After His False Mark, the Alpha King Claimed Me

　　"You were never marked."

　　The doctor's words hung in the air like a death sentence. I stared at him, my throat tight and my pulse hammering against my ribs. "That's impossible. Run the test again."

　　Dr. Hale's expression didn't change. It was still professional and careful. He gestured to the screen where my bloodwork results glowed in sterile white light. 

　　"Luna Keira, I've run it three times. There's no trace of a mate bond in your system. No marking hormone, no pheromone signature. Nothing."

　　My legs went numb. I gripped the edge of the examination table, the cold metal biting into my palms. "But I have the mark. It's right here." I pulled down the collar of my shirt, exposing the crescent-shaped scar on my neck, the one Alden had given me two years ago during our mating ceremony.

　　Dr. Hale looked uncomfortable. "That's a physical scar, yes. But biologically, there is no bond."

　　The room tilted. I had to get out. I mumbled something, a thanks maybe, and stumbled into the hallway, my vision blurring at the edges. 

　　Two years. Two years of believing Alden and I were bound by fate, that we had built Stormfang Pack together as true mates, was all a lie. 

　　I drove home on autopilot, my mind raging like a storm. The way Alden always seemed distant. The careful politeness between us, like we were colleagues instead of lovers. The way he never let me mark him in return.

　　I had convinced myself it was just his nature. But now every memory felt like evidence of a lie I'd been too blind to see.

　　When I pulled into the driveway, the house loomed before me coldly. The front door was unlocked. I heard voices coming from Alden's office and I strained my ears to hear. 

　　I wasn't surprised when I heard Rena's voice. 

　　She was here again. Of course she was. She'd been coming to the house for months now, always under the pretense of treating Alden's old injuries.

　　He'd been hurt badly during the rogue war years ago, and Rena, one of the few Omegas with healing abilities, had saved his life. I'd never questioned her presence.

　　But now, standing in the hallway with the doctor's words still echoing in my skull, I felt something twist inside me.

　　I moved closer to the door, my footsteps silent. Through the crack, I could see them. Alden leaned against his desk, his expression softer than I'd ever seen it, and Rena standing close, her hand on his arm.

　　"You can't keep doing this," Rena said, her voice trembling. "It's tearing me apart, Alden. Watching you with her, pretending we're nothing—"

　　"I know." Alden's voice was rough and strained. "But you understand why it has to be this way. If anyone found out you're my Fated Mate—"

　　The world suddenly stopped.

　　Fated Mate.

　　My chest felt like it was caving in. I couldn't breathe. 

　　"An Omega," Alden continued, his tone sounding bitter. "How would that look? The Alpha of Stormfang Pack, mated to a lowborn healer. I'd lose everything. All my respect and alliances. Keira's a beta, but she's strong and respected. She's the perfect Luna for appearances."

　　"And Erion?" Rena's voice cracked. "How much longer do I have to pretend he's not mine? He's our son, Alden. Ours."

　　My knees buckled. I grabbed the doorframe to keep from collapsing. Erion. The boy we'd "adopted" three months ago. The child I'd loved, cared for, tried so hard to bond with… even when he pushed me away, even when Alden's mother made cruel jokes about my supposed infertility.

　　It had all been a lie.

　　Alden had made me believe I couldn't have children. He'd watched me cry over it, watched me endure his family's scorn, and said nothing. Because the truth was worse: the child in our home was his and Rena's. A secret family, hidden in plain sight.

　　"Soon," Alden murmured. "I promise. Once things settle, we'll find a way."

　　I didn't wait to hear more. I turned and stumbled down the hall, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might shatter my ribs.

　　When I reached the foyer, I heard running footsteps. A second later, something cold and wet splashed across my chest.

　　"Got you!" Erion shrieked, laughing as he aimed the water gun at me again.

　　I stood frozen, water dripping down my dress, staring at the boy I'd tried so hard to love. His eyes, suddenly noticing how they looked eerily alike to Alden's eyes, gleamed with mischief behind him as he ran off, still laughing.

　　All those nights I'd read him stories. All the lunches I'd packed. Every attempt to be his mother, met with indifference or cruelty.

　　Because I wasn't his mother. I never had been.

　　The housekeeper appeared, apologetic. "Luna Keira, I'm so sorry. Let me get you a towel. Oh, and this came for you earlier, it seemed urgent." She pressed a thick envelope into my hands.

　　I barely registered it at first. My fingers moved mechanically, breaking the red wax seal. A crest was pressed into it. It was a crescent moon wrapped in thorns. Something about it tugged at a memory I couldn't quite grasp.

　　Inside was a single sheet of parchment.

　　To Keira Ashford,

　　You are the daughter of Alpha Ronan Ashford of the Mooncrest Pack. You are his only living heir, and the rightful Alpha of his bloodline.

　　Your return is long overdue.

　　—Damien Ashford

　　I stared at the words until they blurred. I thought I was hallucinating until I sat down and read it again. 

　　I had parents. They'd died when I was young, leaving me in the care of a beta family. I'd grown up believing that was all I was a beta who was orphaned and alone.

　　But this letter claimed something else entirely.

　　I pressed my fingers to the charm I always wore around my neck, a small silver pendant I'd had since childhood. Surprisingly, I noticed that the pattern etched into it matched the crest on the seal perfectly.

　　My breath caught in my throat.