Rejected Mate Becomes Queen

I felt my inner wolf rise to the surface, hackles raised at Brandon's audacity. How dare he claim my son after what he'd done? The familiar cold fury I'd cultivated over five years settled in my veins like ice.

"Step away from my son," I commanded, my voice carrying a quiet authority that made several hotel staff members glance up in surprise.

Brandon's laugh echoed through the marble lobby, rich with mockery. "Your son? If those eyes are any indication, he carries Shadowmere blood." He snapped his fingers and pointed to the space in front of him. "Boy, come here. Let your father get a good look at you."

Leo pressed closer to my side, his small fingers tightening around mine. I could feel his confusion and discomfort radiating through our bond.

"You heard me," Brandon continued, his voice hardening with authority as he addressed my son directly. "As Alpha of Shadowmere Pack, I command you to step forward. Now."

Victoria circled around us like a vulture, her designer gown whispering against the marble floor as she moved. The pregnancy had done nothing to soften her features—if anything, it had only sharpened the cruel edge to her smile.

"Look at him," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy as she addressed the growing crowd of onlookers. "No wolf scent yet. Probably another late bloomer... if he blooms at all." She stroked her swollen belly with theatrical tenderness. "Unlike our child, who already has the strongest Alpha aura the pack healer has ever sensed."

I kept my expression neutral, though my blood boiled at her taunts. Victoria had always known exactly where to twist the knife.

Brandon's patience snapped. His eyes flashed amber as he unleashed his full Alpha tone, the sound reverberating through the lobby like thunder. "BOY! COME HERE NOW!"

I felt Leo flinch beside me, his small body instinctively responding to the command before he caught himself. My protective instincts flared, and I stepped fully between them, shielding my son from Brandon's influence.

"He doesn't answer to you," I said, my voice like ice. "He never has and he never will. There is no Alpha bond between you."

Brandon's face darkened with rage. "Don't lie to me, Aria. That's my son. My blood." He took a menacing step forward. "Did you think you could hide an heir to the Shadowmere Pack from me? That I wouldn't recognize my own bloodline?"

"Your bloodline?" I laughed, the sound hollow and sharp. "You severed any claim to him the moment you sent that one-dollar rejection payment to my hospital bed."

Victoria's eyes widened slightly—apparently, Brandon had never shared that particular detail with his chosen mate. Interesting.

"You were unconscious," Brandon hissed, his composure slipping. "The pack needed a Luna who could stand by my side, not a broken mate who might never wake up."

"And yet, here I stand." I met his gaze steadily. "While you hide behind an Alpha tone that has no power over me anymore."

Brandon's nostrils flared as he tried to scent me properly, confusion flickering across his face. I knew what he was searching for—the scent of a rogue, the desperation of an omega. What he couldn't understand was why he couldn't detect either.

"Mom?" Leo's small voice broke through the tension. "Who is this man?"

Before I could answer, Brandon unleashed another wave of his Alpha command, this one directed fully at Leo. "I am your father, boy. And you will acknowledge me as such."

I watched as the Alpha tone washed over my son and... did absolutely nothing. Leo simply tilted his head, his royal Lycan blood completely immune to Brandon's pathetic attempt at dominance.

The confusion on Brandon's face was almost worth the entire confrontation.