His Defiant Mate: The Alpha King's Obsession

I went to the Alpha Heir's office to tell him I was pregnant. I thought three years of devotion meant something.

Instead, I heard him laughing with his mistress.

"She's just a pet," Holden said. "A placeholder until you were ready."

While I lay bleeding in the clinic, mourning my lost child, Holden sent a "prank" cake laced with ghost peppers to the only father figure I had left. The shock gave the old man a heart attack, killing him instantly.

Holden didn't know about the miscarriage. He didn't know he had killed his own heir.

He just dragged me out of the hospital bed and ordered me to be a bridesmaid at his wedding to the mistress.

"Kneel and hold her train," he commanded, using his Alpha Voice to force me down. "That is your place."

He thinks I'm broken. He thinks I'm trapped because I'm a weak Omega.

But he forgot about the bet he made six months ago. He bet me as a prize in a street race against the ruthless Alpha King-and lost.

I dialed the private number I swore I'd never use.

"You won," I whispered into the phone. "Come get me."

Holden is waiting for me at the altar, expecting a submissive servant.

He has no idea that the Alpha King is coming to claim his prize, and his world is about to burn.

Chapter 1

Kenia POV:

Pain wasn't just a sensation; it was a physical weight, heavy and suffocating. It wasn't just the cramping in my lower abdomen, a sharp, twisting agony that felt like barbed wire being pulled through my insides. It was the emptiness.

I lay on the cold, sterile bed of the pack clinic, staring at the ceiling. The fluorescent lights buzzed like a trapped fly.

"The procedure is done," the doctor said. He didn't look at me. He was scrubbing his hands at the sink, the water running loud and harsh. "You were only six weeks along. It happens, Kenia. Especially with... your constitution."

My constitution. That was the polite way of saying Omega. Weak. Expendable.

"Where is he?" I asked, my voice cracking. My throat felt like I had swallowed broken glass.

The doctor turned off the tap and dried his hands with a paper towel. "Alpha Heir Holden is busy. The Mating Ceremony is tomorrow. He has preparations to make."

A cold laugh bubbled up in my chest, turning into a sob I choked back. The Mating Ceremony. Our ceremony. Or so I had thought for the last three years.

I closed my eyes, and the memories assaulted me.

Holden picked me three years ago. Not because of the Mate Bond-that cosmic lightning strike everyone dreams of-but because, as he put it, he didn't need destiny. He needed me. The quiet art student who was good at fixing things.

I thought I was fixing him. I thought I was fixing us.

But this morning, the illusion had shattered.

I had gone to his office to surprise him with the news. We're having a pup, I was going to say. A pup. The future of the Silver Lake Pack.

Instead, I stood outside the heavy oak door, my hand raised to knock, and I heard them.

"Is she still clinging to you? It's been three years, Holden. It's getting pathetic."

That was Estella. Her voice was like silk wrapped around a dagger. She was a high-born Beta, beautiful, vicious, and Holden's childhood friend.

"Relax, Estella," Holden's voice had replied, lazy and amused. "It's almost over. Hunt Number 98 is nearly complete. I just need to drag it out until the ceremony. The look on her face when I mark you instead of her... it's going to be the highlight of the decade."

"You're terrible," Estella giggled. "She actually thinks she's going to be Luna? An Omega orphan?"

"She's a pet, Estella. A placeholder until you were ready to settle down."

I hadn't knocked. I had run. I ran blindly down the stairs, tears blurring my vision, until my foot missed a step.

The fall hadn't been far, but the impact was hard. And then came the blood.

Now, lying in the clinic, I knew the truth. There was no baby. There was no wedding. There was only Hunt Number 98. I was a game.

My phone on the bedside table buzzed. I picked it up with trembling fingers.

It was a notification from the Pack's internal news feed. A photo. Holden and Estella, standing on a balcony, holding a cake.

"A sweet treat for our beloved Elder Evans," the caption read. "Celebrating the future of Silver Lake."

My heart stopped. Elder Evans. He was the only one in this pack who had ever treated me like a human being. He was old, his heart weak, but he had been my father figure.

Why were they sending him a cake?

A second later, a Mind-Link forced its way into my head. It was Holden. His mental voice was smooth, devoid of the cruelty I had heard in the office.

Kenia, babe, where are you? You missed lunch. I hope you aren't sulking about the dress fitting.

He didn't know I lost the baby. He didn't know I heard him.

I stared at the phone. Then, another message popped up, this time from a nurse at the Elder Care center.

"Kenia... it's bad. Elder Evans... he ate the cake the Alpha Heir sent. They spiked it with ghost peppers as a gag. Just a prank, they said. But his heart gave out. He's in a coma, Kenia. They don't think he'll wake up."

The world went silent.

The buzzing light faded. The pain in my womb vanished, replaced by a cold, black void in the center of my chest.

A prank. They put a man in a coma for a laugh.

I sat up. The movement made my head spin, but I forced my legs over the edge of the bed. I grabbed my bag. Inside was the white dress I had spent months embroidering for tomorrow.

I took the scissors from the medical tray.

