His Unwanted Mate: The White Wolf Awakens

For five years, I suppressed my Royal White Wolf bloodline to be Sam's "Chosen Mate," waiting for a Mark that never came. I cut ties with my powerful family, accepting a paper certificate instead of a soul bond, all because I loved him.

But my sacrifice meant nothing. Sam brought his mistress, Lily, and a child into our pack house, forcing me to accept them. He claimed the child was his because I was "barren," humiliating me to protect his fragile ego.

The betrayal turned deadly over breakfast. Lily laced my food with Wolfsbane, then slashed her own chest to frame me. When Sam rushed in, he didn't check the facts. He pinned me against the wall by my throat, ignoring my swelling airways as the poison took hold.

"If she dies, you die."

He threw me to the floor like garbage and rushed his mistress to the hospital, leaving me to suffocate alone. I had to crawl to my room, clawing at the floor tiles, to reach the antidote my father had given me years ago. As I retched up the toxin, the last of my love for him was purged along with it.

I stood up and walked to the backyard rose garden-the symbol of our marriage. I doused it in gasoline and struck a match.

Before the Royal Guards arrived to take me home, I pinned a rejection letter to the front door with a dagger.

"I reject you, Sam. And by the way, check your old medical files. You're the one who is sterile."

Chapter 1

Echo POV:

The paper felt too light in my hands. It was high-quality parchment, embossed with the golden seal of the White Moon Pack, certifying that I, Echo, was the "Chosen Mate" of Alpha Sam.

In our world, the Moon Goddess usually calls the shots. Fated Mates, bound by soul and scent. But for the unlucky ones, the law allows a "Chosen Mate"-a legal binding, a promise of loyalty, usually followed by a Marking ceremony. *A bite to the neck. A mixing of blood.*

Five years. I had been staring at this certificate for five years. And my neck was still unmarked.

"Echo? Are you upstairs?"

Sam's voice drifted from the hallway. My hearing, sharper than a human's but dull for a wolf of my bloodline, picked up the heavy tread of his boots. I had suppressed my wolf for him. I had cut ties with my powerful family to be with him, a simple Pack Alpha who claimed to love me.

I moved to the door, intending to greet him, but stopped when I heard a second voice. It was Joshua, his Beta.

"The Elders are pressing again, Alpha," Joshua whispered urgently. "They want an heir. They are asking why the Luna hasn't produced a pup in five years."

I held my breath. This was my shame. The doctors said my wolf was dormant, my womb cold.

"Let them ask," Sam's voice was dismissive. *"As long as Echo thinks she's broken, she stays guilty. And a guilty wife doesn't ask why she hasn't been Marked."*

The floor beneath me seemed to tilt.

"But the certificate..." Joshua hesitated. "If she finds out it was never filed with the Lycan Council... that it's just a prop..."

"She won't," Sam snapped. "She's cut off from her royal family. She has no one but me. I need her bloodline's prestige to hold this Pack, Joshua. But I need an heir, too. That's why we have Lily."

Lily. The fragile, sweet Omega who worked at the pack orphanage.

"Lily and the pup are doing well," Sam continued, his voice softening. "I have to go see them. We have to maintain the lie, Joshua. Echo is the barren trophy. Lily is the real mother."

My knees gave way. I didn't fall, but I sank against the doorframe. My inner wolf, who had been sleeping for years, stirred. *It wasn't a roar, but a low, painful whine of betrayal.*

The certificate in my hand crumbled as I clenched my fist. A fake. A prop.

I heard Sam coming up the stairs. I scrambled to my feet, throwing the paper into the drawer. When he opened the door, I was standing by the window, shaking.

"Echo?" Sam walked in, his face arranging itself into a mask of concern. He smelled of forest pine-his scent-*but underneath, there was something cloying. Cheap vanilla.* "You look pale, darling."

He reached for me. I flinched.

"I'm fine," I managed to say, though my voice sounded hollow. "Just... thinking about us."

"Us?" He smiled, that charming, confident smile that had fooled me when I was twenty.

"We should go to the Bureau," I said, watching his eyes. "We should file for the official Mating Ceremony. The Elders are talking, Sam. A Mark would silence them."

Sam's eyes shifted to the left. A micro-expression of annoyance. "Now? Echo, you know how busy the border disputes are. The Rogues are restless."

"It would take an hour," I pressed.

"Next month," he promised, kissing my forehead. His lips felt like ice. "I promise. Right now, I have to go. Joshua says there's an issue at the northern border."

His phone buzzed. *The screen lit up with "My Lily-flower."*

"I have to go," he said, feigning urgency. "Don't wait up."

He rushed out.

I didn't wait. I grabbed my car keys.

I knew where the "northern border" was.

