From His Shadow to an Alpha's Throne

Five years ago, my former mate rejected me in front of the entire pack.

He chose his childhood sweetheart—even though she was carrying another man's pup.

Now, I'm back. And he just happens to be the one sent to pick me up from the airport.

He glanced at the bracelet on my wrist and scoffed. "Still so desperate for attention, wearing a cheap imitation like this."

"Your little charade is over. It's time to come back and take care of her pup."

My fingers brushed over the cool moonstone.

The idiot had no idea. This bracelet was a gift from my current Alpha mate.

And this was just the most modest of his gifts.

————————

1

As I stepped into the arrivals hall, I immediately spotted someone holding a sign that read, "Mrs. Devereaux."

I took a step toward it, then froze.

It was Julian Callahan, my ex—the man I hadn't seen in five years.

Five dead years. Not a single call. Not a single text. Not a word of explanation or apology.

And now, here he was, his arm draped casually over Brooke Langley's shoulder. Behind them, a pack of fawning werewolves clustered around them.

One of them spotted me, a smug, wicked grin spreading across his face. "Well, well, Julian... look who it is. Isn't that your pathetic little shadow? What was her name again? Ava something?"

A flash of surprise crossed Julian's eyes, but the arrogant mask quickly slipped back into place. A slow, mocking smile curved his lips. "I told you. She was bound to come crawling back with her tail between her legs sooner or later."

The group erupted in a wave of snickers. "Ava Hawthorne vanishes without a word, and now that Julian's the Beta of the Red River pack, she comes crawling back. Bet she cries herself to sleep every night."

Another voice chimed in. "But Ava, if you're going to play the 'chance encounter' card, at least dress the part. What's with that linen getup? My grandmother wouldn't be caught dead in that."

"Don't tell me you've been so broke since leaving Julian that you can't even afford a decent outfit. How pathetic."

None of them knew that this seemingly plain outfit was custom-tailored for my pregnancy by a master artisan, every thread woven for ultimate comfort.

After getting pregnant, I had grown accustomed to going without makeup. But in their eyes, I was still the same pathetic girl who caked on lipstick just to get Julian's attention.

Five years ago, I left him.

I bonded with a Lycan who truly cherished me, who desired me. He loved me for who I was, not for the status I could bring him. That Lycan was Ronan Devereaux, the Supreme Alpha of the Lycan Council. The "Mrs. Devereaux" on that sign? That was me. But not a single one of them had a clue.

Seeing my silence, a wolf I vaguely recognized tried to play peacemaker. "Ava, it's good to see you back. Julian's been looking for you all these years, you know."

In an instant, Julian's smile froze.

He shrugged dismissively, hiding his embarrassment. "Brooke's pup is starting school. You'll be handling his school runs."

He was just as arrogant, just as entitled as I remembered. But I was no longer his puppet.

Looking at him now, all I felt was a bone-deep disgust.

I was about to reveal my identity when Brooke cut in.

"Ava, don't be mad at Julian. He's just thinking of you. You vanished for five years; who knows what kind of menial jobs you've been scraping by with?"

"Look at the state of you... you're an embarrassment. He couldn't even keep you as a mistress. But don't worry. As long as you take good care of my son, you'll have a place here."

Five years had passed, and Brooke was as smug as ever.

I simply raised an eyebrow, my hands protectively cradling my slightly rounded belly. I said nothing. I wanted to see just how deep their delusion ran.

However, Julian misinterpreted my silence. He thought I was heartbroken, jealous.

His low, mocking laughter confirmed it.

"Oh, come on. She obviously came crawling back because she couldn't make it on her own. She should be grateful I'm even offering her a job."

"Take care of the kid and don't cause trouble. Know your place."

"Don't worry, I'll let you stay by my side, just like you always wanted. The servants' quarters in the pack house are empty. You can live there."

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in malicious peals of laughter.

"Ava, see how good Julian is to you? He was worried you were suffering out there and even found a place for you to live."

"So what if he asks you to take care of Brooke's pup? Compared to the miserable life you were living, this is a blessing, isn't it? You should kneel and thank him."

Brooke touched her diamond earrings and added in a sickly sweet, condescending tone, "If my son acts up, I'll handle him. You won't have to worry about a thing."

Julian glanced at me, a cold smile on his face. "What does she have to complain about? She ran off over a little thing. Now that she's crawled back, she deserves to suffer a bit."

My brow furrowed. A 'little thing'? He called his public rejection of me a little thing?

So, the Julian who had once loved me… was truly dead.

The Julian who had carried me, bleeding, across half the territory was dead. The Julian who had nothing but swore he'd give me the world was dead.

Now, all I saw was an empty shell.

But none of that mattered anymore. I was carrying my second pup.