The Alpha King’s Forbidden Mate

— Sera —

I didn't ask him why.

Why he humiliated me. Why he let them talk about me like that. Why he lied.

I didn't scream. Didn't throw the glass in his face.

I just whispered, "Not tonight. I'm… not feeling well."

My forehead was burning. Fever, maybe.

Or maybe it was my body trying to burn away what was left of my dignity.

Cole looked genuinely worried — like the perfect boyfriend again.

He drove me to the hospital, one hand on the wheel, the other resting protectively on my knee.

The same hands that had held me down.

I kept my face turned toward the window and didn't say a word the whole drive.

While filling out the intake form, I mentioned the nausea that had been haunting me every morning.

The nurse suggested a blood test. I didn't care enough to refuse.

We were waiting for the results when shouting broke out near the entrance.

Before I could process anything, Cole shot up, his chair clattering to the floor. He was across the room in seconds, his fist connecting with another Alpha's face.

The sound of bone cracking echoed through the hall.

Screams followed — Omegas running, nurses shouting.

And then I saw her.

Talia.

Her mate trying to shield her, a bruise blooming purple on her thigh.

"What did you do to her?!" Cole roared, punching again and again, blind with fury.

Talia's mate — Zane Harper, the heir of the Harper Pack — spat blood, gasping. "It's none of your damn business!"

I ran toward them, yelling for Cole to stop. A blow came out of nowhere — I wasn't even sure whose. I stumbled, fell — right into Talia. We both went down.

Before I could move, Cole shoved me aside and scooped Talia into his arms.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was soft, trembling. He brushed her hair away from her face.

He didn't even look at me.

Not once.

The floor was cold against my cheek. Something warm trickled down my thigh.

It took me a second to realize it was blood.

For a long moment, I just lay there — listening to the chaos, to Cole's voice comforting Talia, to the nurses rushing past me.

No one saw me.

No one ever did.

I pressed my palm to the cut and made myself get up. One hand on the wall, knees shaking, the fluorescent lights too bright overhead. Someone actually stepped around me to get to Cole's side.

Not to help me.

To watch.

By the time I made it to the doctor's office, my vision was swimming. Dr. Ellis frowned when he saw me, then helped me onto the exam table. He cleaned the wound on my leg. Wrapped it with steady hands. Then went very quiet.

That kind of quiet that means something else is coming.

"You're… pregnant," he said. "About two months."

Pregnant.

The word hit me like a cruel joke.

"You've always had a fragile body," he continued. "This pregnancy itself is a miracle. But your condition isn't good. You need rest, care, and…" He hesitated. "You'll need the father's support. Can you… both handle that responsibility?"

I almost laughed.

If I hadn't been half-dead inside, I might've screamed.

I tried to stand and nearly collapsed. Dr. Ellis wouldn't let me leave without an escort, so I called Cole.

He didn't answer.

He didn't even text.

My father? He wouldn't care. My mother was gone. Just a name carved into cold stone.

There was no one left to call.

A knock at the door. Soft.

Zane Harper was standing in the doorway. Face swollen, lip split, one eye nearly shut. He looked like absolute hell.

"I'm… sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I'll cover your medical bills. And if you need help… I'll make sure you're safe."

It was the first time anyone had looked at me like I was still a person.

So when he offered me a ride home, I said yes.

He didn't ask questions in the car. Just drove. Both hands on the wheel, jaw tight. I stared out the window and thought about the tiny thing growing inside me that I had no idea what to do with.

He pulled up in front of my building and put the car in park but didn't cut the engine.

"I'll wait out here for a bit," he said. "In case you need anything."

I looked at him. "You don't have to do that."

"I know."

He held out his hand. "Give me your phone."

I didn't know why I did it. I just handed it over.

He dialed a number. A second later his own jacket pocket buzzed. He saved the contact, checked it once, and passed my phone back.

"Now you have mine," he said. "If you need out, just text me. I'll be right here."

I looked down at the screen.

Zane Harper. Ten digits. That was it.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I nodded and got out of the car.

The lobby door felt heavier than usual.

I could hear them before I even put my key in the lock — voices, low music, the comfortable hum of people who had nowhere else to be. I told myself it was fine. I'd walk in, go straight to my room, deal with everything in the morning.

I opened the door.

Talia was sitting on Cole's lap, crying softly into his chest.

His arms were around her. His friends stood in a loose circle — worried, quiet, protective. Like a wall built around something precious.

Nobody looked at the door when I walked in.

Talia lifted her head first. Her eyes found me across the room and went wide, like I was the last person she'd expected to see.

"Sera?" A little surprised. A little — almost annoyed. "What are you doing back?"

I opened my mouth.

Cole glanced over his shoulder. Just a glance. Like I was a notification he'd already decided to dismiss.

"Oh." Easy voice. Easy smile. "She's the house cleaner."

Nobody laughed.

Nobody corrected him either.

They just looked at me — Cole's friends, people who'd eaten at my table and borrowed my chargers and told me I was lucky to have a guy like Cole — and looked right through me.

Like I wasn't standing in my own apartment.

Like I wasn't even there.