The Mate He Rejected, The Child He Claimed

When I broke up with Pathseekers Pack Alpha Soren, he clutched the test report and asked me why I faked a pregnancy, then pressed a lit cigarette against my heart.

How dare you lie to me?

Soren severed our mate bond. My stepfather's family disowned me. I lost my job and my face was scarred.

The day I left Pathseekers Pack, Soren got engaged to my stepsister, Fiona.

I clutched my stomach and slunk away from their world like a rat in a gutter, disappearing completely.

When I saw Soren again four years later, he pointed at the child in my arms, his eyes certain:

"This is my child, isn't it?"

I saw Soren again late at night in a hospital.

I held my daughter Jenny in my arms. She'd long grown accustomed to IVs and injections, staying quiet the entire time.

When she saw Soren, she remained quiet too, only tugging at my dozing self in confusion.

I opened my eyes and suddenly locked gazes with the man's cold blue-gray eyes.

Memories from the past came flooding back. My heart stopped.

I stiffly got up, preparing to run, then belatedly remembered Jenny was still on an IV.

Just as my hand touched the IV bottle, Soren pressed down hard to stop me.

"Long time no see, Ella."

"Is this your daughter?"

A few light words, yet my legs began trembling uncontrollably.

Jenny tilted her head and asked who he was.

He smiled coldly, enunciating each word.

"An old acquaintance of your mother's."

More than just an old acquaintance.

Five years together. One hundred and eighty days and nights of desperate passion. And that once-tightly-connected mate bond.

Unfortunately, these numbers that weighed so heavily on me were nothing but garbage carelessly tossed aside by this high-and-mighty Alpha.

I kept my head down, my face pale.

During the silence, Soren's friend walked over. At first he didn't see clearly, and joked while pointing at Jenny.

"Soren, just a minor injury and your wife and daughter both came to see you!"

Not long after I left Soren years ago, I saw news online that Fiona was pregnant.

I hadn't expected she'd also given birth to a daughter.

Fiona was the daughter of Ashclaw Pack Alpha Jack. After her mother died, Jack met my mother, Omega Sylvie.

Sylvie was Jack's second chance mate. Before long, they got married, and I went from being an Omega's daughter to an Alpha's stepdaughter overnight.

After Soren severed our mate bond, both Jack and Sylvie announced they were cutting ties with me. I was knocked back to my original form in an instant.

Taking two steps closer, the man saw my face clearly and called out in surprise.

"You're Ella, right? You're still alive?"

His surprised, sarcastic words stabbed like a knife into my barely-healed heart.

I instinctively covered Jenny's ears to prevent her from hearing anything worse.

"Back then you forged a pregnancy report and made Soren's father so angry he died. How dare you show your face in front of Soren now?"

"You must be out of money, right? That figures. A woman like you can only rely on men for cash, can't you?"

"This scrawny little girl is your daughter? Don't tell me you're trying to claim she's Soren's daughter!"

I'd long been numb, but hearing that last sentence, I looked up in shock.

"No, she has nothing to do with Alpha Soren!"

Both men paused.

A moment later, Soren pushed his friend aside and approached me, his Alpha aura as oppressive as ever.

"How old is the child?"

"She's three!"

I blurted out almost reflexively.

He stepped closer.

"Show me her ID card."

I stepped back, forcing a slight smile.

"The ID card is at home. I forgot it."

Just as he was about to speak, I interrupted.

"It's so late. You should head home so Fiona doesn't worry."

At the mention of Fiona, he fell uncharacteristically silent.

A bitter smile crossed my heart.

Four years ago, humble as dirt, I'd questioned Soren about why he didn't believe me, why he was getting engaged to Fiona.

He'd gripped my throat, his eyes filled with disgust, ice cold.

"She's different from you. She's pure. She doesn't lie."

"And I love her."

I was his destined mate. We'd been together for five years. When he confirmed our relationship, he said he'd love me forever.

But after my mother remarried and he met Fiona, he became madly infatuated with her.

The vows he'd made to me vanished in an instant. He said he'd fallen in love with Fiona and wanted to give her a home.