I drove to the pack orphanage, a run-down brick building on the edge of town. I parked behind a thicket of trees.

Sam's black SUV was there.

He wasn't fighting Rogues. He was standing on the porch. The door opened, and Lily came out. She looked nothing like me. I was tall, with sharp northern features. She was small, soft, *with big doe eyes that screamed 'I'm helpless.'*

She threw herself into his arms.

I watched, feeling a cold numbness spreading through my chest, as my husband buried his face in her neck. He inhaled deeply. *Sharing scent. A prelude to mating.*

"I missed you," I heard him say. My hearing was focusing, adrenaline sharpening my senses.

"Did you tell her?" Lily asked, pulling back.

"Not yet. Be patient, baby," Sam stroked her hair.

A little girl, no older than four, ran out of the door. "Daddy!"

My heart stopped.

Sam turned, his face lighting up with genuine joy. He scooped the child up. "Hey there, Kitty. Did you be a good girl for Mommy?"

Mommy.

The word hung in the air, heavy and toxic.

"She is our Luna," Sam said to Lily, looking at the child, then at her. "No one can take our pup away. Echo is just... the placeholder. She pays the bills, Lily. You hold my heart."

I opened the car door. I didn't slam it. I just stepped out.

I walked toward them. The gravel crunched under my boots.

Sam looked up. The color drained from his face so fast he looked like a corpse. He put the child down, instinctively stepping in front of Lily.

"Echo," he choked out.

I stopped five feet away. I looked at him, then at Lily, then at the child who had his nose.

"So," I said, my voice trembling with a rage so cold it burned. "This is the northern border issue?"

*

Echo POV:

"Echo, wait, let me explain!" Sam took a step forward, hands raised. He let out a low growl, a subtle use of his Alpha tone intended to make pack members submit. "Calm down."

Usually, the Alpha's voice would make my knees weak. But today, the anger in my blood acted as a shield.

"Don't," I warned him. "Don't you dare use your Voice on me."

I looked at the child, Kitty. She was hiding behind Lily's legs. I inhaled deeply, letting the air flow over my olfactory glands.

Sam smelled of fear and musk. Lily smelled of vanilla and milk. And the child...

I frowned. The child smelled of Sam. It was a thick layer of scent, *like she'd been doused in his cologne or held for hours.* But underneath that... there was no genetic link.

Wolves can smell blood ties. It's biological. A father and daughter share a specific underlying resonance. Kitty didn't have it. *Whatever scent masking Lily was using on the girl was strong, but not perfect.*

"She calls you Daddy," I said quietly. "But she doesn't smell like your blood, Sam."

Sam froze. His eyes darted to Lily.

Lily immediately burst into tears. *It was a practiced, elegant performance.* "How can you say that?" she sobbed, pulling Kitty closer. "Just because you can't have children, Luna Echo, doesn't mean you should deny ours! Are you that jealous?"

"It's true, Echo," Sam said quickly, latching onto the lie. "Kitty is mine. I... I made a mistake five years ago. Before we were 'Chosen'. I didn't want to hurt you."

He was lying. I could smell the acrid tang of deceit rolling off him. He wasn't scared that I would leave him for cheating; he was scared I would leave and take my family's influence with me. My father was a Head Alpha. Sam used that connection for loans and respect.

"You are lying," I said. "And you are pathetic."

"Mommy, I'm scared," Kitty whined.

"It's okay, baby," Lily cooed, glaring at me through her tears. "The bad lady is just upset because she's empty inside."

Something inside me snapped.

"I want you to process the adoption papers," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "If she is your daughter, make it legal. Stop hiding her like a dirty secret."

"I... yes, of course," Sam stammered, clearly confused by my sudden pivot. "I will."

"I'm going to the car," I said. "Don't follow me."

I turned around. As I walked away, the wind carried the whispers of two low-ranking wolves cleaning the orphanage yard.

*"Did you hear? The Alpha and Lily are registered in the Red Creek Pack. Real mates. They say he's just waiting for the Luna to die or leave."*

My hands gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. The Red Creek Pack. He had a real certificate there.

I sat in the driver's seat, the silence of the car deafening. I reached into my glove box and pulled out a burner phone I had kept for emergencies. I dialed a number I hadn't called in five years.

The screen flickered, and a video call connected.

A face appeared. Stern, scarred, with eyes as grey as a winter storm.

"Echo?" The voice was deep, rumbling like thunder.

"Alpha Father," I whispered. My throat tightened. "I... I want to come home."

My father, the Alpha of the Royal Northern Pack, leaned closer to the camera. He saw my red eyes, the shaking of my shoulders. A low growl started in his chest.

"Who did this?" he demanded. "Is it that mutt you married?"

"I made a mistake, Papa," I sobbed, the first tear finally falling. "I'm not barren. He... he lied. Everything is a lie."

