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“Marissa, we’ve arranged a Mateship Ceremony for you,” her mother’s voice echoed through the mind link. “Your blood is becoming more volatile every day. Only the strength of an Alpha mate can keep your blood stable and keep you safe.”
Marissa sat alone in her dimly lit room, her gaze fixed on the shadowy corners. Silence stretched between them, filling the air with an unspoken weight. She knew her mother was about to speak again, offering her a way out as always.
“If you don’t want this, I’ll speak to your father and cancel everything. We won’t force you,” her mother finally said, her voice softening.
But Marissa’s lips parted as she answered, her voice steady and unyielding, “I‘ m willing, Mom. I’ll go through with the arranged mateship.”
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There was a stunned silence on the other end, and then her mother stammered in disbelief. “You… you agreed?”
“Yes, I agreed,” Marissa repeated, her voice calm and devoid of any visible hesitation. “But I need time to wrap up some things in the Shadow Pack first. Please start preparing for the Mateship Ceremony.”
She ended the mind link without asking a single question about the Alpha her parents had chosen. She didn’t care who he was or what he‘ d heard about her
fragile health, only that he was willing to mate with someone everyone believed was dying.
Though, Marissa wasn‘ t dying. Not yet. Her blood, the powerful Lycan bloodline coursing through her, was more than her body could handle without a mate’s mark to stabilize it. She was growing weaker every day, struggling against the surging strength within.
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The truth was, her mother had practically been begging her to find another Alpha to mate with for so many years. Since she had been in a relationship with Alpha Caleb for years already and he refused to mate with her yet, it was making it harder for her to control her blood.
“I won’t mate with you unless you give me an heir. We already agreed on that, did we?” That was his only condition, but it seemed like, even after years of trying, she could not give him a child, and she had been struggling with her unstable blood.
Yet, a month ago, Caleb suddenly
announced that a breeder had come to
their pack. She was Ivy, the woman with a tragic past her parents had already passed, and she was now alone in life. She
had to live as a breeder.
Marissa pitied Ivy. She had to live such a life because her past was too dark, but she never expected what would come next.
An hour ago, before her mother’s
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mindlink, Alpha Caleb made an
announcement:
“Ivy is now pregnant with my baby! My heir!”
She never expected this. She thought Ivy was a breeder for the pack members who could not conceive a baby. However, she didn’t know that Ivy had already been involved with the Alpha–her boyfriend.
Just as she ended the mind link with her mother, loud music from the packhouse carried up through her walls. The faint sound of glasses clinking and laughter filled the air. Downstairs, Alpha Caleb–her childhood sweetheart and the man she‘ d loved for eight years–was hosting a celebration for Ivy, the breeder who was now pregnant with his heir.
A soft knock at her door interrupted her thoughts, followed by the quiet creak of it opening. Ivy entered with a smug smile, her eyes sparkling with triumph. She stepped closer, her hands resting on the
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slight swell of her belly as if to remind Marissa of her failure.
“Marissa,” Ivy began in a sweet, honeyed voice, “won’t you come down and join. us? We’re celebrating my pregnancy, and I’d really love to have you there.
Marissa’s gaze hardened. Beneath Ivy’s innocent expression, she saw the cunning behind those eyes–a slyness that was impossible to miss. “I have work to finish, Ivy,” she replied, her tone icy. “Go enjoy your party.”
Ivy‘ s smile didn‘ t falter. Instead, she took a step closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I suppose you wouldn’t want to be there. After all, I’m giving Caleb something you never could. He’ll finally have the heir he deserves.”
The taunt sliced through Marissa s resolve. Her fingers curled into fists, but she refused to let Ivy see the hurt. Instead, she met Ivy’s gaze with steely determination. “Is that what you need to
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feel secure? Rubbing your pregnancy in my
face? Pathetic.”
Ivy’s eyes narrowed, her mask of sweetness slipping. “Maybe Caleb wouldn’t have looked elsewhere if you weren’t so… defective and barren.”
The slap cracked through the air before Marissa even realized she’d moved. Ivy s head snapped to the side, a red imprint blooming on her cheek. For a moment, there was stunned silence.
Then the door burst open, and Caleb strode in, his eyes blazing with fury. He immediately went to Ivy, who clutched her cheek and whimpered.
“Marissa!” Caleb‘ s voice was like a whip. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Marissa stood tall, her face expressionless.
“Ask her what she said to me.”
“I don’t need to ask,” Caleb snapped, his eyes cold as they bored into her. “I know you. I know your bitterness. You
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can’t stand that Ivy is giving me an heir, something you failed to do.”
Her heart twisted painfully, but she refused to let the tears fall. “If that’s what you believe, Caleb, then you never knew me at all.”
He didn’t respond, his attention already on Ivy, gently brushing a strand of hair
as
from her face. The sight was more painful than any of his words. The man she had loved, the one who had promised to be by her side forever, had chosen someone else -and in doing so, he‘ d torn their history
apart.
As Caleb led Ivy away, whispering reassurances, Marissa closed the door behind them. She leaned against it, her memories flashing before her eyes–of laughter, of loyalty, of promises that now lay in ruins..
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