Betrayed by the Alpha and His Hidden Heir

My hand struck Gregory’s face with a sharp crack, and Greta, his mother, let out a shrill scream. “Heavens! The Princess has struck him!”

“Even if you are a Princess, you are now part of the Morris family! As a mate, how dare you defy your mate? I will go to the Lycan Queen and lodge a complaint! I will have my son reject you as his mate!”

I remained silent, my expression cold. The Morris pack was nothing more than a fallen pack, yet she acted as though they still held power.

Jream, my trusted servant, stepped forward with a disdainful snort. “Part of the Morris family? Open your eyes, Madam. This is the Duncan mansion. Gregory is the Alpha by mating, a consort to the royal family. There is no such thing as rejection in this arrangement.”

Greta bristled. “What consort? A mate has always followed her mate’s lead. Even if she’s a Princess, she must submit to her mate!”

Fatima, standing beside Greta, wiped her tears and spoke softly. “Madam, please, don’t upset yourself. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for Drew and Anaya, I would never have come here to cause trouble…”

Gregory finally recovered from the shock, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me. “Miriam, even if you are a Princess, you are my mate. How dare you raise your hand against me?”

“Because you’re a Princess, you think you can disregard the laws, disrespect your mate, and dishonor your mother-in-law? Even if this is brought before the Lycan King, he cannot condone this!”

“If you had just agreed, I would have given you the respect due to my Luna. She wouldn’t have interfered with your life. Wouldn’t that have been better?”

I looked at him coldly, unwilling to waste another word. I picked up Xiomara and ordered the servants, “Prepare the car. We’re going to the pack house.”

Gregory flung his sleeve, his face twisted with anger. “To the pack house again? Every time you’re unhappy, you run to the pack house to complain. Miriam, is that all you know how to do?”

“Have you ever been a proper mate? Gentle and obedient? Have you done even one thing right?”

“You haven’t given me heirs, nor have you shown respect to my mother. What gives you the right to act so high and mighty?”

“Today, I won’t let you leave this mansion.” With a wave of his hand, his warriors surrounded me.

I held Xiomara tightly, closing my eyes as I stepped closer to the warriors. Not one of them dared to raise a hand against me.

Gregory was stunned, his tone softening. “Even if you want to reject me, Xiomara is still my blood. By tradition, she stays with me. Could you really bear to leave her behind?”

I clenched my teeth, holding Xiomara even tighter. I had never expected this from him. Today was supposed to be a joyful celebration of her first month, and I hadn’t even allowed warriors into the inner courtyard. Yet here I was, trapped.

Even if I wanted to reject him, I had to think of Xiomara’s future. I needed to plan carefully.

My expression softened as I looked at him. “Aren’t you planning to take Fatima as your chosen mate? If I don’t go to the pack house, how will you manage that? Do you think the Morris pack can decide such a matter on its own?”

“Without the Lycan King’s decree, your negligence as a mate is punishable. How many heads does the Morris pack have to spare?”

His anger turned to relief. “So you’re going to the pack house to ask for the decree? I knew you wouldn’t let me be without heirs.”

He stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Fatima is gentle and well-mannered. She will respect you as the Luna. And the children will call you mother, won’t they?”

“Let’s keep the family together and make the best of it.”

I took a step forward, out of his reach, and smiled coldly. “You’d better focus on how to welcome your new mate.”

In the car, I held Xiomara close, tears streaming down my face.

Jream tried to comfort me. “Princess, you’ve just recovered from childbirth. Don’t cry. It’s not good for your health.”

Xiomara seemed to feel my pain and began to cry as well.

Jream wiped her own tears. “The Morris pack is a pack of ungrateful wolves. When you mated into their family, they were already on the verge of collapse. Now they’ve risen thanks to the royal family’s influence, and they’ve forgotten their place!”

I gently patted Xiomara, whispering, “It’s alright. If he’s forgotten, I’ll make him remember.”

The news of Gregory taking a chosen mate had spread like wildfire. By the time I reached the pack house, even the Lycan Queen had heard of it. She reached out to me. “My dear Miriam, have you been wronged?”

I threw myself into her arms. “Mother, I want to reject Gregory!”

“Enough!” The Lycan King walked in, his expression stern.

He looked at me and sighed. “Gregory has indeed overstepped by taking a chosen mate.”

“But Miriam, it’s common for males to have chosen mates. His actions are presumptuous, but you shouldn’t be so quick to reject him. If this escalates to the council, it will only invite criticism.”

“And that woman has already given him twins. If you insist on this path, it will only fuel the rumors…”

“Instead, let me reprimand him. I’ll force him to apologize and kneel before you. I’ll allow him to take her as his chosen mate, but as a lowly Omega. She’ll be under your control.”