Punished for a Bastard, But My Pup is the Alpha King's

Lila's POV

The midnight air tasted like ash and betrayal. My eighteenth birthday was supposed to be the night Kael claimed me, the night our bond was sealed under the moonlight. Instead, I stood frozen outside his cabin, the sound of skin slapping against skin cutting through the crisp night air louder than any wolf’s howl. I hadn’t meant to intrude. I had come with flowers in my hand, wild daisies I’d picked from the edge of the stream, hoping to surprise him before the ceremony.

But the surprise was mine.

Through the gap in the heavy wooden door, I saw them. Kael was on top of her, thrusting with a brutality that made my stomach churn. beneath him was Clara, my stepsister who had tripped me in the mud just yesterday, who had laughed when I tore my favorite dress.

"That's it, Kael," Clara moaned, her voice dripping with that sickly sweet venom she always used on me.

"Take what's yours."

Kael groaned, his head buried in her neck. "You feel so fucking good, Clara. So much better than I ever imagined."

I gripped the doorframe, my knuckles turning white. I wanted to burst in there. I wanted to shift and tear her throat out. But the shock was a physical weight, pinning me to the spot. Then, Clara’s eyes opened, and she looked right at the gap where I stood. She didn’t stop. She smiled.

"Tell me about that little mutt, Lila," Clara panted, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist. "The one who thinks she’s your chosen mate."

Kael didn’t even pause. He laughed, a dark, cruel sound that twisted the knife in my heart. "Lila? She’s nothing. Just a duty the pack forced on me. You... you’re the real deal, Clara. We’re fates. We’re true mates."

"She's the third wheel, Kael," Clara goaded him, her eyes locking onto mine with malicious triumph. "She’s the outsider intruding on our bond. She’s the fucking third wheel."

"God, you're right," Kael growled, pistoning his hips faster, driving the point home with every thrust. "She’s just a placeholder. You’re the only one I want. Fuck, I’m going to fill you up."

The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and the flowers fell from my hand, tumbling to the dirt. He didn’t just want her; he was rewriting our history, erasing me in the worst possible way, while I stood right there listening. He didn’t even care enough to defend my memory. He was actively destroying it.

I couldn’t breathe. The air was too thin, too thick with their scent. I turned and ran. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I needed to get away. Away from the sounds, away from the realization that the last three years of my life had been a lie.

I shifted course, my feet tearing through the underbrush as I sprinted toward the Darkwood. The ancient trees loomed overhead, their branches skeletal fingers scratching at the moonlight. I