"Pack your things," my father commanded. "I am sending the Elite Guard. They will be there in two days. Do not let him touch you."

"I won't," I promised.

"And Echo?"

"Yes?"

"Let your wolf wake up. You are a White Wolf. *We don't bow to trash.*"

The call ended. I looked in the rearview mirror. My eyes, usually a soft blue, were flashing with a momentary streak of silver.

I drove back to the Pack house. I expected Sam to stay away.

But the next morning, I walked downstairs to find them there. Sam, Lily, and Kitty. Sitting at my dining table. Eating pancakes.

"Good morning, Echo," Sam said, his voice straining for normalcy. "I brought them here. I thought... since you know, we could try to be a family. For the Pack's sake."

*He brought his mistress and his fake child into my home. The audacity was breathtaking.*

*

Echo POV:

The smell of bacon and syrup filled the kitchen, usually a comforting scent, but today it made my stomach churn.

"Sit down, Echo," Sam said, pulling out a chair. He was acting the benevolent Alpha, forcing harmony where there was only betrayal. "Lily made breakfast."

Lily looked up from her plate, eyes wide and innocent. She was wearing one of my old silk robes. "I hope you don't mind, Luna. I didn't have anything comfortable to wear."

I stared at the robe. It was a gift from my mother.

"Take it off," I said.

"Echo!" Sam slammed his hand on the table. "Be reasonable. It's just fabric."

"I want Mommy and Daddy to sleep with me tonight!" Kitty announced loudly, banging her spoon.

Lily hushed her, but shot a smirk in my direction. "Shh, Kitty. The Luna is sensitive."

I ignored them and sat down, mostly because my legs felt weak. My wolf was pacing inside my mind, scratching at the walls of my consciousness, demanding blood. Not yet.

"Here," Lily said, sliding a basket of bread toward me. "I baked this special bread. It has Sweetgrass in it. My grandmother used to say it helps with... fertility issues."

The insult was wrapped in a smile.

I looked at the bread. It looked golden and soft. Sweetgrass was a common herb, harmless.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

"Please, Echo," Sam sighed, looking exhausted. "Lily is trying to make peace. Eat the bread. Show me you can be a Luna who accepts her Pack."

Accepts her Pack. He meant accepts his infidelity.

I reached out. My fingertips brushed the crust of the bread.

Instantly, a sharp, stinging sensation shot up my arm. It felt like I had touched a live wire. My skin burned.

I jerked my hand back.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

I stared at the bread. My wolf snarled. *Poison.*

"That's not Sweetgrass," I whispered, looking at Lily. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

"Of course it is," Lily said, her voice trembling. "I picked it myself."

"It's Wolfsbane," I said, my voice rising.

Wolfsbane. Deadly to our kind. In small doses, it causes sickness and miscarriage. In large doses, it closes the throat and stops the heart.

"You are crazy!" Sam stood up. "Wolfsbane? In the kitchen? Echo, your jealousy has made you insane."

"Touch it, Sam," I challenged him. "If it's Sweetgrass, eat it."

Sam hesitated. He looked at the bread, then at Lily. Lily's eyes were filled with tears again. "She's accusing me of trying to kill her! Sam, I can't stay here! She's dangerous!"

"She is dangerous," Sam agreed, looking at me with disgust. "Echo, you are losing your mind."

"I can smell it!" I screamed. *"The chemical bitterness underneath the sugar! She is poisoning me!"*

"Enough!" Sam roared. He used the Alpha Command. The air in the room grew heavy, pressing down on my shoulders like lead weights. "Silence!"

My mouth snapped shut against my will. The power of the Alpha over a pack member was absolute, unless the member was stronger. And right now, in my weakened state, he was stronger.

"I am taking Kitty upstairs to play," Sam said, his voice cold. "You and Lily will sort this out. Apologize to her, Echo. Or so help me Moon Goddess, I will lock you in your room."

He grabbed Kitty's hand and marched out.

I sat there, fighting the Command, my jaw aching.

As soon as Sam was gone, the tears vanished from Lily's face. She picked up the piece of bread I had touched.

"You have a good nose," she whispered, leaning across the table. "For a barren bitch."

"Why?" I managed to grit out, the Command fading slightly with Sam's distance.

"Because this is my Pack now," Lily hissed. Her eyes flashed yellow-the color of a common wolf. "Sam needs an heir. I gave him a fake one to get in the door. But once you're dead... I'll give him a real one. Or maybe I'll just take his money. Who cares?"

"He will find out," I said.

"He sees what he wants to see," Lily smiled. She stood up and walked around the table to me. "And right now, he sees a crazy, jealous ex-wife."

She grabbed my jaw with surprising strength. "Eat it."

*