The Alpha Who Threw Me Away for a Fake Pregnancy

My husband came home from three months at war, climbed out of the lead SUV in front of the entire pack, and pulled a pregnant stranger down from the passenger seat before he ever looked at me.

"That's my Alpha's pup," the woman whispered, pressing both hands to her swollen belly. She said it loud enough for the front row to hear. "Caleb gave me his pup."

I had stood on this porch for two years as Luna of the Hale pack. I had funded Caleb's army with my father's dowry, brokered the treaties that kept the eastern packs off our throats, and gone to his bed every night he was home. I knew exactly how long he had been gone, and I knew exactly what that belly meant.

"The scouts signaled his approach an hour ago," Elder Thorne had murmured beside me when the dust first rose on the dirt road. He had told me to smile. He had told me my mate was home.

Now Thorne's staff froze halfway to the ground.

Caleb wore the same tactical combat jacket he'd left in. Dirt streaked his boots. A fresh scar cut a red line across his left cheek. He kept his arm wrapped around the woman's waist as he guided her toward the concrete steps, and he still hadn't met my eyes.

"Caleb." I came down the first two steps. I expected him to flinch. I expected the old scent of pine and rain. "Who is she."

He didn't answer me. He answered the crowd.

"Elders," he announced, his voice carrying across the courtyard packed with our people. "This is Sienna."

The young woman shivered in a thin white cotton dress, autumn wind cutting straight through it. Up close her tears looked rehearsed, but the belly was real enough to stop the gossip in the square cold.

Cold air rushed into my lungs. A sharp spasm wracked my chest.

I backed up, my hand finding the wooden doorframe. My nails dug violently into the grain. A jagged splinter pierced my index finger. I welcomed the sting. It kept me grounded.

"Alpha," Elder Thorne barked. "Explain this."

Caleb wrapped his arm around the woman's waist. He guided her toward the concrete steps.

"Elders," Caleb announced, his voice carrying over the quiet courtyard. "This is Sienna."

I stared at her bulging belly. A violent cramp twisted my stomach. Nausea clawed at my throat. I forced my spine completely straight. I refused to cower.

"Sienna," I repeated the name. It felt like ash on my tongue. "Who is she to you, Caleb?"

"She is the mother of my pup," Caleb replied.

Silence slammed into the gathered crowd. The council members exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"You bring a pregnant stray to our territory?" Elder Thorne demanded. "To your mate's home?"

"Watch your tone, Thorne," Caleb growled. "She carries the next Alpha."

I laughed. A harsh, scraping sound that shocked even me. The elders flinched.

"Three months," I said, pointing at her stomach. "That pup