Hiding The Baby From The Alpha Who Hates Me

The music from the gala downstairs throbbed faintly through the walls, a distant echo of laughter and clinking glasses, mocking the chaos unfolding in Beta Simon's private room.

"Dad, you have to do something," Sarina's voice trembled, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Emily is planning to drug Alpha Kane's drink. She wants to..."

A sharp crack suddenly split the air. Pain exploded across her cheek as her head snapped to the side. For a moment, all Sarina could hear was ringing.

"Oh yeah?" her father said coldly.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze, Beta Simon stood before her, a sharp calculation dancing in his eyes.

"You little waste," he spat. "So what if that's what Emily plans? At least she's trying to pay off my debt."

Sarina's breath hitched.

"The Alpha has been closed off ever since his wife died," he continued, pacing. "No woman has caught his attention. But if Emily succeeds..." His lips curled. "He'll have no choice but to marry her."

Her stomach dropped.

"And when that happens," he added, his voice lowering, "we will gain access to everything. Don't you dare try to ruin this." he warned sternly with a finger pointed at her face.

A soft giggle broke through the tension. Sarina turned her head slowly to see Emily leaning lazily against the wall, arms folded, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Do you actually still have a crush on the Alpha?" Emily mocked. "That's pathetic."

Sarina swallowed hard, a faint red color rising onto her cheeks at the mention of her crush on the alpha. For years she'd only dared to look at him from afar but never went close, she knew she could never dream of having him, but she just couldn't bear to stand aside and watch Emily scheme against him for her own selfish reasons.

"You're just a half-breed," Emily continued, stepping closer. "Born from some random human woman. You're nothing in this pack." Her lips curled. "The Alpha doesn't even know you exist."

Each word struck her deeper than the slap her father had just dealt her, But Sarina stayed silent, she always did, because what else could she do?

She had been left on this doorstep by her own mother like unwanted baggage. Raised not as a daughter but as a servant, a mistake her father tolerated. As for love...she doubts he ever felt it for her at all.

"But Dad..." she tried to reason with him again, her voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't possibly think he could just deceive the alpha and actually succeed. He could be killed if the alpha caught on to their plans.

"Enough!" Beta Simon snapped, cutting her off sharply. "If you have any sense of gratitude, you'll keep your mouth shut."

Sarina's chest tightened, though she had never felt love from her father, she would never be able to bear it if he was harmed in any way. Alpha Leonard Kane wasn't one to mess with, he was a very dangerous man.

"You always try to be a good daughter, don't you?" her father added, his voice deceptively calm. "Now it's time to prove it."

A chill crept down her spine at his words, she could see the flash of greed in his eyes, she instantly knew that whatever he wanted to make her do was something she would not like.

"What... do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice small despite her effort to sound steady.

Emily's smile widened. "Oh, it's simple." She stepped forward, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.

"Alpha Jones from the Moonstone pack just arrived," she said casually. "And as we all know..." Her gaze flicked over Sarina with cruel intent. "He loves beautiful girls."

Sarina's blood ran cold at the mention of that man. He was a disgusting predator who shamelessly lusted over younger girls. Her father surely wasn't planning to make her go to him right?

"And Dad recently found out that he has a particular taste..." Emily continued,

"Virgins," she finished softly.

"No..." Sarina shook her head, backing away. "No, Dad-please-"

"This is a deal worth millions," Beta Simon cut in smoothly. "Not to mention we would get Moonstone Pack's support."

Sarina's eyes filled with panic, they weren't asking her to go to him, they had already decided to give her to him.

"You should be honored," Emily added mockingly. "Finally, you'd have some use for this family. Good thing you're still a virgin, he will happily do whatever we want after he has tasted you."

Sarina couldn't even think about being anywhere near that disgusting man not to mention being given to him.

"No! I won't-"

The door suddenly burst open before she could finish voicing her protest, a guard stepped in immediately.

"Grab her." her father commanded.

Strong hands seized Sarina before she could react, she struggled wildly. "Let me go! Dad, please-!"

