The Alpha's surrogate secret.

Willow’s POV.

“Get up. Now.”

The command sliced through the room before I could even sit up.

I flinched at the sound of his voice.

Alpha Silas stood near the door, his back to me, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He hadn’t looked at me once since the procedure ended, I knew it was because of the spark we felt due to the mate bond.

He didn't look at me, not when my wolf screamed inside my head. Not even when the bond flared, hot and sharp, like lightning under my skin.

My fingers shook as I pulled the sheet around myself.

“Yes,” I whispered.

He turned sharply. “Do not use that tone with me.”

I stiffened.

“What tone?” I asked.

“That one,” he said coldly. “The one that assumes closeness.”

Closeness. The word burned.

I swallowed and slid off the table, my legs weak. As soon as my feet touched the floor, pain shot up my spine. I gasped, grabbing the edge of the bed to steady myself.

Though the pain during the procedure was little, I had no idea the aftermath would be painful.

Silas noticed. His jaw tightened, but his eyes flicked away.

“Follow me,” he said.

No concern. No question. Just an order.

His office was dim and massive, carved from rock stones and steel. The windows stretched from floor to ceiling showing nothing but forest and the sky. Everything about the room screamed control. Power. Distance.

He walked behind the desk and didn’t invite me to sit. I stood there, arms wrapped around myself, heart pounding.

“This conversation will be short,” he said.

I nodded. He finally looked at me. And the bond reacted. Heat bloomed in my chest. My wolf surged forward, hopeful and aching.

Mate.

The word rose instinctively,

“Do not,” he snapped.

The pain hit instantly.

It was like something inside me cracked.

I cried out in silence, biting my lips hard enough for him not to notice my pain. I could taste blood oozing from my lips. It felt like fire tore through my chest. My wolf howled in agony, retreating deep inside me.

Silas stiffened.

“What did you feel?” I asked in a broken tone.

His eyes were dark. Guarded.

“Nothing that matters,” he said.

Liar.

I forced myself to breathe, slow and shallow, until the pain dulled to a heavy ache.

He exhaled sharply, as if irritated by my weakness.

“There was a reaction,” he said flatly. “I acknowledge that.”

My heart lifted in little hope to hear something better.

“But,” he continued, “I reject it.”

The words landed like a blade.

“I reject any bond the Moon Goddess is trying to force between us,” he said. “I did not choose you. I will not accept you.”

My vision blurred.

“You felt it too,” I whispered. “You can’t deny that.”

“I can,” he replied. “And I will deny it.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks, hot and silent.

“You’re my mate,” I said softly.

The pain came again. Stronger. I couldn't hold back, so I screamed this time, clutching my chest as my knees hit the cold floor. It felt like my heart was being crushed in a fist.

Silas moved, just one step forward, then stopped.

“Enough,” he said harshly. “Do you want to kill yourself?”

I shook my head, gasping. “Then why does it hurt?”

He looked away.

“The bond is incomplete,” he said. “Because of the child.”

My breath hitched.

“The pregnancy helps it to stay in place,” he continued.

“It cannot fully form. And it cannot fully break.”

I stared at him in horror. “So what does that mean?”

His voice was flat. Controlled.

“It means the bond will exist as resistance. As pain. Nothing more.”

My wolf whimpered inside me.

“So I just… suffer?” I asked.

“Yes.”

The word was sharp. Final.

I laughed weakly. “You’re cruel.”

He met my gaze, unflinching. “You knew that when you signed.”

I struggled to my feet, my body trembling.

“I didn’t sign up to be your mate.”

“Good,” he said. “Because you’re not.”

Silence fell between us.

Then he spoke again, colder than before.

“You are a vessel,” he said. “Nothing else. You will carry my heir, and when the child is born, you will leave.”

Each word stripped something from me.

“I have a future Luna,” he added. “A woman chosen by strategy, not superstition. Her name is Evelyn.”

The name echoed in my mind.

“And you,” he continued, “will never interfere with that.”

My chest hurt, not just from the bond, but from something deeper.

“What if I can’t control it?” I asked quietly. “What if the pain…”

“You will control it,” he said. “Or you will be removed.”

The word removed sounded like a threat, I shook my head not wanting to go back to debt and watch my family suffer.

He stepped closer now, towering over me.

“Listen carefully,” he said. “If you ever mention the word mate to me or to my future Luna..”

His eyes hardened.

“You will be sent back to your dying pack empty-handed.”

His phone made a chime sound, he checked it and smiled,

“Expect your new Luna soon,” he said with a smirk.

Silas walked past me without a soft heart to help me. Tears flowed out, I couldn't hold them back. I clutched my chest tightly as I could feel the heart wrenching pain like I'm being picked with needles.

My pulse tightened as my eyes felt drowsy, the fear to know what will be of me when Evelyn arrives makes me wonder,

“What will Evelyn do when she sees me?” my thoughts still lingered. “Will she accept the bond between I and Silas if she finds out?”