Protecting the Alpha’s Secret Heirs

Something inside me shattered.

I stepped away from the door, my breathing sharp and uneven. I wanted to throw it open, to scream, to demand an explanation. But what was there to explain? The truth was right in front of me, seeping through the cracks in the door. I was the fool. I had handed my mate over, placed him in Catherine’s waiting arms, and now he belonged to her.

I turned on my heel, walking away with my heart in pieces.

For weeks, I said nothing.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I just... stopped.

Stopped making his breakfast. Stopped massaging his back after a long day. Stopped worshiping the ground he walked on like some pathetic, lovesick mate. I withdrew into myself, letting silence be my only companion.

And Luther noticed.

One evening, as I sat at the dining table, pushing my food around my plate, he sighed loudly, slamming his hand against the polished wood. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I lifted my gaze, meeting him with eerie calmness.

"You shouldn’t worry," I said, voice light, mocking. "Catherine’s there, isn’t she? Doing everything for you."

His eyes darkened. "Watch your tone, Cheryl."

I laughed softly. "Why? Afraid of the truth?"

His lips curled back in a sneer. "At least she can give me something you never could."

The words sliced through me, sharp as any blade.

I clenched my fists under the table. "Right," I murmured. "A child."

His silence told me everything I needed to know.

Then, as if fate enjoyed twisting the knife in my back, Catherine waltzed in, a smug smile on her lips. "I have news," she said, her eyes flicking between the two of us.

She reached into her bag, pulling out a small black-and-white photo. My breath hitched the moment I recognized it.

An ultrasound.

"I’m pregnant," she announced, voice thick with triumph.

The air in the room turned suffocating. I felt the walls closing in, pressing against my chest, stealing every bit of oxygen. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out every other sound.

But what truly killed me wasn’t the news itself.

It was Luther’s face. Pure, unfiltered joy.

The kind of joy he had never once shown me.

He turned to Catherine, his hands immediately wrapping around her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers, whispering words I couldn’t hear. They didn’t even notice me sitting there, a ghost in my own life.

I forced a smile, though my vision blurred. "Congratulations," I said, my voice hollow. "The Skyler pack finally has its heir."

Catherine turned to me, placing a hand on her stomach. "It’s your baby too, Cheryl. I’m just the surrogate."

I let out a bitter laugh. "It doesn’t look like one."

I left before I could break any further.

The rooftop was quiet, save for the distant howling of wolves. I stood at the edge, the wind biting at my skin. My mind raced, replaying every moment, every lie, every touch they shared behind my back.

I was so stupid. How could I have trusted them?

A soft voice broke through the silence. "Cheryl, I’m sorry."

I turned to see Catherine standing there, her face a mask of fake guilt.

"Sorry?" My voice trembled with rage. "You’re a homewrecker. You stole my mate."

She laughed, the sound light and mocking. "Luther doesn’t love you anymore," she said, stepping closer. "I have his baby. You have nothing."

The world turned red.

Before I could stop myself, I lunged at her. But before I could touch her, she gasped, stumbling back.

And then—she screamed.

She clutched her stomach, eyes wide with pain, before she collapsed onto the cold floor.

Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs.

Luther eyes landed on Catherine, his face twisting in fury.

"What the hell did you do, Cheryl?!"

And just like that, I became the villain in my own story.