With calm, precise movements, I shredded the silk. Rip. Rip. Rip. The sound was satisfying.

I left the pile of rags on the bed, right next to the medical bill for the "Spontaneous Abortion."

I walked out of the clinic into the cool night air. The moon was hidden behind clouds, as if the Goddess herself couldn't bear to look at me.

I pulled out my phone again. My fingers hovered over a number I had saved six months ago, a number I swore I would never use.

It was a private line. No name. Just a memory of a deep voice and a scent of rain and pine that had terrified me.

I pressed call.

It rang once.

"Speak," a voice commanded. Low. Dark. Powerful. Just the sound of it made the fine hairs on my arms stand up. It carried the weight of an Alpha King.

"You said..." My voice was a whisper. I cleared my throat and tried again. "You said if I ever realized the truth, I could call."

There was a silence on the other end. A heavy, pregnant silence.

"Kenia," he said. He didn't ask who it was. He knew.

"I lost," I said, tears finally spilling over, hot and angry. "I lost the bet. He doesn't love me. He never did."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in hell," I whispered. "Get me out of here."

"Pack your things," the Alpha King, Gael, replied. His voice was no longer just a sound; it was a promise of violence and salvation. "I'm coming."

I hung up.

Suddenly, the Mind-Link flared again. Holden.

Kenia? Why aren't you answering? Get back to the estate. We have a surprise for you tomorrow.

I looked up at the moonless sky.

Oh, I know, I thought, blocking him out. But I have a surprise for you too, Holden.

Kenia POV:

The next morning, the air in the Silver Lake territory was thick with anticipation. Colorful banners hung from the lampposts, celebrating the "Union of Strength."

I hadn't packed much. Just my sketchbook and the locket Elder Evans had given me. I tried to leave the estate grounds, heading toward the southern border where I hoped Gael would meet me, but the gate scanner flashed red.

ACCESS DENIED.

"Sorry, Miss Kenia," the guard said, not looking sorry at all. He smirked, chewing on a toothpick. "Alpha Heir's orders. No one leaves the compound until after the... festivities."

I was a prisoner.

I retreated to the garden, my senses on high alert. Being an Omega meant I wasn't strong, but my survival instincts were honed sharp. My hearing, usually average, seemed to stretch, desperate for information.

I crouched behind a hedge of hydrangeas as Holden and Estella walked by on the gravel path.

"Is everything set for the finale?" Estella asked, linking her arm through his.

"It's going to be hilarious," Holden chuckled. "We take her to the cliff for a 'security check.' The guys are waiting in the bushes. We simulate a Rogue attack."

"And then?"

"And then, the 'trust fall,'" Holden said, kissing her temple. "I tell her I can't save us both. I shove her off the ledge. There's a safety net ten feet down, hidden by the fog. She'll scream her head off, land in the mud, and realize she's the punchline. It's the perfect send-off before the wedding."

My stomach turned. It wasn't enough to cheat on me. It wasn't enough to put Evans in the ICU. They had to break my spirit one last time.

I could have hidden. I could have fought. But a cold resolve settled over me. If they wanted a show, I would give them one. But I would rewrite the ending.

Two hours later, Holden found me in the library.

"Kenia!" He flashed that charming smile that used to make my knees weak. Now, it just looked like a predator baring its teeth. "Come on. I need you to check the perimeter defenses with me. Just a quick run to the Northern Cliff."

"Okay," I said softly.

We took the jeep. Estella was in the back, claiming she wanted to "learn the ropes" of being a Luna. The drive was silent. I stared out the window, watching the trees blur.

We reached the cliff. It was a sheer drop, hundreds of feet down into the rocky gorge below. The wind howled here, masking the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly, five wolves burst from the treeline. They were shifted, large and grey, but their movements were clumsy. Fake Rogues. Holden's frat boy friends in fur.

"Oh no!" Estella shrieked, her acting terrible. "Rogues! Holden, save me!"

Holden grabbed my arm and Estella's arm, dragging us toward the edge. "Stay back!" he yelled at the wolves.

One of the wolves lunged-slowly, deliberately.

"I can only save one!" Holden shouted, the script clumsy and cruel. He looked at me, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "Sorry, Kenia. Survival of the fittest."

He shoved me.

He didn't just let go. He shoved me toward the wolves.

The "Rogues" didn't attack. They laughed. A barking, guttural sound in their wolf forms. One of them, a brown wolf I recognized as Holden's Beta, shoved me back toward the edge.

"Please," I said, my voice flat. "Don't."

"Beg!" Estella laughed, clapping her hands. "Beg for him to save you, you little stray!"

I looked at Holden. "Is this what you are?" I asked. "A man who hurts those weaker than him for fun?"

Holden's smile faltered for a second, but Estella was watching. He hardened his expression. "You're an Omega, Kenia. You exist to be used. Now, hand over the defense blueprints you drew. Estella needs the credit."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

Holden's face turned red. "I am your future Alpha! I command you!"

