Rejected by the Alpha for a Fake Heir

Five years ago, a silver bullet meant for Alpha Liam shattered my spine. I took the shot to save him, and in exchange, my inner wolf went silent. I became a ghost in my own pack—the barren Luna. But gratitude has an expiration date. Liam brought Sarah home, claiming she was just a "designated breeder" for the heir I couldn't provide. It was a lie. When Sarah faked a fall, Liam didn't defend me. To appease the Elders, he ordered me to be whipped with silver lashes. He watched from the balcony as I bled. Later, on the day he marked her, he drained my rare blood to save her from a "miscarriage," then handed me a one-way ticket to Paris. "It's for your safety," he said, exiling me to make room for his new family. I looked at the man I sacrificed everything for. He didn't see a wife; he saw a resource to be used and discarded. He thought he could break me and send me away quietly. So, I gave him exactly what he wanted: a dead Luna. I didn't board the plane to Paris. Instead, I let him watch the news report that Flight 815 had crashed into the Atlantic with no survivors. While he went mad with grief, realizing Sarah was a fraud, I was in the North, unlocking the White Wolf he thought was gone forever. When we met again, I wasn't his broken wife. I was holding another Alpha's hand. "Liam Vance," I smiled, my eyes glowing white. "I reject you." Chapter 1 Eleanor POV: The Grand Hall of the Blood Moon estate felt less like a home and more like a mausoleum. The air was thick, choking on a cocktail of expensive scotch, nervous sweat, and the cloying, over-sweet perfume that clung to Sarah like a second skin. I stood in the shadows, nursing a glass of water. My back throbbed—a phantom echo of the silver bullet that shattered my spine five years ago. That bullet was meant for Liam. I took it, and in exchange, my inner wolf went silent. I was the Luna in title, but a ghost in practice. "Silence!" The command rolled off Liam’s tongue, not with malice, but with an exhausted weight. The Alpha’s Voice dropped every wolf to their knees. Even broken as I was, my human instincts screamed to submit. Liam stood on the dais. He looked tired. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes, and his shoulders were tight. He wasn't looking at me. He was staring at the floor, while the woman beside him beamed. Sarah. She rested a manicured hand on her flat stomach, playing the part of the miracle mother. "My people," Liam announced, his voice raspy. "The Blood Moon Pack requires a future. The Council has spoken. We need an heir." I gripped my glass until my knuckles turned white. I saw Liam’s jaw clench. He hated this speech. I knew him well enough to see the strings the Elders were pulling. "Sarah is carrying my pup," he said. The glass in my hand exploded. Silence. Then, the whispers started. Pity. Scorn. Liam flinched at the sound of breaking glass. His eyes found mine—amber meeting violet. For a second, the mask slipped. I saw apology. I saw desperation. Then, Elder Thomas stepped forward, whispering something in Liam's ear. The mask slammed back into place. "Eleanor," Liam said. It wasn't a command. It was a plea. "Come here." I walked through the parting crowd. My legs felt like they were moving through molasses. "This is for the pack," Liam whispered when I reached the dais, his voice barely audible. "The Elders gave me an ultimatum, El. A designated breeder, or they dissolve our mating bond entirely. This keeps you safe. This keeps you *here*." "Safe?" I hissed back, tears stinging my eyes. "You call this safe? You’re parading your infidelity as duty." "I am doing what I must to keep the Council off your back!" he snapped, though his eyes were wet. "You cannot give me a son. Do you want them to exile you? Because that was their first offer." Sarah stepped forward, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. "Oh, Luna Eleanor. Don't be upset. I'm just here to do the job you’re too... broken to handle." Her scent hit me then. It wasn't the milky, warm scent of pregnancy. It was sharp. Chemical. Like sulfur masked by peaches. "Do not touch me," I recoiled. "Eleanor!" Liam warned. "She carries the future. Play nice." I fled. I ran to my sanctuary, my art studio. But when I threw open the door, my heart stopped. My canvases were gone. My paints, my haven—erased. In their place were cribs. The walls were painted a suffocating, powdery blue. "We needed the nursery close to the Alpha's quarters," Liam said from the doorway. He was loosening his tie, looking like a man marching to the gallows. "You erased me," I whispered. "It's temporary, El. The doctor said the pregnancy is... high risk. She needs the proximity to my aura." "High risk?" I laughed bitterly. "She looks like she just won the lottery." Before he could answer, the fire alarm screamed. Smoke. Thick and acrid. "Sarah," Liam breathed, his pupils dilating. He ran. He didn't look at me. He operated on instinct—protect the heir. I followed, stumbling. By the time I reached the hallway, the heat was blistering. I saw them through the haze. Liam had Sarah in his arms. "Liam!" I screamed, trapped behind a falling beam. He turned. He saw me. He took a step toward me, his face twisting in agony. "The baby!" Sarah shrieked, digging her nails into his neck. "Liam, the smoke is hurting the baby!" He froze. He looked at me, then at her stomach. The duty won. He turned and ran, carrying the lie to safety, leaving the truth to burn. The ceiling groaned. I looked up just as the timber gave way. Darkness crushed me. *