Her father didn't even look at her as he gave the order, "Do it."

Emily stepped closer, something gleaming in her hand.

Sarina's breath hitched. "What is that-"

Emily suddenly plunged a needle into her thigh.

"Ah...!" A sharp cry tore from her lips as pain flared.

A strange heat suddenly consumed her immediately.

"This," Emily whispered into her ear, her voice dripping with satisfaction, "will make sure you're... cooperative."

Sarina's body trembled, her breathing turning heavy, tears slowly blurring her deep green eyes.

"You'll be begging him by the end of the night," Emily added softly. "Like the desperate little whore you are."

"Take her to room 104," Beta Simon ordered.

The guard nodded. "Yes."

---

The world blurred, she was lifted by strong arms, carried like a sack of rice, She barely registered being dragged down the corridor.

The Blue Moon gala was a distant sound in her ears as the guard took her into a room, the sound of the door slamming behind her as the guard tossed her onto the bed.

Heat consumed her, her skin burned and her breath came in shallow gasps as something foreign twisted inside her-something that wasn't hers.

Minutes passed or maybe seconds, she couldn't tell.

Then the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly floated into her ears outside the door.

Her heart slammed violently against her chest.

"No..." she whispered, trying to move, to crawl, to escape, but her limbs refused to cooperate. She couldn't just stay here till that man came to violate her.

The handle turned and the door opened then heavy footsteps entered coming closer and closer.

This was it.

Tears blurred her vision as she forced her head up.

"I... I won't-"

A strangled groan suddenly cut her off. Sarina froze.

The man who stumbled into the room wasn't what she expected.

He was taller than the way she remembered alpha Jones, broader. Power radiated from him like a storm barely contained.

This was no soft, bloated predator, this was someone else entirely, someone dangerous, someone... terrifying.

He staggered forward, gripping the wall. Sarina's breath caught.

Her voice came out as a whisper.

"Alpha... Kane?"

Alpha Kane lifted his head, his eyes locked onto hers.

They were a dark silver color, sharp, predatory.

"Who are you?" he growled, his voice low and lethal.

Sarina flinched.

"I-I'm..." She hesitated, her instincts screaming at her not to reveal herself. "You're not supposed to be here."

His eyes narrowed.

"You're supposed to be with Emily," she added weakly, confusion slipping through her fear.

For a second, something flickered across his face, then he staggered, he reached for the bed and missed.

His weight crashed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs as they both fell back onto the mattress.

Sarina gasped.

His body pressed against hers-hotter than hers, somehow, stronger.

Overwhelming.

Her heart raced wildly.

"Alpha..." she whispered, her hands betraying her, as she gripped his shirt instead of pushing him away. Something strange was happening to her body, she was feeling hot...too hot. Her throat felt dry and a tight need was knotting in her lower belly.

A low growl rumbled from his chest.

"Something's wrong," he muttered, his breath hot against her neck it made small hair rise on her skin.

Sarina swallowed hard, her heart thundering. She had never been this close to the alpha before, his scent permeated her senses, masculine and hot, like burnt oak and smoke all doused in whiskey.

'Th-they drugged him too...?' she thought, realization dawning on her.

His grip on her tightened, his breathing heavy and his eyes flashed dangerously.

Their gazes locked and all of a sudden it felt like the air around them shifted. "You..." His lips moved and he stared at her intently with deep grey eyes. "You are so beautiful."

Sarina gasped when his rough fingers pushed a strand of her hair aside. That single touch made a sharp, charged tingle that felt like electrical currents shoot through her whole body. Unable to control it, she leaned into his touch.

This was wrong, she realized, so wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to stop it, couldn't bring herself to push him away or stop the way his eyes drank her in like she was the most delicious thing he'd ever seen. He traced a drawled touch down her neck, pushing the blonde strands on her hair aside, his fingers dancing over the opening of her shirt right over her cleavage.

Sarina's pulse spiked as the heat in her body flared even hotter under his touch.

