Chapter 1Five years ago, I was paid to carry an Alpha's heir.
Today, I walked into his office and he looked through me like I was rogue trash.
That same night, he showed up at my door with a pup.
The little boy stared up at me, wide silver eyes full of curiosity.
"There," Kane Hastings said, his voice flat with irritation. "That's your mother. You didn't just crawl out of thin air."
I froze. My wolf went dead still inside my chest.
...
This morning was the new Alpha CEO's first day.
I followed my manager, Wayne Hunter, toward the top-floor office, project files clutched to my chest.
My desk mate had been gushing all morning about how devastatingly handsome the new boss was. I just smiled and shrugged it off.
As far as I was concerned, I'd already laid eyes on the most gorgeous wolf alive.
Wayne knocked. A deep voice rumbled from inside.
"Come in."
I walked in behind Wayne, who launched straight into business with the man behind the desk.
The Alpha's tone was clipped, distant - but something about it scraped against my memory. I couldn't place it.
When Wayne finished, it was my turn.
I stepped forward, lifted my gaze -
And the words died in my throat.
That face. I'd stared at that exact face for two solid months, every waking hour.
His skin had lost the sickly grey pallor I remembered. Now he was all sharp angles and raw power.
He stared back at me, dark eyes completely void of recognition. Like I was a stranger. Like I'd never been tangled in his sheets, never felt his fangs graze my throat.
Wayne cleared his throat. I jerked back to life and fumbled through my presentation.
The Alpha watched me with a neutral mask, long fingers drumming a slow rhythm on the wood.
When I finished, he gave a curt nod. Not a single word.
I followed Wayne out, and my heart was slamming against my ribs so hard I thought my wolf might claw her way out.
I never expected to see him again. I'd only learned his name from the shiny plaque on his desk.
Kane Hastings.
I could still hear his ragged breathing against my ear from those late nights, five years ago. His growl when he lost control.
In the hallway, I bolted for the restroom.
I stared at my reflection - flushed cheeks, dilated pupils. My wolf was pacing beneath my skin.
I headed to the breakroom to grab ice water. The second I walked in, my coworkers' gossip hit my ears.
"The new Alpha CEO is insane. I wonder if he's mated."
"Right? Finally found the perfect face for my fantasy - dark, broody, powerful."
One of them turned to me, grinning. "Hey, Rachel, you just saw him. Isn't he drop-dead?"
I managed a weak, shaky smile. "Yeah... he is."
The second the words left my mouth, the women scrambled to their feet and scurried away.
A loud, pointed cough sounded behind me.
I spun around. A large group stood right there - the Pack's board of directors, passing through to the main conference room.
Kane walked at the front, his Beta at his side.
Beside him, Robert Finch, a young council member, smirked. "You've still got it, old friend. Even the prettiest she-wolf in the company was singing your praises."
Kane fixed those dark eyes on me. Said nothing. Just kept walking.
The rest of the pack trailed after him, brushing right past me. The scent of him - pine and embers - hit my nose and my wolf nearly whimpered.
For the rest of the morning, I couldn't focus. My mind kept dragging me back five years.
For two whole months, I'd spent almost every day by Kane's side.
His mother had hired me. I needed cash for my own mother's surgery - desperately. I was still in college, and the medical bills were astronomical.
So when the old Luna made her offer, I hesitated exactly three seconds before nodding.
But the moment I actually laid eyes on Kane, I realized I hadn't needed to hesitate at all.
Chapter 2
Kane was barely hanging on back then.
Pale as death, propped against pillows, he refused to rest.
His eyes stayed glued to his laptop, claws clicking faintly against the keys whenever his control slipped.
His mother, Elina Hastings, had one ruthless goal - an heir.
With Kane's wolf fading, his recovery looking worse by the day, she wasn't about to let outsiders claim what belonged to her bloodline.
My first night in that house, Elina slipped something into his meal.
I didn't ask what. I didn't want to know.
Later that evening, he was a mess of fever and pain.
His hands found me in the dark, gripping my waist like I was the only solid thing in a collapsing world. I clung to his neck and just took it.
In those hours, he didn't feel sick at all.
His wolf surfaced in every ragged breath, every snap of his jaw near my throat.
When he woke the next morning and found me in his bed, he lost it.
Eyes flashed gold. A guttural snarl ripped out of him - low, dangerous, pure Alpha fury.
Elina stood in the doorway, unflinching.
"Kane." Her voice cut like ice. "If you won't do this for yourself, think of your grandmother. Think of me. If you die, we're nothing. You really think the rest of the pack will pay for her care?"
Kane's fists clenched. His claws punched through his own palms.
Then, slowly, he let them uncurl. He dropped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, silent.
That night, they sent me back to his room.
He seemed resigned. Defeated.
All night, even in the middle of it, his expression stayed hollow. Distant.
Like he was somewhere else entirely.
Only at the very end - when he buried his face in my neck, panting, fangs grazing my pulse - did he feel real. Alive. Like something more than the broken wolf they'd trapped in that room.
Two months later, I was pregnant.
Honestly, I didn't think my body could've lasted much longer. He put everything into those nights - all his rage, all his frustration. I felt every bit of it.
Soon after, Kane left for overseas treatment.
Under Elina's suffocating watch, I carried the pup to term.
She hovered like a hawk, made sure I ate, slept, shifted at the right phases.
When the time came, I delivered a healthy baby.
They took the pup the second it was born. I never even got a glimpse.
All these years, I never stopped wondering. Boy or girl? Did they have my eyes? My wolf's scent?
Chapter 3
I spent the whole morning lost in old ghosts. Fell behind on work. Got stuck at the office until the sun was long gone.
I scrambled through my tasks and finally headed out at eight.
The second I stepped into the elevator, my wolf went rigid.
Two people inside. A man and a young pup.
Kane stood there like he'd just wrapped up his own late night. And beside him, a little boy.
Aside from those big, curious eyes, the kid was a perfect copy of his father.
Same sharp jawline, same serious set to his mouth. Neat little overalls. Hair combed flat. Expression dead-serious, like he was already carrying the weight of the world.
I froze.
Panic slammed into me a heartbeat later.
I scurried to the back corner of the elevator, dropped my gaze to the floor, and prayed my wolf wouldn't whimper.
Even so, I felt Kane's stare burning into the back of my skull.
He didn't say a word. Neither did I.
The doors slid open on the ground floor and I bolted.
Outside, I stood by the curb waiting for my ride. A sleek luxury car sped past.
Through the tinted window, I caught a glimpse of the pup's profile.
My chest caved in.
That was my baby.
I had a son.
A tidal wave of emotion crashed over me - confusion, grief, longing. My wolf paced frantically under my skin, desperate to chase that scent.
When I got home, I took a long shower, trying to wash off the chaos in my head.
Then came a knock.
I peeked through the peephole and saw Kane's stern face staring back.
Anxiety flooded my veins. Was he here to warn me away? To threaten me into silence?
I hesitated, then pulled the door open.
The little boy stood right beside him.
The pup looked up at me, wide eyes brimming with raw curiosity. My wolf went dead still.
Kane watched me closely, dark eyes narrowed. Appraising.
Then it hit me - I was wearing nothing but a thin slip. In the shock of seeing the kid, I'd completely forgotten to change.
I yanked a coat off the rack and wrapped it tight around myself. Opened my mouth to speak -
Kane cut me off.
Frowning, voice edged with impatience, he said, "There. That's your mother. You didn't just crawl out of thin air."
I stood there, absolutely stunned.