The Alpha's Command slammed into me. It was a physical weight, forcing my knees to buckle. My body wanted to obey, wanted to submit, to bare my neck. It was biology. It was torture.

But beneath the submission, something else stirred. A spark of silver heat.

"You... are... nothing," I gritted out, fighting the Command.

Holden snarled. He stepped forward and pushed me hard.

My heels slipped on the loose gravel.

I fell backward.

The wind roared in my ears. I saw Holden's face, not in horror, but in triumph. I saw Estella laughing.

I didn't scream.

I plummeted down, the grey sky spinning.

Gael, my mind whispered.

I braced for impact, for death.

But I didn't hit rocks. I hit something semi-soft. A massive, industrial-grade safety airbag hidden on the ledge below.

I bounced, the breath knocked out of me.

From above, a chorus of howls and laughter erupted.

"Look at her face!" someone yelled. "She thought she was going to die!"

"Happy Bachelor Party, Holden!"

I lay on the yellow plastic of the airbag, staring up at the sliver of sky. I was alive. But Kenia, the girl who loved art and believed in goodness, had died on that fall.

My inner wolf, usually a quiet, gentle presence, curled into a tight ball in the back of my mind. She closed her eyes and went silent. She severed the connection to the pack.

I was alone.

And for the first time in my life, I felt truly dangerous.

Kenia POV:

The laughter eventually faded, along with the roar of the jeep's engine. They left me there.

Holden had thrown a plastic card down before he left-my ID badge. It fluttered down like a dead leaf, landing in the mud a few feet away.

"Find your own way back, stray!" Estella had screeched.

I climbed off the safety airbag, my limbs shaking from the adrenaline crash. The wind on the cliffside was biting, cutting through my thin blouse. It began to rain-a cold, miserable drizzle that soaked me to the bone.

I picked up the ID card. Mud smeared Holden's face on the hologram. I wiped it on my jeans.

I walked.

It took me four hours to hike back to the main road. My shoes were ruined. My hands were scraped and bleeding from climbing the embankment.

I found a small bus shelter near the territory border. I huddled in the corner, shivering violently. The physical trauma of the miscarriage was still fresh, and the cold was making the lingering cramps feel like knives.

My phone buzzed. It was Gael.

"Location," the text read.

I sent him the GPS pin.

One week, he replied. I cannot enter Silver Lake territory without declaring war until the Council meets next Tuesday. Can you survive?

I have to, I typed back.

A black sedan pulled up ten minutes later. It wasn't Gael. It was a Beta woman with kind eyes and a sharp business suit. Sarah, Holden's secretary. She was the only one besides Evans who didn't treat me like dirt.

"Get in, Kenia," she whispered, looking around nervously.

I climbed in. The heat was on. It felt like heaven.

"He... he told everyone you got lost during the drill," Sarah said, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. She reached into her purse and handed me a packet of dried venison jerky. "Eat. You look like a ghost."

I took the meat. I felt like a beggar. "Thank you, Sarah."

"He's crazy, Kenia. The power... it's gone to his head."

She dropped me off at the back entrance of the clinic. I collapsed before I could make it to my room.

When I woke up, the smell of antiseptic filled my nose. And something else. A cloying, expensive cologne.

Holden.

I opened my eyes. He was sitting in the chair next to my bed, looking annoyingly fresh in a crisp suit. He held a basket of fruit.

"You're awake," he said, smiling as if he hadn't pushed me off a cliff yesterday. "You really are dramatic, Kenia. Passing out from a little hike?"

I stared at him. The hate in my chest was so cold it burned. "You pushed me."

"It was a joke," he dismissed, waving his hand. "A prank. The boys were blowing off steam. Don't be such a buzzkill."

He leaned forward, his eyes flashing amber-his wolf pushing to the surface. "And you will not tell anyone otherwise. Do you understand? If anyone asks, you slipped during a perimeter check and I saved you."

He used the Alpha's Command again. It pressed down on my tongue, sealing my throat.

"Nod," he ordered.

I nodded stiffly, fighting the urge to vomit.

"Good girl." He picked up an apple from the basket and began to peel it with a small silver pocket knife. "You need to get your strength up. The Charity Gala is tonight. You're coming."

"I... can't," I rasped.

"You are. Estella needs someone to hold her train, and you know the layout of the venue better than anyone. You designed it, didn't you?"

He sliced a piece of apple and held it to my lips.

"Eat."

I looked at the apple. "I'm allergic to apples, Holden."

He paused, the slice hovering near my mouth. He blinked, genuinely confused. "What? No, you're not. Estella loves apples."

"I am not Estella," I whispered.

He stared at me for a moment, then shrugged and tossed the slice into the trash. "Whatever. Just get ready. Be downstairs in an hour. And Kenia?"

He stood up, towering over me.

"Don't embarrass me. Or I'll make sure the funding for Elder Evans's care gets cut off. I hear life support is expensive."

He walked out, leaving the door open.

He knew exactly where to hit.

I slowly sat up. My body screamed in protest. I walked to the mirror. My face was pale, my eyes hollow. I looked like a corpse.

Good, I thought. Let them see a corpse.