You’ll never be more than his mistress—the mother of his bastard. Never his wife. Never his Luna. You know that.”

I swallowed hard, looking away in shame.

She wasn’t wrong.

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a murmur. “I’ll make you an offer, Ariel.” My eyes met her cold, calculating ones. “Leave ShadowFang. Disappear without looking back, and you can keep the baby as a… memory. Of the time you once had with him. A time that must now come to an end.”

She made it sound like a favor.

I stared at her, numb. “And if I refuse?”

A slow, deliberate smile. “Don’t.” She looked dangerous at that moment. “Because if you do—”

But I didn’t wait to hear the rest. Shaking my head, I turned and fled. It was already too much. Tears burned my eyes as I slipped through the gathering unnoticed.

I forced one foot in front of the other, my heart pounding and breath coming too fast as I did so.

‘You’re running away,’ my wolf whispered.

But I had to.

I couldn’t stay. Not after this. Not after knowing I’d already been replaced.

I would go to ShadowClaw. Dorian’s cousin ruled there. And perhaps… Perhaps he would take me in.

I didn’t look back.

But Sophia was not as merciful as she’d pretended to be.

***

The forest was very quiet.

The wind howled through the trees, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I pushed forward, wrapping my cloak tighter around myself.

I was almost at the border. Almost… when a rustling in the brush made me freeze.

I turned just as a dark figure lunged.

Pain permeated my senses. Sharp, white-hot, as I hit the ground hard. A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my cry.

My wolf snarled, thrashing against the weight pressing me down, but my body was still weak—still sore.

“She said not to kill her,” a voice whispered harshly above me.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun first.”

No.

Adrenaline surged through me. I kicked, twisted, bit down on a hand, drawing blood. A curse rang out, and the weight lifted just enough for me to shove away and scramble to my feet.

‘Run.’

I barely made it three steps before something heavy struck my temple.

The world tilted.

And then—nothing.