Mate Rejects, Truth Reveals

The soft knock on my chamber door made me look up from the baby clothes I was folding. At seven months pregnant, every movement felt deliberate, my swollen belly making simple tasks a careful dance. I expected to see Dane's familiar silhouette, but instead, Lacey Edwards stepped through the doorway, her face streaked with tears that caught the afternoon light streaming through our windows.

"Iris," she whispered, her voice trembling with what seemed like genuine anguish. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I couldn't let you live a lie any longer."

My hands stilled on the tiny onesie I'd been arranging. Something cold settled in my stomach, separate from the baby's restless movements. "Lacey, what are you talking about?"

She pulled out her phone with shaking fingers, and I noticed how perfectly her tears had smudged her makeup—not enough to look ugly, just enough to appear devastated. "I was at the Moonrise Hotel yesterday, meeting with suppliers for the pack's winter provisions. I saw you there, Iris. With... with him."

The screen lit up, and my world tilted. There I was, or someone who looked exactly like me, entering a hotel room with a man I'd never seen before. The timestamp showed yesterday afternoon, when I'd been at Dr. Bennett's for my weekly prenatal checkup. My breath caught as I watched this other version of myself laugh at something the stranger said, her hand—my hand—resting intimately on his arm.

"This isn't real," I breathed, but even as I spoke, doubt crept in. The woman in the video had my exact hair color, my walk, even the maternity dress I'd worn to the appointment. "Lacey, this isn't me. I was at the clinic yesterday. Dr. Bennett can confirm—"

"I have witnesses," she interrupted, scrolling to show me a series of text messages. "Pack members saw you there. They're saying... they're saying the baby might not be Dane's."

The phone slipped from my nerveless fingers, clattering to the hardwood floor. The baby kicked hard against my ribs as if sensing my distress. "You know this isn't true. You know I would never—"

"I wanted to believe that." Lacey's voice broke convincingly. "But the evidence... Iris, I've been covering for you, making excuses when pack members asked about your frequent absences. I thought you were just struggling with the pregnancy, but now..."

Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and Dane burst through the door, his Alpha aura crackling with barely contained rage. His dark eyes immediately found the phone on the floor, its screen still glowing with that damning image.

"So it's true," he said, his voice deadly quiet. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

I struggled to my feet, one hand supporting my belly. "Dane, please. Look at me. Use our mate bond. You know I'm telling the truth."

But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Lacey, who had positioned herself between us, her body language protective and wounded. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I tried to handle this quietly, but the pack is already talking. They're questioning the legitimacy of your heir."

The word 'heir' hit like a physical blow. I pressed both hands to my stomach, feeling our daughter's restless movements. "She's your child, Dane. Our child. The mate bond doesn't lie."

"The mate bond," he repeated, his laugh bitter and sharp. "The same bond that should have prevented you from spreading your legs for another man?"

The cruelty in his voice made me stagger backward. This wasn't the man who'd held me through morning sickness, who'd talked to our unborn daughter every night before bed. This was the Alpha, cold and merciless.

"I have an idea," Lacey said softly, her tear-stained face the picture of reluctant wisdom. "A way to prove the child's legitimacy once and for all. Complete transparency, so no one can question your heir's bloodline."

Dane's attention snapped to her like a magnet. "What do you suggest?"

"A public birth. Livestreamed to the entire pack. Let everyone witness the child's arrival, see the Alpha's reaction to his true-born heir. If the baby carries your scent, your aura, no one will ever question her legitimacy again."

The room went silent except for my ragged breathing. The suggestion was barbaric, unprecedented. Luna births were sacred, private ceremonies attended only by the healer and closest family.

"No," I whispered, but my voice carried no authority against Dane's building excitement.

"It's perfect," he said, his eyes lighting with cruel satisfaction. "Complete transparency. You'll prove your innocence to everyone, and our daughter will be born without a shadow of doubt over her heritage."

"Dane, please—"

"It's decided." His Alpha tone slammed into me like a physical force, making my knees buckle. "Dr. Bennett will induce labor tomorrow evening. The entire pack will witness the birth of their future Alpha's heir."

As he strode from the room with Lacey at his side, I sank to the floor, my hands cradling my belly. Our daughter kicked frantically, as if she too sensed the trap closing around us both.