Love and Betrayal: Who is My Fated Alpha?

The white envelope in my hand felt heavier than it looked. I pressed it against my stomach, feeling the slight tremor in my fingers. After years of being the "wolf-less" girl in a pack of predators, I finally had something that belonged only to me.

"I'm pregnant," I whispered to the empty hallway of the pack house.

The words felt like a prayer. I had just come from the clinic, the doctor’s confirmation still ringing in my ears. I was 23, a Beta’s adopted daughter, and I was carrying the child of the Alpha. My fated mate.

"Vivian? Where have you been?"

I jumped, shoving the envelope into my coat pocket. My adoptive father, Beta Marcus, stood at the top of the stairs. He didn't look at me with affection. He never did. To him, I was a debt he’d paid to a dead friend, a human-shaped burden in a world of wolves.

"I was at the doctor," I said, my voice small. "Is Joseph home?"

"Alpha Joseph is preparing for the banquet," Marcus snapped, adjusting his cufflinks. "Stop loitering. Put on something that doesn't make you look like a beggar. Tonight is a monumental night for the Blood Moon Pack."

"I have something to tell him, Dad. It’s important."

"Whatever it is, it can wait until after the toast," he said, turning his back on me. "Don't be late. And for heaven’s sake, try to act like you belong here."

I hurried to my room, my heart racing. I chose a simple cream dress, the fabric soft against my skin. I would tell him tonight. Joseph would be thrilled. He had been so distant lately, buried in pack business, but this would change everything. A baby. Our baby. An heir for the Blood Moon.

The banquet hall was a sea of gold and black. The scent of pine and expensive bourbon filled the air, the signature smells of our pack’s elite. I scanned the room and found Joseph standing on the raised dais. He looked magnificent in his charcoal suit, his dark hair swept back, his jaw set in that firm, commanding line I loved.

I started toward him, my hand instinctively drifting to my midsection. I wanted to catch his eye, to see that spark of recognition that always ignited when we were close.

"Joseph!" I called out as I reached the edge of the platform.

He glanced down. His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second, but there was no spark. Instead, he looked through me, his expression tight and unreadable. He didn't reach for my hand. He didn't even nod.

"Not now, Vivian," he said, his voice clipped.

He turned to the microphone. The room fell into a sudden, expectant silence.

"Pack members, friends, family," Joseph began, his voice booming through the rafters. "Tonight, we gather to celebrate the strength and the future of Blood Moon. For months, there has been speculation about the succession of my line."

I felt a surge of pride. *He’s going to announce us,* I thought. *He’s going to tell them I’m his mate and we’re starting a family.*

"I am proud to announce," Joseph continued, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "that the Blood Moon Pack finally has an heir."

Cheers erupted. I took a step forward, a smile tugging at my lips.

"The mother of my child," Joseph said, his voice rising over the noise, "and your future Luna... Caroline."

The world stopped.

My sister, Caroline—Marcus’s biological daughter—stepped out from behind the heavy velvet curtains. She was wearing a dress of shimmering crimson, her hand resting delicately on her stomach. She looked radiant. She looked like a queen.

"Caroline and I will be joined in three days' time," Joseph announced, his hand moving to rest on the small of her back. "To the future of our pack!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening. People were jumping to their feet, howling in joy. I felt the floor tilt beneath me. I reached out to grab the edge of a table, my knuckles turning white.

"No," I breathed, the word lost in the celebration. "That’s not right. Joseph!"

He didn't look at me. He was leaning down, whispering something into Caroline’s ear that made her throw her head back and laugh. It was a beautiful, triumphant sound.

I stood frozen as the crowd swarmed the dais. People were hugging Caroline, shaking Joseph’s hand, offering blessings to the "miracle child." I felt like a ghost haunting my own life.

Caroline broke away from a group of well-wishers and began walking toward the buffet line. Her path took her right past me. She stopped, her eyes raking over my pale face. She leaned in, the scent of her floral perfume cloying and thick.

"You look like you've seen a spirit, Vivian," she whispered, her voice a sharp contrast to the sweet smile she wore for the cameras.

"You're lying," I choked out. "Joseph is my fated mate. He wouldn't... he couldn't."

Caroline let out a soft, mocking titter. She stepped closer, her eyes flashing with malice.

"A fated mate?" she hissed. "Look at yourself. You don't even have a wolf, Vivian. You’re a defect. A mistake. Did you really think Joseph would tie the future of this pack to a stray like you? An Alpha needs a Luna with power, not a human pet."

"He loves me," I said, though my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

"He loves his pack," Caroline countered. She patted her stomach. "And he loves his heir. I’m the one giving him what he needs. You’re just the girl he felt sorry for. Stay in your lane, little sister. Or better yet, get out of our way."

She brushed past me, her shoulder hitting mine with enough force to make me stumble.

I fled. I couldn't stay in that room another second. I ran through the corridors, the sound of the party following me like a taunt. I locked myself in the small study at the back of the house, sinking to the floor. The envelope was still in my pocket. I pulled it out and tore it into pieces, the paper fluttering down like snow.

The door opened an hour later. Joseph stepped in, closing it quietly behind him. He looked tired.

"Vivian," he said, his voice soft.

I stood up, my face wet with tears. "Is it true?"

He sighed, walking toward me. He reached out to touch my face, but I flinched away. He didn't try again. Instead, he stepped into my space and pulled me into an embrace. I wanted to fight him, but my body was too weak.

"Vivian, don't be like this," he murmured into my hair. "You have to understand the position I'm in."

"You're marrying her," I sobbed into his chest. "You told the whole pack she’s carrying your heir. But I’m your mate! And I—"

"Listen to me," he interrupted, pulling back to look me in the eyes. "The child Caroline is carrying... it isn't mine."

I blinked, the tears blurring my vision. "What?"

"She’s in trouble, Vivian," Joseph said, his tone urgent and low. "She’s the Beta’s daughter. She got involved with someone she shouldn't have—a rogue. If the pack found out, she’d be disgraced. Marcus would lose his position. The stability of the pack would crumble."

"So you're lying to everyone? You're taking another man's child as your own?"

"I'm protecting the pack," he said firmly. "Caroline has always been a good girl, a loyal member of this family. She can't handle the scandal. If I claim the child, it secures the bloodline in the eyes of the council. It’s a political move, nothing more."

"And the marriage? The Luna ceremony?"

Joseph gripped my arms. "It’s a contract. A formality. I’ll marry her, the child will be born, and once the dust settles and the succession is secure, I’ll find a way out. I’ll divorce her. And then, Vivian, I will marry you. I’ll make you my true Luna."

"You expect me to watch you marry my sister?" I asked, my voice trembling. "To watch you raise a child that isn't yours while I sit in the shadows?"

"It’s the only way," he said, his thumb brushing over my jaw. "Trust me. I'm doing this for us. For our future. You’re my mate, Vivian. Nothing changes that."

"Everything changes that," I whispered.

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I have to get back. They’ll wonder where I am. Just stay quiet, okay? Don't make this harder than it has to be."

He turned and left the room without another word.

I stood in the center of the study, the silence pressing in on me. My hand moved back to my stomach. I thought about the pieces of the report scattered on the floor.

*The baby isn't mine,* Joseph had said.

He was willing to lie for Caroline. He was willing to claim a stranger’s child to save her reputation.

I looked at the door, my heart heavy with a secret that felt like a ticking bomb. If I told him now, would he call off the wedding? Or would he see my child as just another complication in his political game?

I opened my mouth to call him back, but the words died in my throat.