I'd always thought this love wouldn't last long. Looking at it now, I'd been too naive.

Taking advantage of his distraction, I decisively removed the IV bottle, scooped up Jenny, and ran without looking back.

The man behind me said something faintly.

I didn't hear it clearly. I didn't care.

I didn't stop until I'd run out of the hospital, my heart pounding wildly.

Jenny touched my haggard face, puzzled.

"Mommy, why did you lie to that man?"

I kissed her plump little cheek.

"Mommy was protecting you."

Protecting you from being taken away.

But Soren now had a wife and daughter. How could he possibly try to take my Jenny?

Even so, I still took Jenny to a small clinic instead.

By the time we got home, it was already two in the morning.

I couldn't sleep. I opened Fiona's social media.

Every day she showed off her wealthy lifestyle and her precious daughter.

The comments were full of people praising her gentle beauty.

Hard to imagine this same woman had personally used a knife to slash my face.

Even now, no matter how hot it got, I didn't dare lift my thick bangs to expose the ugly scar on my forehead.

I only requested half a day off for Jenny. In the afternoon, I took her to preschool.

On my way home, a luxury car brazenly blocked my path.

The window rolled down and an elegant woman poked her head out.

"Ella!"

I froze in place, meeting my mother Sylvie's gaze.

She looked younger than she had years ago.

If we walked together, people would probably mistake us for sisters.

I abandoned my electric scooter and quickly walked away. She opened the car door and chased after me in her sheepskin heels.

"Ella! Please turn around and look at me!"

Perhaps she was running too fasther voice carried a hint of choking.

I didn't understand why she was chasing me.

Years ago, to gain Fiona's approval as a stepdaughter, she'd personally forged my pregnancy report, leading Soren to believe I was deceiving him and to sever our mate bond.

Back then, her scarlet nails had poked red marks all over my face.

"You've only survived this long because of me. What right do you have to criticize me? If I'd known you'd grow up to block my path to wealth, I should have strangled you at birth!"

After Soren threw me out of his house, Sylvie announced in front of everyone that I wasn't her daughter.

Lost in these memories, the driver suddenly braked at Sylvie's signal, blocking my path.

I stumbled and fell to the ground.

Sylvie reached out to help me up.

"Ella, I just want to see you."

I violently shook off her hand, my smile mocking.

"See me for what? To see if I'm dead yet? Or to see if I'm still stealing Fiona's man?"

"Don't worry. I've learned my lesson. I won't disturb Soren and Fiona's life. I'll stay far away from them and your wealthy lifestyle!"

Sylvie seemed hurt by my words, her eyes reddening slightly.

"Ella, I didn't mean it like that."

Her gaze fell on my custom phone casea photo of Jenny and me together.

She abruptly changed the subject.

"That child from back then..."

At those words, my confidence vanished without a trace. I said frantically,

"What child? That child died the night Soren and I severed our mate bond..."

I desperately hid the phone case behind my back. The cold temperature of the ground made me recall that night four years ago, after Soren severed our mate bond.

That day, after he severed our bond, I was thrown out of Soren's house.

I endured tremendous pain, walking step by step.

Finally, passing through an alley, I couldn't hold on anymore. My whole body felt torn apart as I collapsed in a pool of blood.

The life inside my belly teetered on the edge in that instant.

I curled up in the dark alley, thinking I would miscarry, thinking my child would die.

A passing witch saved me.

She took pity on me, treated me, and helped me keep the child.

Now Jenny was my everything. I didn't want to experience almost losing her again, so I desperately insisted.

"That child really is dead!"

"I really don't love Soren anymore, and I won't go back to seduce him!"

"You know how painful severing a mate bond is! In that situation I definitely would have miscarried. How could the child possibly still be alive!"

The next second, she suddenly hugged me.

"Ella, don't be like this..."

I froze for a moment, then struggled frantically. She fell to the ground.

I went around the car and fled desperately.

I hadn't run far when I fell hard to the ground. Then I got up and kept running.

When I got home, I immediately packed up important documents and money.

Running into Soren last night, then Sylvie today.

