The Billionaire Alpha's Secret Substitute Mate

Cara POV:

I pushed myself up from the king-size bed, and a sharp ache tore through my bones. The lingering fever of the Heat still burned under my skin. In our werewolf world, the Heat is a primal surge triggered by a fated mate or the full moon, leaving the body scorched by raw instinct. My gaze hit the dark red stain on the white sheets. My stomach twisted, and I quickly grabbed my long dress from the carpet and pulled it over my shaking frame.

I stepped lightly toward the door of the presidential suite and gripped the freezing metal handle. Looking back, I stared at the tall man still sleeping deeply on the bed. Angry red scratch marks from my fingernails crisscrossed his muscular back. That was Eben Burnett, the ruthless billionaire Alpha of the Burnett Pack.

I was never supposed to have crossed paths with him. Eben's Alpha Rut window was only these three days, but my twin sister Emilee's Omega Heat had been delayed. Her body was stuck in a dormant cycle, her wolf instinctively recoiling from any Alpha's touch. If the bond had been forced, Eben in his Rut would have torn her apart, and the mating would have failed anyway.

That was why he believed he had just spent the night with my twin sister.

Biting my lower lip hard, I pressed the handle down. The harsh light of the hotel corridor stabbed into my eyes, forcing me to raise a hand to shield my face before I hurried toward the emergency exit.

Cold air blasted my face in the stairwell. My knees buckled, and I nearly crashed to the concrete floor, my fingers clamping onto the rusted iron railing just in time to hold myself upright.

I pulled out my phone to check the screen. It was five in the morning. Only three hours remained until my mother needed her silver poison antidote, and I had to reach the hospital before they cut off her treatment. Silver is the only lethal weakness to our kind, burning our veins and destroying our inner wolf if left untreated.

Shoving open the heavy fire door at the back of the hotel, I stepped straight into a torrential downpour. Freezing rain soaked my hair in seconds, but I ran directly into the storm toward the empty street.

I waved my arm frantically at the passing headlights. A taxi with its vacant light glowing sped right past me, sending a wall of dirty puddle water splashing across my calves. My teeth chattered from the bone-deep chill.

Finally, a battered yellow cab screeched to a halt by the curb. I yanked the door open, threw myself into the backseat, and spoke with a violent tremor in my voice.

"Take me to the Pack Healing Center. Hurry."

The driver shot me a strange look through the rearview mirror. I immediately pulled my dripping hair forward to cover my pale cheeks.

Cheap pine air freshener choked the cramped cabin. Leaning my forehead against the cold window, I watched the neon street signs blur past while my fingers squeezed the old plastic hotel keycard in my palm until its sharp edges bit into my skin.

The cab jolted to a stop in front of the Healing Center gates. I tossed a crumpled bill onto the front seat without waiting for change, shoved the door open, and sprinted into the main lobby.

Stark white fluorescent lights glared overhead as I ran to the billing desk. I slammed both hands onto the cold marble counter, gasping for air.

"Eugenie Holden, Bed Three. Has the antidote fee been paid yet?"

The night nurse didn't even lift her head as her fingers tapped the keyboard, the blue glow of the monitor washing over her flat expression.

"No. The account balance is insufficient."

An invisible hand squeezed my heart so tight I couldn't breathe, and I slapped the marble counter, my voice rising sharply.

"That's impossible! My father, Archibald Holden, promised me last night he would wire the full amount!"

The nurse raised her eyes with open disgust, treating me like the worthless, low-ranking Omega the whole pack believed I was.

"Mr. Holden called half an hour ago. He only paid for basic nutrient fluids. He didn't put a single cent toward the silver antidote."

I staggered backward half a step, my spine slamming into the plastic directory sign behind me. The hard edge dug painfully into my shoulder blades.

With shaking fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed Archibald's number. Only a cold mechanical voice answered from the receiver.

"The number you have dialed is currently busy."

