Dropping The Ultrasound On My Alpha's Mating Altar

"Kaelen, I need to show you something."

I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the Alpha's office, the crinkle of the ultrasound hidden in my pocket sounding like a roar in the silence of the hallway. I had spent all morning staring at the tiny smudge on the thermal paper—a secret heartbeat that was supposed to change everything for us.

The scent hit me first. It wasn't the usual cedar and rain that belonged to my fated mate. It was thick, cloying, and reeked of artificial sour cherries.

My half-sister’s scent.

"I told you to knock, Elara."

Kaelen didn't pull away from her. He stayed pressed against the edge of the desk, his massive hands gripping the thighs of the woman sitting on top of the mahogany surface. Selene's head was thrown back, her throat exposed, a smug, triumphant smile curling her lips as she looked down at me over Kaelen's shoulder.

"Kaelen?" My voice sounded thin, like a wire about to snap under immense tension. "What is this?"

"It's exactly what it looks like," Selene chirped, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Though I thought you'd be more observant. You are the Luna, after all. Or... you were."

Kaelen finally turned his head. His eyes, usually a warm amber, were cold and flat. He didn't look ashamed. He looked completely bored.

"You're late with the pack reports," he said, his voice level and dismissive. "And you're interrupting something private."

"Private?" I stepped forward, my hand instinctively hovering over my stomach before I forced it back to my side. The ultrasound paper bit into my palm. "She's my sister, Kaelen! We are fated mates! You swore an oath before the entire Silver Crescent Pack!"

"Oaths change when the circumstances do," Kaelen said. He slid his hand up Selene's waist, settling it heavily over her belly.

The gesture was a physical blow. I felt the blood drain from my face.

"She's pregnant, Elara," he stated, pride flickering in his flat gaze. "She's carrying a son. A true Alpha heir. Something you couldn't give me in three years of trying."

"Three years?" I whispered. "We've only been mated for three years. The doctors said it takes time for some wolves—"

"I don't have time," Kaelen interrupted. He stood up straight, finally releasing Selene, though she stayed perched on the desk like a queen on a throne. "The Silver Crescent needs a lineage. Selene has proven her worth. You've only proven your insufficiency."

"You're choosing her?" I looked at Selene. She was my half-sister, the one my father had brought home after my mother died. I had shared my toys, my clothes, and my home with her. "Selene, how could you?"

"Don't act so shocked," Selene said, hopping down from the desk. She smoothed her silk skirt, her eyes scanning me with utter disdain. "Kaelen deserves a woman who can actually fulfill her duties. You're just a placeholder, Elara. A dry well."

The blood in my veins turned to ice. I felt