The Alpha's Fertility Lie Collapsed After His Drunken Confession

After two years of severed mate bonds with Daniel Washington, the former Alpha of the Silver Fang Pack, we crossed paths at a pack gathering held in a grand Victorian-style hall. By now, he had a new mate, Catalina Parker, and whispers of her pregnancy were already circulating among the pack.

As the wine flowed and inhibitions lowered, the atmosphere turned playful, and we found ourselves caught in a game of truth or dare. Daniel, clearly having indulged too much, looked at me with a slight redness in his eyes, his once-commanding aura now tinged with recklessness.

"Two years ago," he confessed, his voice just above a whisper but carrying the weight of an alpha tone, "I tampered with our mate bond rituals to ensure we could never produce offspring."

The room erupted in gasps and murmurs, the pack members’ eyes darting between us. I lifted my glass of Pinot Noir, my hand steady despite the storm brewing inside me.

"In fact," I replied, my voice calm and measured, "I’ve since examined your fertility. It’s practically non-existent. In layman's terms, you're hardly capable of siring a pup."

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sharp intake of breath from Catalina. Her expression transformed right before my eyes, disbelief and anxiety twisting her features.

*Crash!*

The sound of a glass shattering echoed through the hall. Daniel leapt to his feet, his towering frame dominating the space as he pushed past several pack members to stand directly in front of me. His hands gripped my shoulders, his scent—a mix of pine and dominance—enveloping me in a way I hadn’t experienced in years.

"Addilyn Reed," he demanded, his voice low but carrying the unmistakable edge of an alpha, "what do you mean by that?"

I looked up at him, my gaze unwavering. His temper hadn’t changed in two years. Any slight deviation from his expectations, and he’d lash out like a rogue.

I shrugged off his hands in disgust, my voice ice-cold. "Exactly what I said. Your fertility is practically nonexistent. You can’t sire pups."

Turning my gaze from his face, I looked at Catalina, who sat stiffly on the sofa, her fingers clenching the fabric of her dress. Her knuckles were white, her tension palpable.

Raising an eyebrow, I felt a flicker of curiosity. "Didn’t you both undergo a full fertility check before your marking ceremony? I thought..."

Before I could finish, Catalina marched over in her high heels and slapped me hard across the face.

"Shut up!" she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "Say one more word, and I’ll rip your mouth apart!"

My cheek burned from the sting, like a flame licking my skin. The onlookers, our packmates, whispered among themselves but didn’t dare intervene. Discussing personal matters about someone else’s mate bond, especially as the former mate, was considered taboo. Yet, Daniel had initiated this confrontation. Was it wrong to return the favor?

Hitting me? Not a chance!

Just as I was about to retaliate,