Gritting my teeth, I hit redial. The call disconnected after one ring, and a text message popped up on my screen: The deal is over. Don't bother me again.

Heat exploded in my chest. I crushed the phone in my hand, my knuckles turning a dead, bloodless gray.

Right then, the wall-mounted television in the lobby switched to a breaking morning Pack news broadcast, the anchor's excited voice echoing across the quiet hall.

I snapped my head up. On the screen, my twin sister Emilee was wearing the exact coat I had left behind in the suite, leaning shyly against the doorframe outside Eben's room for the cameras.

"Alpha CEO Eben Burnett spent a passionate night with the eldest Holden heiress, sealing the century's biggest pack alliance..."

Every word from the anchor felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. I stared at Emilee's face-identical to mine-and saw the fake red mark she had drawn on her neck with lipstick to claim my night.

Drawing a ragged breath, I forced down the urge to smash the screen and marched toward the inpatient ward.

Harsh disinfectant stung my nose in the hallway as I pushed open the door to Room Three, where my mother Eugenie lay frail and gray on the bed beside a softly beeping ventilator.

Walking to her side, I looked at her sunken cheeks ravaged by silver poison, and a hot burn stung the back of my eyes.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she reached out a dry, trembling hand when she saw my soaked clothes.

"Cara... why are you drenched like this..."

I caught her freezing hand immediately and pressed my cheek against her knuckles, forcing my lips to curve upward.

"It's nothing, Mom. The rain is just really heavy outside."

Lifting my head, I tucked the blanket tightly around her shoulders, my voice dropping low and hard.

"Mom, wait for me a little longer. I'm going to get your medicine money back."

I let go of her hand and walked toward the door, every step draining the warmth from my face. Pushing the ward door open, I let the cold draft dry the rain on my skin while I tapped the ride-share app on my phone and entered the address for the Holden Estate on priority call.

I walked out the hospital gates into the pouring rain. A black sedan pulled up to the curb, and I yanked the door open, sliding inside with a voice devoid of any warmth.

"To the Holden Estate."

The car sped into the rain curtain. I stared at the blurry neon lights outside and dug my fingernails deep into my palms. Archibald dared to gamble with my mother's life, and I was going to make him pay.

Cara POV:

Sitting in the backseat of the sedan, I watched the street scenes fly backward while the wet glass reflected my pale, furious face.

The driver glanced at my dripping dress through the rearview mirror and cleared his throat.

"Miss, going all the way out to that rich territory around the Holden Estate is going to cost extra."

I lifted my eyelids coldly, pulled the last fifty-dollar bill from my pocket, and threw it onto the passenger seat.

"Shut up and drive faster."

Startled by the glare in my eyes, the driver clamped his mouth shut and floored the gas pedal, making the tires roar through the standing water.

Leaning back against the headrest, I closed my eyes. The image of Emilee's fake smile on television kept flashing through my head, churning my stomach until bile rose in my throat.

I pressed a cold palm flat against my lower belly. The scorching heat of a top-tier Alpha still seemed to linger deep inside my body. I bit down hard on my lower lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, forcing my mind to stay sharp.

The car swerved sharply around a corner and screeched to a halt in front of a massive black wrought-iron gate, rainwater streaming down the windows in sheets.

Shoving the door open without an umbrella, I stepped straight into the ankle-deep puddles and fixed my eyes on the dark gold Holden family crest welded onto the iron bars.

I walked through the rain and pressed my thumb hard against the intercom buzzer.

An arrogant security guard's voice crackled through the speaker.

"Who is it? Don't you know today is the eldest young lady's big engagement day?"

Wiping the rainwater from my chin, I spoke into the grate.

"Open the gate. I am Cara Holden."

The guard let out a loud sneer over the line.

"The Alpha of the house gave strict orders. A troublemaker like you isn't allowed to take half a step inside this estate."

I let out a cold laugh, stepped back two paces, and locked my gaze onto the six-foot carved stone wall beside the main gate.