"You feel hot..." he murmured, his lips slowly moving closer until his mouth closed over her neck. She gasped as he sucked her skin into his mouth, his hot tongue lapping until a moan slipped past her lips. Sarina could feel control slowly slipping away.

"I can't..." she whispered helplessly.

He growled, lower this time, more dangerous, thick with uncontrollable desire and heat.

His control was slipping too, his hands found hers, locking their fingers together tightly.

Outside, the music swelled.

Inside, fate took a sharp, irreversible turn.

His control snapped...

From the moment he stumbled into this room and saw the frail looking but drop dead gorgeous blonde woman on that bed, something inside him had instantly pressed him to claim her.

Her green eyes seemed to draw him in, even more so her scent that smelled like fresh lilies in morning due.

'Who is this woman? Why am I feeling such a strange pull to her?'

Alpha Kane dragged her closer, his restraint dissolving like it had never existed. His fingers tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him as if distance itself was unbearable.

Sarina's breath hitched.

Her heart pounded wildly, loud enough she was sure he could hear it. But she didn't push him away.

She couldn't.

Maybe it was the drug.

Maybe it was the years of quiet, foolish admiration she had buried deep inside her for the alpha. All those years of secretly watching him from the distance, quietly nursing a stupid little crush for someone who didn't even know she existed.

Or maybe...

Maybe it was the way her body didn't recoil. Not like it had when she thought it would be Alpha Jones walking through that door.

His lips hovered over hers closely and the fire inside her burned even hotter, it flared but she fought with all her might to resist the effects of that drug Emily injected her with.

"I don't know who you are..." he murmured, his voice rough, strained. "But let me love you... just for tonight."

There was something raw in his tone. Not just desire, desperation, vulnerability. It broke through her fear, broke through the restraint she was working hard to hold onto.

Sarina nodded almost immediately.

"Okay..." The whisper slipped through her lips ever so softly and that was all he needed.

His mouth crashed against hers, and the world seemed to have disappeared.

Heat surged between them, overwhelming and consuming. His kiss wasn't gentle, but it wasn't cruel either. It was urgent, like he was holding onto something slipping through his fingers.

His mouth felt hot and soft at the same time, tongue slipping through her lips making a soft moan rumble in her throat.

Sarina clung to him instinctively, she had never been kissed like this before, it felt like fire was consuming her whole body, that strange spark came sharper, blazing through everywhere he touched her.

It shot through her chest, stealing her breath.

Alpha Kane stilled for a fraction of a second. His grip tightened.

She could see in his eyes that he felt it too.

Her lips had tasted as soft as berries, he had never felt this way kissing a woman before. She was hot yet inexperienced that he had to guide her mouth to follow the rhythm of his kiss until he felt that sharp spark.

'What is this feeling?'

He stopped, gazing into her dreamy green eyes, they were moist, filled up with a sheen of desire that he also felt ten times hotter than hers. Since he set eyes on this woman, he felt like he couldn't look away.

Not even with his late wife had he ever felt something this intense... this immediate.

This...

This felt like a mate bond.

But that couldn't be...this woman couldn't be his mate. He had never once found his fated mate since he had decided to choose his previous wife as his mate.

Leonard kissed her again just to feel that spark, it burned, singed, deliciously and coiled all the way to his heart.

No, this wasn't the mate bond...this was just another effect from whatever had been in that drink he had at the party.

He couldn't control his desire, she melted beneath him, face flushed as he slowly led his erection towards her entrance, the sleek feeling of wetness made his eyes roll back as he entered her...he was too far gone in the bliss to register the momentary obstruction or the slightly pained gasp she released in that moment.

"It hurts." She whispered dazedly.

"Shh...I'll make it better."

Somewhere within the haze, he kissed her pain away, gently, gentler than he'd ever been with any other woman.

He couldn't get enough of her, even after he reached the first release, the second, the third...

