My Ex Alpha Claims My Son

The knock came at midnight.

I was still awake, sitting in the darkened suite with a cup of tea I hadn't touched. Cullen had finally fallen asleep, exhausted from maintaining his control all evening. Baker was curled up in the bedroom, his small chest rising and falling peacefully.

I opened the door to find Marcus Reid standing in the hallway.

Axel's Beta looked like he'd aged ten years in the past few hours. His eyes were bloodshot, his shoulders slumped with a weight I recognized too well. Guilt. Fear. The knowledge that everything was falling apart.

"Luna—" He stopped himself. "Olivia. I need to speak with you."

I glanced back at the bedroom, then stepped into the hallway, pulling the door mostly closed behind me. "Make it quick."

"Is it true?" His voice cracked. "Is Baker... is he Axel's son?"

I looked at him—really looked at him. Marcus had been Axel's Beta since we were teenagers. He'd stood beside us at our mating ceremony. He'd held my hand when I'd gone into labor, promising me everything would be fine.

He'd also stood silent when Axel rejected me.

"Why does it matter?" I asked quietly.

"Because the pack is falling apart." Marcus ran his hands through his hair. "Axel's been unstable for years, but this... this obsession with that boy is destroying him. If Baker is his heir, maybe we can salvage something. Maybe there's a way to—"

"Axel has no heir." The words came out flat. Final. "He killed his heir five years ago."

Marcus went white. "Olivia—"

"When our pup was dying, burning up with fever, I called for him through our mind-link. Over and over. I begged him to come home." I felt the old grief rising, sharp and bitter. "He blocked me. Blocked our bond so he could fuck Mya in peace. Our son died alone except for me. So no, Marcus. Axel has no heir. He has nothing."

Marcus staggered back like I'd struck him. His mouth opened, closed. No words came out.

I turned back to the door. "Go back to your Alpha. And pray to the Moon Goddess that Cullen doesn't decide your pack needs new leadership."

I closed the door in his face.

---

The next morning, I should have seen it coming.

Baker wanted to explore the forest trails before the Summit's final session. The weather was perfect—cool and bright, with that crisp autumn smell that made my wolf want to run. Cullen had an emergency conference call with the Lycan Council, so it was just me and Baker, walking hand in hand through the golden trees.

I felt safe. Stupid. So incredibly stupid.

We were near the eastern boundary, where the forest gave way to rocky cliffs, when I caught the scent.

Pine and leather. Whiskey. Desperation.

Axel stepped out from behind an oak tree.

His appearance shocked me. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair wild. Those ice-blue eyes had a red rim around them, like his wolf was too close to the surface. Like the man and beast were at war.

"Olivia." My name sounded wrong in his mouth. Broken. "Please. Just let me talk to him."

I pulled Baker behind me, feeling his small hands grip my dress. "Stay back, Axel."

"He's mine." Axel took a step forward. "I can feel it. The bond. He has my eyes, my—"

"He's not yours!" The words ripped out of me. "Baker is not your son!"

"Liar!" Axel's voice rose to a roar. His body shook, muscles rippling under his skin. "You faked the death certificate. You hid him from me. You stole my heir!"

He lunged.

I shifted my stance, ready to fight, when I heard her voice.

"Axel, stop!"

Mya appeared from the opposite direction, Lennox trailing behind her. Her face was flushed, her breathing hard like she'd been running. But her eyes—her eyes were calculating. Cold.

"Mya, stay out of this," Axel snarled.

"You're making a scene." She moved closer, her hand reaching for his arm. "The other Alphas will hear. You need to—"

"I need my son!" Axel shoved her away.

Everything happened too fast.

Mya stumbled, catching herself. Her gaze flicked to Lennox, then to Baker. Something passed between them—a look, a signal.

Lennox moved.

The boy darted forward while we were all focused on Axel. His hands shot out, catching Baker's shoulder.

"No!" I screamed.

But Lennox shoved hard, and Baker stumbled backward.

Toward the ravine.

I watched my son's eyes go wide. Watched his small body tip over the edge. Watched his mouth open in a scream that would haunt me forever.

"BAKER!"

I was running, diving, my hand reaching—

And then Cullen was there.

I don't know how. One moment the air was empty, the next he was a black blur of motion. He caught Baker inches from the rocks below, his Lycan speed defying physics, his strength pulling them both back to solid ground.

Baker sobbed against his father's chest. Cullen's eyes had gone completely gold, his aura exploding outward like a shockwave.

Every wolf within a hundred yards dropped to their knees.

Including Axel.

Including Mya.

Cullen's voice, when it came, shook the trees. "You tried to kill my son."

It wasn't a question.