This absolutely couldn't be a coincidence!

I called the company I'd worked at for two years to resign, then called my landlord to terminate the lease.

After buying train tickets, it was almost time to pick up Jenny from school. I went to get her and process her withdrawal.

I planned to take her away from here and never return.

However, when I reached the preschool entrance, Jenny's teacher looked surprised.

"Didn't Jenny's father already pick her up? Sorry, I saw Jenny looked quite similar to that man..."

A man who looked very similar to Jennythe first person who came to mind was Soren.

After four years, I removed Soren from my blocked list.

As soon as the call connected, the man laughed softly.

"I thought you'd be willing to go your whole life without contacting me."

I stood in the cold wind, gripping my phone tightly.

"Where's the child?"

As I spoke, Jenny's innocent laughter came through the phone.

Soren's voice was like a snake's tongue.

"Ella, is the child mine or not?"

I still didn't hesitate at all.

"No, Soren. Give me back my child."

He scoffed.

"It doesn't matter if you won't admit it. I can do a paternity test. You remember what happened when you lied to me."

Yes. Four years ago he said I lied to him, so he severed our mate bond. I nearly miscarried. My child almost died.

I still often dreamed about that night. Those dreams seemed to mock me for loving a man I shouldn't have loved.

Thinking of this, I crouched on the ground in pain, supporting my swelling eyes.

Soren decisively hung up. After a moment to recover, I got up and rushed to his house.

After four years, I set foot in his home again, memories surging through my mind.

I remembered the first time I moved in, shaking Soren's hand and asking him what would happen if someone tried to throw me out.

His smile had been gentle, brooking no argument.

"You're my woman. Who would dare touch you?"

Later, he was the one who ordered people to strip off all the clothes he'd bought me and throw me out of his house.

Heavy snow fell. I walked through it, my whole body purple, tears frozen on my face.

He stood on the second floor, looking down at me as I struggled step by step through his front gate.

To this day, photos of me naked still circulated online.

The comments either cursed me as getting what I deserved or assumed I was already dead, having gone to apologize to Soren's father.

I entered Soren's gate, head down as I walked the path to the villa, past humiliations flooding my heart.

I didn't notice that the roses I once loved still bloomed vigorously in the garden.

Soren was already waiting in the living room.

He wore a black suit, as if everything had been premeditated.

I stood far away, restraining my anger.

"Where's the child?"

"She got tired playing. She's sleeping upstairs."

Hearing this, I immediately ran upward. Soren was quick, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his embrace.

The familiar scent of cedar invaded my senses, making my hair stand on end.

"What's the rush? We haven't settled our accounts yet."

I thought he meant the incident years ago when I supposedly stole the gemstone necklace left by Fiona's late mother.

But I'd never even touched that necklace.

No one believed me.

In the end, Jack threw me out of Ashclaw Pack.

Before I left Jack's house, I kept insisting I hadn't stolen the necklace.

However, these past years had long since worn away my pride.

I pushed Soren away and fell to my knees with a thud.

"Soren, I know I was wrong about what happened back then. I've paid the price. If you still think it's not enough, I can kneel and apologize to Fiona too. Just please give me back my child."

My humility didn't earn the man's pity. He furrowed his brow, his tone icy.

"Get up."

I didn't move, speaking again with sincerity.

"Soren, you can humiliate me however you want, as long as you give me back my child."

Soren laughed bitterly, crouching down to look me in the eye.

"Your child? You and whose child?"

I froze for a moment, then answered decisively.

"My ex-husband's."

Afraid he wouldn't believe me, I pulled out a marriage certificate to show him.

"Soren, I'm not lying. I really got married. The child is mine and my ex-husband's!"

I really was married, though it was a fake marriage.

However, the man only glanced at the certificate before snatching it and tearing it to shreds, then yanking me to my feet.

"Ella, can't you see how much this child looks like me?"

I didn't dare look at him, struggling to go upstairs to find Jenny.

He grabbed me around the waist, threw me onto the sofa, pinned my hands behind my back and pressed down, his gaze sinister.

"I'll ask you one last time. Whose child is it?"