Eben POV:

My eyes snapped open in the dim bedroom, a splitting headache pounding behind my temples as my Alpha senses instantly registered an unfamiliar stillness in the suite.

Propping myself up on the wide mattress, my gaze locked onto the glaring crimson stain on the pure white sheets-the proof of innocence she had left me last night.

Yet my brows knitted tightly together. The intoxicating, soul-trembling cedarwood scent that had driven me mad in the dark was completely gone, replaced by a cheap, pungent cloud of artificial floral perfume.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Emilee stepped out in a loose bathrobe, a shy blush painted across her cheeks. She was the woman I had sworn to protect with my life ever since she saved me from a lethal silver blade at Silverpine Cove thirteen years ago.

"Eben, you're awake?"

My body tensed and I leaned back against the headboard to put distance between us, my inner wolf letting out an agitated growl in my head that carried a sharp edge of disgust.

She walked to the edge of the mattress and reached out to lay her hand on my bare shoulder.

"Last night... you were so rough, it hurt me so much."

Right before her fingertips touched my skin, I jerked my shoulder away, my eyes freezing over.

"Go wash that perfume off your skin. It's choking me."

Emilee's hand froze in midair, her face stiffening for a fraction of a second before she bit her lip and forced tears into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I thought you would like it..."

Ignoring her act, I threw off the duvet and strode straight toward the walk-in closet, the claw marks on my back stinging with every step and reminding me of how completely I had lost control in the dark.

With my back turned to her, I pulled on a crisp black shirt.

"Why didn't you say a single word to me all night?"

Emilee's breath hitched audibly behind me before she stammered an answer.

"I... I was just too nervous, and you were so fierce..."

My fingers paused on my collar button. The woman beneath me last night had trembled, yet her silent defiance and fierce grip bore zero resemblance to this whining voice.

Turning around, I pinned her with my gray-blue eyes.

"Are you certain it was you in this bed all night?"

Emilee stumbled backward into the nightstand, her gaze darting away from mine.

"Of course it was me! Didn't you see the blood on the sheets?"

I caught the flash of panic in her eyes, though I held back my temper because of the oath I owed her from Silverpine Cove. Snatching my suit jacket off the sofa, I headed for the door.

"Get dressed. My bodyguards will escort you back to your estate in thirty minutes."

Stepping out into the hallway, I drew a deep breath as the door clicked shut, catching a faint, lingering trace of cold cedarwood in the air. I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped my head toward the emergency stairwell at the end of the hall, where the scent vanished.

My Beta and personal assistant, Hilary, walked up with a folder in hand.

"Boss, the car is ready downstairs."

Instead of taking the file, I pointed straight at the heavy fire door.

"Check the security feeds. Find out who left this hotel through that stairwell between four and six this morning."

Hilary blinked in surprise before bowing his head immediately.

"Yes, Boss. I'll pull the footage right away."

Cara POV:

Staring at the six-foot carved stone wall outside the Holden Estate, I sucked in a deep breath of rainy air, sprinted three steps forward, and jammed the toe of my shoe into a narrow gap between the wet bricks.

I hooked both hands over the top ledge. Rough stone gravel sliced into my palms, warm blood mixing with the rainwater, yet I pulled myself up with both arms and vaulted straight over the wall.

My boots slammed onto the manicured lawn inside the compound, sending mud flying across my hem just as two patrolling pack guards drew their steel batons and charged at me.

"Stop right there! Take one more step and we'll break your legs!"

Rising from my crouch, I snapped a thick, dead branch off the decorative bush beside me and bared my teeth at them.

"Get out of my way!"

The lead guard swung his baton straight at my collarbone. I pivoted to the side and whipped the heavy wooden branch across the back of his knee, making him howl in pain as he crashed to the mud on his kneecaps.

The second guard froze in shock. Tossing the broken branch aside, I marched straight up the marble steps to the main mansion and kicked the heavy mahogany double doors wide open.