Somewhere along the line it was no longer that strange intoxication driving him anymore, it was a new obsession and hunger for this woman. A hunger that couldn't be satisfied... eventually he seemed to have tired her out as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

He found himself kissing her everywhere, the strange desire to worship her, until slowly he fell asleep peacefully lulled by her addictive scent.

---

Hours later, silence filled the room.

Sarina lay curled against a strong and hard body, her head resting lightly against his chest. His arm was still draped around her, his breathing deep and steady.

For a moment, just a moment, it felt safe.

Until...

BANG!

The door slammed open.

Sarina jolted upright, panic crashing into her as reality came rushing back.

Distant voices suddenly flooded the room.

"Dad, how could you do this?!" Emily's voice rang out, sharp with anger. "Sarina was brought into the Alpha's room instead?! That creep alpha Jones almost had his way with me, luckily I tricked him into falling asleep and escaped!"

"Fuck!" Beta Simon cursed under his breath. "I gave that guard the wrong key."

Sarina's stomach dropped.

Wrong key?

So that was how she ended up with the alpha last night?

The alpha... realization slammed into her and all the memories of the way he touched her last night came crashing back.

Her thoughts spiraled as she glanced back at the man beside her. He was beautiful, every rigidly handsome part of his face irresistible, but she knew last night would never had happened if he wasn't under the influence of that drug Emily gave him.

He stirred and panic shot through Sarina's heart.

"Dad, fix this!" Emily hissed urgently at the very same moment...

Alpha Kane's eyes snapped open. His grey eyes were sharp, alert, and his aura felt infinitely dangerous.

The air shifted instantly into something cold and deadly.

"Alpha Kane!" Beta Simon rushed forward, his tone suddenly filled with false panic. "I'm so sorry! It seems my daughter Sarina played a dirty trick here tonight."

Sarina's head whipped toward him.

What...?

"Emily and I only found out too late," he continued smoothly. "We rushed here as soon as we could, but it seems..." He sighed dramatically. "It's already too late."

The Alpha sat up slowly, his expression hardened as his gaze swept the room landing finally on Sarina who was in bed next to him.

Sarina hoped...hoped that by some miracle he would feel whatever connection they'd had last night again, but the cold detachment in his eyes told her otherwise.

"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice cold, and authoritative.

Emily stepped forward immediately.

"Sarina has been lusting after your wealth for years, Alpha Kane." Emily said with disgust. "I never thought she'd go this far."

Sarina stared at her step-sister in disbelief.

"She drugged your drink," Emily continued, venom dripping from every word. "Just so she could spend the night with you and trap you into marriage."

"No...!" Sarina's voice broke as she scrambled forward. "I didn't! Please, Alpha Kane, it was..."

"You drugged me?" His growl cut through her words like a blade. He looked at her as if suddenly realizing why he had felt something for her last night.

"You drugged me?" His growl cut through her words like a blade. He looked at her as if suddenly realizing why he had felt something for her last night.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly, bringing a chilling coldness, as cold as his frigid expression.

"It wasn't me!" she pleaded desperately. "My father and Emily, they were trying to use you to pay off his debts! I don't even know how we ended up in the same-"

"Enough!"

The word slammed into her like a physical force. His eyes were dark, so dark she could feel his rage radiating in the air she breathed.

Those eyes that had gazed at her so sweetly, so gently last night were now filled with something she had never wanted directed at her.

Disgust.

"You disgust me." He growled menacingly, disappointment laced in his tone.

Sarina froze, her chest tightened painfully.

He stood up grabbing his clothes and pulling them on with sharp, efficient movements.

Each second felt like a lifetime.

"Alpha Kane..." she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.

He didn't hesitate.

"I don't ever want to see your face again," he said coldly. "God help you if I do."

Then he walked out.

Just like that he was gone, taking that strange, fragile connection she had felt last night with him.

"Alpha, please don't take your anger out on us!" Beta Simon hurried after him. "This daughter of mine is a disgrace, she is no longer part of my family!"

The words echoed in Sarina's ears, ringing repeatedly.

How could her own father hate her this much? How could her own father betray her and abandon her as if she was nothing, absolutely nothing.

