My Alpha Chose His Bastard Over Our Pup

The private hospital on Fifth Avenue smelled like disinfectant and expensive flowers. I'd followed Ryker's car here after he'd left the office, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had gone white. The valet had looked at me strangely when I'd handed over my keys with shaking fingers, but I'd barely noticed.

Now I stood outside VIP room 312, my heart hammering against my ribs as I peered through the small window in the door.

Ryker sat on the edge of a hospital bed, his large frame dwarfing the small boy curled against his side. The child couldn't have been more than four, with dark hair that caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows. But it was his eyes that made my breath catch in my throat—golden amber, the exact shade that marked Alpha bloodline. Ryker's eyes.

Victoria stood beside them, her hand resting on the boy's shoulder with maternal protectiveness. She was saying something that made both Ryker and the child laugh, their faces soft with an intimacy I hadn't seen from my husband in years.

The boy—Lucas, I heard Victoria call him—tilted his head up to look at Ryker with pure adoration. "Daddy, when can I come home with you?"

Daddy.

The word hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't just Ryker's affair child. This was his heir, the son I'd failed to give him, the future Alpha of Silvercrest Pack.

My wolf clawed at my insides, a howl of anguish building in my chest that I barely managed to contain. Five years of marriage. Five years of trying, of losing babies, of enduring his mother's cruel comments about my "weak wolf." And all this time, he'd had a son.

I pushed open the door before I could lose my nerve.

The sound made all three of them turn. Lucas immediately shrank back against Victoria, his golden eyes wide with fear as he took in my appearance. I must have looked like a madwoman—hair disheveled from the wind, my usually composed mask cracked beyond repair.

"Daddy," Lucas whispered, his small voice trembling. "Who is this lady?"

Ryker's face went through a series of emotions—shock, anger, and finally that cold fury I'd seen glimpses of over the years. He stood slowly, placing himself between me and the bed where Victoria now held Lucas protectively.

"Serena." My name came out like a curse. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, his hand closed around my wrist with bruising force, and he dragged me into the hallway. The door slammed shut behind us with enough force to rattle the frame.

"You followed me?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You actually followed me like some kind of stalker?"

I jerked my wrist free, feeling the sting where his fingers had dug into my skin. "Which part is the lie, Ryker? That I'm your Luna, or that this child killed mine?"

His face went white. "What are you talking about?"

"Last year." The words came out in a rush, memories I'd tried to bury clawing their way to the surface. "I was finally pregnant. Twelve weeks. We were so careful, so hopeful. And then you brought him to our house."

I could see it all again—Lucas running through our penthouse while Victoria watched with that smug smile. The boy had been fascinated by everything, touching expensive vases and racing up and down the marble staircase.

"You said he was your cousin's kid," I continued, my voice breaking. "Just visiting for the day. But he spilled that bottle of body wash at the top of the stairs, didn't he? Made everything so slippery."

Ryker's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

"I fell." The words tasted like ashes. "I fell down those stairs and lost our baby. Again. And you held me in the hospital and told me it wasn't my fault, that these things just happen. But it wasn't just chance, was it? It was him. Your real son. Your heir."

The silence stretched between us like a chasm. In the distance, I could hear the soft murmur of hospital staff, the beep of monitors, the normal sounds of a place where life and death hung in balance.

"Serena—"

"Don't." I held up a hand, my wolf snarling beneath my skin. "Don't you dare try to explain this away."

The door to room 312 opened, and Victoria stepped into the hallway. Even now, even here, she looked perfect—her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, her blue eyes wide with calculated vulnerability.

"Luna Serena," she said, her voice soft and pleading. "Please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt my son. I know this is... complicated. But Lucas is innocent in all this. If you want us gone, I'll take him and leave. We'll disappear, I promise."

The performance was flawless. The grieving mistress, willing to sacrifice everything for her child's safety. I almost believed her sincerity until I saw the way Ryker immediately moved to her side, his hand settling protectively on her lower back.

"No one is going anywhere," he said, his voice firm. "And no one is going to hurt either of you. I won't allow it."

The casual way he said it—like my feelings, my pain, my very existence meant nothing—sent ice through my veins. This was the man I'd loved since I was fourteen years old. The man I'd built an empire for, sacrificed everything for, endured years of humiliation and loss for.

And he was choosing them. Again.

Victoria's hand moved to her stomach in a gesture so subtle I almost missed it. But I caught the protective curve of her palm, the way her fingers splayed across her abdomen.

"Oh god," I whispered. "You're pregnant again."

Her face flushed, confirming what I'd already known. Another child. Another heir. While I stood here, the barren Luna who'd failed at the one thing that mattered.

But then something shifted inside me. A strange calm settled over my shoulders like a mantle, and I found myself smiling. Really smiling, for the first time in months.

I placed my hand over my own stomach, mirroring Victoria's gesture.

"Ryker Blackwood," I said, my voice steady and clear. "I'm pregnant too."

The color drained from his face so quickly I thought he might faint. This wasn't the reaction of a man receiving joyful news about his heir. This was panic, pure and simple.

Victoria's mouth fell open, her perfect composure finally cracking. "That's... that's impossible."

"Is it?" I kept my eyes on Ryker, watching as a dozen emotions flickered across his features. "Three weeks ago, Ryker. The night after the Hartwell merger celebration. You were so grateful for my work, so... attentive."

His silence told me everything I needed to know. He didn't want this baby. He didn't want my child. After years of trying, of hoping, of enduring his mother's cruel comments about my fertility, I was finally pregnant with his heir.

And he looked like I'd just told him his worst nightmare had come true.