The deafening bang echoed across the grand hall under the crystal chandelier. In the center of the room, my father Archibald nearly spilled his coffee, while my stepmother Florinda Good dropped the magazine in her lap, both of them whipping their heads toward the entrance.

When Archibald saw my mud-splattered dress, his face turned livid, and he slammed his porcelain cup onto the glass coffee table.

"You miserable wretch! Who gave you permission to break into this house?"

Walking past his murderous glare, I stopped right in front of the table, cold rainwater dripping from my skirt onto Florinda's expensive Persian rug.

"Three hundred thousand dollars. Hand it over."

Florinda covered her painted lips with a mocking laugh, her eyes dripping with scorn as the former mistress who had schemed her way into becoming the lady of the house.

"Oh my, didn't you serve him well enough last night? What, Alpha Burnett didn't even leave you a tip?"

I snapped my head toward her, my fists clenching tightly inside my wet sleeves.

"Shut your filthy mouth. That money is to save my mother's life!"

Archibald shot to his feet, unleashing his full Alpha's Command-a genetic dominance that forces any lower-ranking wolf in the same pack to submit instantly. Crushing spiritual weight slammed down on my shoulders as he projected his roar straight into my head through the pack mind-link.

"Kneel!"

My knees bent an inch under the sudden shockwave, my lungs burning for air. Then, the hidden White Wolf bloodline dormant in my veins surged to life-a rare, direct lineage from the Moon Goddess that outranked any ordinary Alpha. I locked my joints, bit my lip until it bled, and stood ramrod straight.

Shock flashed across Archibald's eyes as he stared at an "inferior Omega" defying his direct command.

Florinda quickly pointed a manicured finger at my face to cover his embarrassment.

"Archibald, why waste breath on this trash? Call the guards to beat her out of here!"

Letting out a sharp laugh, I pulled the hotel keycard from my pocket and slapped it hard onto the glass tabletop.

"Beat me out? Go right ahead!"

I leaned forward, looking straight into Archibald's wide eyes.

"I'll walk right out that gate to the reporters and tell the whole world that the woman who slept in Eben Burnett's bed last night wasn't the noble Emilee-it was a disgraced Omega like me!"

All the blood drained from Archibald's face, and he lunged forward a step, his finger shaking as he pointed at my nose.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me and see if I dare!" I shouted back without flinching. "If my mother dies today, I swear I'll drag this entire family down to hell with her!"

Dead silence fell over the grand hall. Florinda's magazine slipped from her fingers and hit the floor, her mouth hanging open without a single word coming out.

Archibald's chest heaved violently. After five seconds of staring into my cold eyes, he ground his teeth, yanked a checkbook from his inner suit pocket, and scribbled a line of numbers with his fountain pen.

He tore the check out, crumpled it into a tight ball, and threw it straight at my face.

"Take the money, pack up your half-dead mother, and get out of my sight!"

The paper ball bounced off my cheek and fell to the carpet. I bent down calmly, picked it up, smoothed out the creases to verify the three-hundred-thousand-dollar figure, and tucked it safely into my inner pocket.

Straightening my spine, I looked at the two of them with a curl of my lip.

"Don't worry. You couldn't beg me to stay in this disgusting place."

I turned on my heel and walked toward the open front doors. Just as my boot crossed the threshold, Archibald's cold voice rang out behind me.

"Remember your place, Cara. You only exist to be Emilee's shadow."

I paused for half a beat and glanced back over my shoulder.

"Is that so? Then pray her shadow never swallows her whole."

Stepping outside into the biting wind, I walked down the front steps onto the gravel driveway just as a convoy of black bulletproof Maybachs rolled slowly through the main iron gates.

I pulled up my hood to hide my face in the shadows and hurried down the side of the drive. As the lead Maybach glided past me with its rear window rolled halfway down, my heart suddenly skipped a violent beat.