Rejected by the Alpha, I Married His Foster Dad

Chapter 4

Triumph flashed through Katie's eyes.

She quickly schooled her features, rose, and clung anxiously to Asher's arm.

"Asher, what are you saying? Mabel is your fated mate! I'm so sorry, Mabel. I never thought this would happen. I..."

Her panic and concern were so convincing that I might have believed them if I hadn't known her true colors.

Asher turned to me.

"Mabel, I know you're hurt, but I have to do right by Katie and the baby. You can still stay with me. The permanent mate mark can be yours."

He still believed he could have us both.

Katie's expression twisted for a split second.

I inclined my head to the elders. My voice carried through the entire temple.

"Since Mr. Dawson doesn't want this marriage, neither do I. Let Selene be my witness: it was him—not me—who broke our bond."

The instant I finished speaking, white light flared around Asher and me.

I felt the bond between us snap.

The faint trace of cedar that had always lingered at the edge of my senses vanished completely.

Then pain tore through me.

It felt as though I were being skinned alive and torn apart from the inside. Blood ran from the corner of my mouth, and my legs nearly folded beneath me.

Still, I dug my nails into my palms and refused to show weakness in front of them.

Time seemed to crawl. Finally, the pain faded, and my vision cleared.

When it was over, sweat had soaked through my dress as though I had just been pulled from deep water.

Asher stepped closer, his voice turning gentle.

"Mabel, I know how much you love me. I won't let your devotion go to waste."

I ignored the absurd promise and glanced at the moon outside. Kyle should have been on his way.

Katie's voice pulled me back.

"Mabel, I'm sorry about everything. But we both have a place beside Asher now. Why don't we drink to a fresh start and put this behind us?"

She gave me a sweetly innocent smile and offered me a glass of berry juice.

I took it and waited for the performance to begin.

The moment the drink touched her lips, her expression changed, and she dropped the glass.

"This is wolfsbane! Mabel, how could you be so cruel?"

Katie clutched her stomach and stumbled backward, tears streaming down her face.

I stood where I was and watched her put on her show.

The pack doctor stepped forward, knelt beside the spilled juice, and examined it with a frown.

"It is wolfsbane."

Wolfsbane was deadly to werewolves. Even a small amount could kill.

Alarm swept through the guests, and Asher's face darkened at once.

He wrapped an arm around Katie's waist and frantically checked her for any sign of harm.

Once he was sure she was unharmed, he turned to me, his eyes full of blame and disappointment.

"Mabel, I never imagined you could be this vicious!"

"It wasn't me," I said coldly, forcing down my anger. "Why would I put wolfsbane in a drink at my own wedding?"

"You've always hated Katie. You wanted her gone!"

Asher's voice was icy, and he looked at me as though I were his enemy.

Her story had holes all over it. A moment of rational thought would have exposed every one of them.

But whenever Katie was involved, Asher stopped thinking.

Katie sobbed against his chest.

"Asher, you almost lost me and our baby."

Asher gripped her shoulders and barked an order.

"Guards! Seize her! Make her drink the wolfsbane herself!"

The moment he gave the order, guards closed in around me.

Two broad-shouldered werewolves grabbed my shoulders and forced me to my knees.

I didn't cry or beg. I lifted my head and smiled coldly at Asher.

"Think carefully. If you force that poison down my throat, Kyle won't spare you. Are you really going to kill your former fated mate for an outsider?"

"Enough! Even now, you're still trying to frame Katie! I've indulged you too much. That's why you've become so spoiled and out of control! Pry her mouth open and pour the rest down her throat."

My ears rang, but I wasn't shocked. I simply looked at the man I had loved for 5 years.

"Asher, you will regret this."

A guard bent down and picked up the glass. A thin layer of juice still coated the bottom.

He came over and gripped my jaw hard enough to crush the bones beneath his fingers.

"Let go of me! Get your hands off me!"

I thrashed with everything I had. My hair came loose, my makeup smeared, and my nails raked bloody lines down the guards' arms, but they wouldn't release me.

"Asher, I'll make you pay for what you've done today!"

The rim of the glass edged closer to my lips.

The red juice trembled at the rim, a breath away from spilling into my mouth.

I didn't look for any trace of the 18-year-old boy I had once loved. I stared into Asher's eyes, determined to make him remember the way I looked at him that day.

A wave of sandalwood-scented pheromones swept in from behind me, carrying the crushing dominance of a powerful Alpha.

The guards let go at once and dropped to their knees, trembling.

Released without warning, I pitched forward, but an arm caught me around the waist and pulled me against a warm, solid chest. Trembling voices rose around us.

"Alpha!"

I knew that sandalwood scent. I leaned back against Kyle without resisting, safer than I had felt in years.

It was all part of the deal Kyle and I had struck the day before. I would help him keep the old-guard nobles who challenged his authority in line. In return, he would help me take revenge and make me his Luna. Our marriage would benefit us both.

But I knew our bargain wasn't the whole truth. The look in Kyle's eyes wasn't part of the act. He had admired me for far longer than he had ever said.

I looked up at him. Behind Kyle, the temple doors stood wide open.

The force of his presence rolled through the temple, driving all the guests to their knees.

His dark blue eyes were calm and unreadable. He stood a full head taller than Asher, and although his face showed no emotion, his presence alone made it hard to breathe.

Katie and Asher both grimaced in pain. Katie gave out first, collapsing to her knees and trembling.

Barely 1 second later, Asher grunted and sank to one knee, lowering the head he had always held up proudly.

"Father."

His voice was hoarse, but Kyle didn't spare him a glance.

Kyle lifted me gently into his arms. His gaze swept over everyone present, and his voice left no room for argument.

"Asher, what were you about to do... to my wife?"

Shock rippled through the temple as every gaze swung toward me.

Katie jerked her head up. Terror wiped every trace of triumph from her face.