Looking For The True Alpha Father of My Child

On the night when I should have been celebrating our bond mating ceremony, my bonded mate, Alpha Ronan, publicly marked another female in front of the entire pack. He had not warned me about it. He simply stood on the high stone of the Gathering Circle and let his blood drip onto Mara's bare shoulder.

"Mara carries my heir," he said. "She will be honored among us. Treated as one who bears the future."

The pack cheered. Some looked at me with either pity or surprise before looking away again. But I remained silent and calm. Later, I simply returned to our den, removed the ceremonial braid from my hair, and packed only what I could carry.

He found me just as I was lacing my cloak.

"She is young, strong, and fertile," Ronan said, as if that explained everything. "We had been together for so long, yet we don't have a pup. What else could I do?"

I did not say anything of which he thought was an agreement.

"Also, she will sleep in our house now. It is not safe for her to sleep outside," he said.

"Okay. Maybe let her sleep in our room too. That would be much safer," I muttered.

I could tell he did not like my answer. His frown deepened, but I did not care. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then his eyes landed on my clothes and the packed bag on the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I ignored him and walked past him. He grabbed my arm and growled.

"I didn't give you permission to leave."

"If I don't, where will she sleep?" I said, mocking him. "Or don't tell me you want me to sleep on the floor while you two are sleeping on the bed?"

Before Ronan could say anything, Mara entered. She was glowing with youth and power. Her eyes glanced at my bag.

"Please don't go," she said with a shaking voice and teary eyes. "I can sleep on the floor. You don't have to accommodate me."

I looked at her fake concern and scoffed, walking out of the house without another word. Mara seemed to want to chase after me, but Ronan blocked her and scoffed.

"Still throwing a tantrum despite being an adult already. Let her go. She will soon realize that she was wrong."

I walked into the trees. I would be lying if I said I was not angry. How could Ronan destroy our bond like that? Using another woman just to get a child? Did he think I was stupid?

I tried to calm myself as the cold wind bit through my cloak. The moon was high when I reached the ridge where the cliffs dropped like fangs into the dark. There, I found a small wolf pup. Not a shifter, but a real one. It was limping and weak, probably left behind by its mother. I knelt and picked it up gently.

"Were you left behind too?" I asked.

The pup whimpered but did not resist. I wrapped it in my cloak and carried it back to the shack I used to live in before I bonded with Ronan.

The next day, someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, I found Ronan's mother, Rachel. Her face was filled with disapproval, like always. She had never liked me, even before Ronan and I were bonded.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked in a sharp tone.

"Do you have to ask? Can't you read time yourself?" I replied without fear.

Rachel gritted her teeth and scoffed. "I came to remind you that you need to cook breakfast and serve Ronan, you lazy woman!"

I laughed. "Why should I serve him? Didn't he already choose a new mate? Can't she cook?"

"She's pregnant! How could you expect her to work?" Rachel said, glaring. "Not that you would understand. You've never had a child."

I clenched my fists. I did know. I had gotten pregnant once. But an accident had caused me to lose it. The healer said I might never carry a child again. I thought Ronan had accepted that fact and still loved me. But it seemed to be just wishful thinking.

Before I could say anything, Mara appeared beside Rachel, looking pale and weak. She leaned into Rachel like a child needing comfort.

"Please don't be angry at her because of me. I can cook," she said, trying to sound pitiful. "My feet were tired, and I had morning sickness. That's why I couldn't move well and woke up late. I'm sorry. I will cook."

Mara looked at me with a soft smile. "Bella, how about you? Is there anything you want to eat? I'll make it."

Rachel turned to Mara with soft eyes, full of affection. "No, you don't have to. You're pregnant. You need to rest."

"No, I can do it. I've done harder things. Cooking is easy," Mara insisted.

"This child," Rachel said with pride, then glared at me again. "Look what you've done. Making a pregnant woman work. Do you feel no shame?"

I rolled my eyes. "She said she could do it, then let her."

Rachel pointed a finger at me, full of rage. "You—"

Before she could finish, the pup I had rescued walked out from under the table. It wagged its tail and came to my feet. I bent down to pick it up, but Mara reached for it first.

"What a cute pup!"

She grabbed it quite roughly, and the pup whimpered loudly in pain. The pup reacted on instinct and bit Mara's hand. Mara screamed loudly. Just in time, Ronan arrived. Seeing Mara crying, he immediately pushed me away.

"Bella, what are you doing? What did you do to Mara!"