My eyes widened. I could barely breathe.

In a trance, I thought again of the gunshot Soren fired at me after his father died.

That bone-chilling terror struck again. My tears burst forth uncontrollably.

"Soren, I'm begging you to let me go! I really can't die. Jenny is still so young! She can't lose me!"

"She really isn't your daughter! If it makes you happy, you can do anything to me, just leave me alive, just don't take Jenny away!!"

He wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, frowning.

"When did I say I was taking Jenny away?"

I froze. Suddenly Fiona's social media flashed through my mind.

Her daughter, like her, had congenital heart disease...

Could Soren want to take Jenny's heart for Fiona's daughter?!

I began struggling violently, screaming with everything I had.

Soren had to press down harder on my hands. He didn't control his strength wellcrack.

The clear sound of my shoulder dislocating rang out. I gasped, tears soaking the sofa beneath me.

Only then did the man release me, but he didn't immediately set it back in place. He looked down at me.

"After all these years, you still like making things harder on yourself."

He bent down, brushing aside my wet hair to reveal that scar, his eyes half-closed.

"If you were pregnant, why didn't you tell me back then? After you gave birth to this child, why didn't you come find me?"

Back then, I kept telling him the truth, begging him to believe me. I told him I really was pregnant, that his father's death had nothing to do with me.

But he'd rather believe Fiona, whom he'd known less than a year, than me, who'd been with him for five years.

I avoided his hand, my face full of sarcasm.

"Soren, Jenny really isn't your daughter."

"And wasn't it you who said I should get as far away as possible? Why are you appearing in front of me again?!"

The man fell silent.

To me, this silence was more like an admission that he was hiding some scheme.

The commotion downstairs finally woke Jenny upstairs.

When she saw me covered in tears, pinned on the sofa by Soren, she ran barefoot down the stairs.

"Mommy! Let go of my mommy! Bad man, you big bad man!"

She cried and shouted while pounding on Soren.

The butler appeared in time, pulling her sobbing form aside.

Soren looked at Jenny, then at me, amused.

"Call me daddy, and I'll let your mommy go."

Jenny had already labeled him a bad guy. She shouted,

"You're not my daddy!! I have a daddy! My daddy isn't a big bad man like you!"

My heart ached. Ignoring my dislocated arm, I struggled hard, cursing.

"Soren, you bastard, let me go!"

The man gripped my jaw, sneering.

"You're not a bastard? You gave birth to my child and ran away. All these years, not a word."

I bit my lip, refusing to admit the child was his. Jenny also steadfastly refused to speak.

Seeing this, Soren lost his temper. He restrained Jenny and pulled out a lighter.

He threatened that if she didn't call him daddy, he'd burn her with fire.

Enormous panic engulfed me. I knelt on the ground, using my good hand to grab his leg, pleading.

"Soren, please spare the child. She's innocent!!"

Jenny's face went deathly pale with fear, tears dripping onto my face, so scalding they seemed capable of melting my heart.

"Burn me instead! Burn me!"

I tried to rush forward, but two of his guards locked my arms behind me and held me down. My arms were nearly dislocated, and cuts appeared on my body from their violent movements, bleeding.

Soren remained unmoved. He pressed the lighter, bringing the flame close to Jenny's face.

Watching Jenny's terrified face illuminated by firelight, I nearly fainted, finally giving in.

"You areyou are Jenny's biological father!! Jenny is your daughter! She's yours!!"

After I shouted this sentence, the guards released their hold on me. I sat powerlessly on the ground.

Jenny returned to my arms as she wished, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"If you'd admitted it earlier, the child wouldn't have had to suffer like this."

His palm landing on top of my head made me instinctively tremble.

Watching Beta Leo hurrying over from a distance, my heart turned to ashes.

If Soren dared harm Jenny, I would fight him to the death.

Even if I died, I wouldn't let him take my child.

Soren was supremely confident, pushing aside the paternity test Leo brought.

"No need to look. The child is mine."

As his words fell, Leo said tremulously,

"Alpha Soren, you should still take a look. The child... the child really isn't yours..."