The Mate He Rejected Was His Uncles

By the time I got home, my chest still felt like it was being crushed from the inside.

Every breath hurt.

My wedding dress dragged across the marble floor as I stumbled through the front doors of the Vale estate.

I barely made it three steps.

SLAP.

My head snapped violently to the side.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth instantly.

“You useless girl.”

My father stood in front of me breathing hard, fury burning in his eyes.

“I spent years raising you, educating you, shaping you into the perfect daughter—”

Another slap.

“—and you still lost to that bastard child who ran away with her mother.”

I looked at him in disbelief, my cheek burning.

“She’s my sister,” I whispered. “Your daughter too.”

The punch came this time.

Straight into my stomach.

Pain exploded through me and I doubled over with a gasp.

“How dare you talk back to me?”

His voice thundered through the entrance hall.

The servants nearby lowered their heads immediately.

Nobody moved.

Nobody helped me.

“I warned you your only purpose was securing my position in Ashford Group.”

He grabbed my jaw painfully hard and forced me to look at him.

“At the next shareholders’ meeting, I need more control. I need the Ashford bloodline tied to this family.”

His grip tightened.

“So whichever daughter Cassian chooses becomes valuable.”

I froze.

Cold spread slowly through my body.

“…What?”

“You heard me.”

His expression was terrifyingly calm now.

“You’ll replace Selene.”

Replace her?

“With who?”

My father released me roughly.

“Lucien Ashford.”

The name alone made my stomach twist.

Cassian’s uncle.

The invisible monster of the Ashford family.

The man nobody ever saw publicly.

The genius executive CEO who controlled half the company from the shadows.

The wolfless freak.

Rumors about Lucien had followed him for years.

That he was unstable. Cruel. Obsessive. That he hated being touched, the women left his estate crying. That he kept strange hobbies inside the old Ashford castle.

No one knew which stories were true.

Because Lucien Ashford never appeared long enough for anyone to ask.

“I can work instead,” I said quickly, panic rising in my throat. “I can join the company. I already received my scholarship offer. I’m graduating from—”

“I don’t care.”

My father’s voice cut through mine instantly.

“You think your degrees matter more than marriage?”

He laughed coldly.

“Lucien Ashford has no wolf. Yet somehow he still survived in that family and became one of the most powerful men in the country.”

His eyes narrowed.

“My daughter will marry into that power.”

A shiver crawled down my spine.

“Please…” My voice cracked. “Dad, I’m your daughter.”

“You are an investment.”

The words landed harder than the slap.

He stepped closer slowly.

“And your only remaining value is your bloodline.”

Something inside me finally broke.

Not loudly. Not dramatically. Quietly.

Like glass cracking underwater.

A few minutes later, servants dragged me upstairs.

I fought them the entire way.

“Stop—!”

“Please!”

But nobody listened.

By the time they finished changing me, I barely recognized myself in the mirror.

The dress they forced onto me was nothing like the wedding gown from earlier.

This one was soft black silk.

Thin straps. Low neckline. Too revealing. Like I was being gift-wrapped for someone.

Humiliation burned through me.

When I refused to move, my father entered the room himself.

His gaze swept over me critically.

“Good.”

I wanted to throw up.

“You disgust me.”

His expression didn’t even change.

“Then make yourself useful.”

He leaned closer.

“If you fail to stay beside Lucien Ashford…”

His voice dropped dangerously low.

“…I can survive with only one daughter.”

Fear finally hit me.

An hour later, I sat silently in the back of a black car while rain hit the windows outside.

Nobody spoke during the drive.

The farther we traveled from the city, the darker the roads became.

Until finally—

The castle appeared.

Massive stone walls rose from the darkness like something ancient.

Cold. Silent.

The Ashford estate looked less like a home and more like a prison.

My hands shook as the gates slowly opened.

I shouldn’t be here.

Every instinct screamed it.

The front doors opened before I could knock.

A servant bowed silently.

“This way, Miss Vale.”

The inside of the castle was strangely quiet.

Only the sound of my heels against black marble floors.

Then—

I saw him.

Lucien Ashford stood near the fireplace with one hand in his pocket.

Tall, dark suit, sharp shoulders.

His face half hidden by shadows.

God.

He was beautiful. Not soft like Cassian, dangerous beautiful.

The kind that made people nervous without understanding why.

His eyes lifted toward me.

And immediately narrowed.

“You’re shaking.”

His voice was low. Calm.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“Yes,” I admitted automatically.

Then quickly:

“No. I mean— not exactly.”

Something unreadable crossed his face.

Lucien stepped closer slowly.

“Why are you here?”

I swallowed hard.

“My father said… there was supposed to be a marriage arrangement.”

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

“With Selene,” he said quietly. “Your father wanted me to marry your sister.”

Then his eyes sharpened slightly.

“But you’re not her.”

I froze.

“You can tell us apart?”

Even I had been startled seeing Selene earlier tonight.

For a second, it had felt like looking into a distorted mirror.

But Lucien answered immediately.

“You smell different.”

The words hit strangely.

Before I could respond—

Pain exploded through my chest again.

I gasped sharply and stumbled sideways.

The mate bond.

Cassian.

Oh God—

I grabbed the edge of the table desperately.

Lucien moved instantly.

Strong hands caught me before I collapsed.

“You need rest.”

His hand pressed lightly against my back.

And suddenly—

everything changed.

His body went rigid.

Completely rigid.

A strange expression crossed his face.

Confusion.

His fingers tightened against me.

Then he inhaled slowly against my neck.

And the air in the room shifted.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered.

Lucien looked almost sick.

“You…”

His jaw clenched violently.

“You smell…”

Another inhale.

His eyes darkened.

“Dangerously good.”

My heartbeat stuttered.

Something unfamiliar flashed across his face.

Not emotion. Instinct.

Lucien Ashford didn’t have a wolf.

Everyone knew that.

But right now—

something inside him was waking up.

He suddenly shoved his suit jacket around my shoulders roughly, covering my body.

Then he stepped backward like he was trying to escape himself.

“Leave.”

The word came out strained.

I stared at him.

“What?”

Lucien dropped to one knee abruptly.

A low, painful sound tore from his throat.

Almost like a growl.

My eyes widened.

“Lucien—”

“Don’t come closer.”

His breathing became uneven.

His hands shook against the floor.

“What’s happening to you?” I asked anxiously. “Do you need a doctor?”

His head snapped toward me instantly.

And for one terrifying second—

his eyes flashed gold.

I stopped breathing.

No.

That wasn’t possible.

Lucien looked horrified by my expression.

Then something inside him finally broke.

“You should regret your kindness,” he said hoarsely.

Before I could react—

he grabbed me.

And the world disappeared.