The Billionaire Alpha's Replacement Mate

CHAPTER 3

Laura stared at Adrian Kane, certain she'd misheard him. The streetlight cast shadows across his angular face, making him look even more dangerous than the rogues who'd just threatened her.

"I'm sorry, what?" she finally managed to say.

"You heard me." Adrian's silver eyes gleamed with something Laura couldn't identify. "Marry me. Become my Luna."

"You're insane." Laura took a step back, her hand still protectively covering her stomach. "I don't even know you."

"You know enough." Adrian moved closer, and Laura forced herself not to retreat again. Showing fear to an Alpha like him would be a mistake. "You know I'm Marcus Hartson's biggest rival. You know I have the power to protect you from whatever he's planning. And you know you have nowhere else to go."

The last words hit harder than Laura wanted to admit. "I have friends. I have options."

"Do you?" Adrian tilted his head. "Marcus just sent three rogues after you. How long do you think your friends will last against him? How long before he finds you, no matter where you hide?"

Laura's throat tightened. "Why would you help me? What do you get out of this?"

"Revenge." The word came out cold and matter-of-fact. "Marcus Hartson destroyed my father's company fifteen years ago. Drove him to bankruptcy, to his death. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to return the favor."

"And I'm that opportunity?" Laura's voice rose. "You want to use me and my baby as some kind of weapon?"

"I want to give you protection and status." Adrian's expression didn't change. "In exchange, you give me legitimacy. A Luna. An heir. And the satisfaction of watching Marcus realize his son's child will be raised as mine."

The casual way he said it made Laura's skin crawl. "You're talking about my baby like it's a chess piece."

"Everything is a chess piece in the right game." Adrian pulled out his phone and showed her the screen. "This is what's trending right now."

Laura's blood ran cold. It was a photo of her leaving the apartment building, her duffel bag over her shoulder. The caption read: "Kyle Hartson's Gold-Digger Girlfriend Finally Gets the Boot. Omega Trash Where It Belongs."

"How..." Laura's voice cracked.

"Veronica's doing, I'd guess. She wants to control the narrative before news of your pregnancy leaks." Adrian pocketed his phone. "By tomorrow morning, you'll be painted as the villain in every society blog and gossip column. Kyle will be the victim who was trapped by a scheming Omega."

Laura felt sick. "They can't do that."

"They already are." Adrian's voice softened slightly, though his eyes remained hard. "Laura, you have two choices. You can run, hide, try to raise your child alone while Marcus Hartson uses every resource he has to make your life hell. Or you can marry me and become untouchable."

"There has to be another way."

"There isn't." Adrian stepped closer, and Laura caught his scent—pine and winter frost, nothing like Kyle's cologne. "I'm offering you a business arrangement. You play the role of my Luna, I protect you and your child. Simple."

"Nothing about this is simple." Laura wrapped her arms around herself. "You're asking me to marry a complete stranger."

"A stranger who just saved your life." Adrian's jaw tightened. "Those rogues weren't planning to just scare you, Laura. Marcus wanted you dealt with permanently."

The words hung in the cold air between them. Laura thought of the baby growing inside her, of the life she'd imagined with Kyle that had shattered in less than a day.

"I need time to think," she whispered.

"You don't have time." Adrian pulled out his phone again and played a voice message on speaker.

"Mr. Kane, this is Detective Morrison. We found the Omega's apartment ransacked. Looks like someone was looking for something. You said to call if anything suspicious happened in that building. Thought you'd want to know."

Laura's heart stopped. "My apartment? But I just left..."

"Marcus works fast." Adrian's expression was grim. "He's trying to find anything he can use against you. Documents, photos, anything to prove you're unfit or dangerous. By morning, there will probably be a warrant out for your arrest on some trumped-up charge."

"This can't be happening." Laura felt her knees weaken.

Adrian caught her elbow, steadying her. His grip was firm but surprisingly gentle. "It is happening. And it will get worse. Unless you accept my offer."

"You're giving me an ultimatum." Laura looked up at him, anger cutting through her fear. "That's not a choice, that's coercion."

"Call it what you want." Adrian released her arm. "But I'm the only thing standing between you and Marcus Hartson's vendetta. Make your decision."

Laura's mind raced. Everything in her screamed that making a deal with Adrian Kane was dangerous, possibly more dangerous than Marcus's rogues. But when she thought of her baby, of raising a child while constantly running, constantly afraid...

"If I agree," she said slowly, "I want conditions."

Adrian's eyebrow rose. "You're negotiating?"

"You said this was a business arrangement. Business arrangements have terms." Laura forced strength into her voice that she didn't feel. "I want your word that my child will be safe. That you won't use them as a pawn against Marcus."

"The child will have my name and my protection. That's the entire point."

"That's not enough." Laura met his silver eyes. "I want a contract. Legal documents that guarantee my child's safety and inheritance rights, regardless of what happens between us."

For the first time, something like respect flickered across Adrian's face. "Smart. What else?"

"I want to finish my degree. And I want autonomy. I'll play the Luna role in public, but in private, I'm not your property."

"Agreed." Adrian held out his hand. "Anything else?"

Laura stared at his outstretched hand. This was it. The moment that would change everything.

"One more thing," she said. "Kyle can never know the baby isn't biologically yours. If we're doing this, we do it completely. The child will be raised believing you're their father."

Adrian's smile was sharp and approving. "Now you're thinking like a Kane. Deal."

Laura took his hand. His skin was warm despite the cold night, his grip firm and certain. The moment their hands clasped, she felt her wolf stir.

"Something's wrong," Sage whispered in her mind.

"What?" Laura tried to pull her hand back, but Adrian held firm.

His eyes had gone wide, his expression shocked for the first time since she'd met him. "That's impossible."

"What? What's impossible?" Laura's heart hammered.

Adrian's grip tightened, not painfully, but with absolute certainty. When he spoke, his voice was rough with disbelief.

"The bond. Laura, I can feel a mate bond forming."

Laura's world tilted. "That's not possible. You're not—we're not—"

"I know what I feel." Adrian's silver eyes bore into hers. "You're my true mate."

Before Laura could process his words, before she could pull away or demand answers, headlights suddenly flooded the street. A black SUV screeched to a halt beside them.

The back door flew open, and Kyle Hartson jumped out, his face twisted with rage.

"Get your hands off my girlfriend, Kane," he snarled, his eyes glowing with his wolf. "Laura, get in the car. Now."

Adrian's hand tightened on Laura's, possessive and protective. His own eyes flashed silver. "She's not your girlfriend anymore. You made that clear when you threw her out for the Sterling girl."

"This is none of your business." Kyle took a step forward, and Laura could feel the Alpha power radiating off both men. The air crackled with tension.

"Actually," Laura heard herself say, surprised by the steadiness in her voice, "it is his business. Because I just agreed to marry him."

Kyle's face went white. "You what?"

Behind him, the SUV's passenger door opened. Marcus Hartson stepped out, his expression cold and calculating. When his eyes landed on Laura's hand still clasped in Adrian's, his smile was predatory.

"Well," Marcus said softly, "this just got interesting."