THE BASTARD ALPHA

"Say it again."

The Alpha's voice cut through the hall like a whip.

I stood in the center of the council chamber, hands clenched at my sides, blood drying at the corner of my mouth. Every wolf present stared at me-some with disgust, others with cold satisfaction.

The word came anyway.

"Bastard."

Laughter followed.

I lifted my head slowly, meeting the Alpha's gaze without bowing. I had learned long ago that lowering my eyes only made them crueler.

"I am not your son," he continued, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "And I will never acknowledge you as Nightfang blood."

The room buzzed.

Twenty years.

Twenty years of serving this pack. Of fighting their wars. Of bleeding for their borders.

And still-

A bastard.

My wolf snarled inside me, rage clawing at my ribs, but I forced it down. If I lost control here, they would tear me apart and call it justice.

The High Elder stepped forward, staff striking the stone floor. "By law, Kael has no claim to the Alpha line."

"Because his mother was a whore," someone muttered.

I felt it then.

The bond.

Hot. Violent. Unwelcome.

My breath caught as the scent hit me-sweet, sharp, impossible to ignore.

Mate.

The irony nearly made me laugh.

After everything they had taken from me, the Moon Goddess dared to give me a mate now?

She stood at the edge of the hall, clearly human, eyes wide with fear as she stared at a room full of wolves who already hated her.

The Alpha followed my gaze.

His lips curled.

"So this is your mate," he said. "Even the Moon mocks you."