The door slammed shut again and a cold silence settled in Sarina's heart. A sharp emptiness until a loud mocking laughter erupted in the room.

"It seems you're no longer a member of the Dawson family," Emily said with a mocking smile. "And poor thing..." She tilted her head. "The Alpha doesn't want you either."

Sarina's vision blurred with tears.

"What have I ever done to you?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Why do you hate me so much?"

For a moment, Emily's smile faltered, then it twisted into something darker.

"Blame that face of yours," she snapped. "The one that makes every man choose you over me."

Sarina was confused by Emily's words.

"Remember Derek?" Emily continued bitterly. "He was supposed to like me. But then you showed up, smiling like you always do, and suddenly he couldn't see anyone else."

Sarina's memories flickered back to the past, she remembered the boy who had tried to woo her once before.

"I never liked Derek," she said softly. "I rejected him..."

"Who cares?!" Emily cut her off sharply. "He wanted you anyway!"

The words hit her harder than expected.

"And now?" Emily smirked. "You have nothing." She reached into her bag and pulled out a wad of cash.

"Take this as your severance pay. Don't ever think of showing your face here again!"

The notes scattered across Sarina as Emily threw them in her face. Her laughter sinking into Sarina's heart, causing it to break a thousand times faster. The tears that poured down her face burned hot, and she wished she could disappear from existence just so she could stop feeling this pain.

"Goodbye." Emily turned, waving sweetly over her shoulder as she walked out.

Her laughter echoed long after she was gone.

The silence that suddenly fell over the room felt heavy and empty.

Sarina sat there, unmoving, alone, completely alone. Slowly, she looked down at the money scattered around her.

Everything she had, her home, her family, her dignity were gone in a single night.

Her hands trembled and the tears streamed down in heavy torrents. In a single night, everything had fallen apart. She'd lost her home... though it never once treated her kindly she had masochistically held onto her small family, now she realized giving everything for her father and step-sister hadn't earned their love at all. They didn't care about her, they never did.

And the alpha...he didn't know her before this, but he certainly hated her now.

"I didn't do anything..." she whispered brokenly.

But no one was there to hear her. And for the first time in her life...

Sarina had nowhere left to go.

.....

Weeks had passed since that night, yet nothing had changed.

If anything, it had gotten worse.

Alpha Leonard Kane woke with a sharp inhale, his chest rising and falling unevenly as that same, relentless ache pulsed through him.

It wasn't a physical type of pain, not entirely, but it hurt, badly.

"Why..." he muttered, dragging a hand down his face before pressing it against the left side of his chest. "Why have I been feeling this way since that night?"

His brows furrowed, the emptiness was there again. It was gnawing and constant, so unforgiving.

Her face flashed through his mind again, like it did every single day after that night.

Soft green eyes filled with tears looking up at him.

The ache intensified instantly. Leo stiffened, his jaw tightening.

"Damn it," he hissed under his breath.

Why her?

Why now?

Why couldn't he get her out of his head?

She haunted him at the worst possible times. In meetings, during patrol reports, even in his sleep.

That night replayed itself over and over again, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

And what angered him most was that he didn't understand why.

'Is she our mate Revan?' he asked his wolf. He could have sworn that the spark he felt from her that night had been the mate bond, but what if it was nothing but the effects of the drug she used on him?

'I don't know, she smells different, she doesn't have a wolf, I can't tell if she is our mate or not.' Revan replied. It was obvious his wolf was also slightly bewildered about the whole thing.

'But she is different...' Revan added, 'Different from Everly, different from any other she-wolf we've ever met before. When you were with her I felt...'

A low, frustrated growl built in his chest.

'Enough Revan, we can't feel things for any female ever again.'

Revan went silent in his head after that, it was evident his wolf agreed with him, even if they both had been feeling this strange and heavy longing for the past week.

'Alpha, the pack elders have arrived.'

Timothy, his beta's voice echoed through the mind link.

Leo exhaled sharply, forcing his emotions down.

"On my way."